There has been a lot of hue and cry over the hefty monetary fines being slapped on the traffic violators following the implementation of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 from September 1.
As many as 63 provisions of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019 came into effect from the beginning of this month and important among them are those related to enhanced penalties. For driving a vehicle without a licence, there is a fine of Rs 5,000. One will have to pay Rs 2,000 if he/she is caught driving without insurance. The penalty for driving despite disqualification has been increased to Rs 10,000.
A major excuse given by the motorists for not carrying relevant documents, including the driving licence and the vehicle registration certificate, is that they simply 'forgot' them.
"It is here by clarified that The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued an advisory to states to accept driving licence, Registration certificate or other documents in 'electronic form' presented through Digilocker or mParivahan platform as valid under the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and treat them at par with the certificates issued by the transport authorities,” a statement by Bengaluru Traffic Police said.“But in case of any violation committed by driver/rider or if vehicle seized original (hard copy) DL is required.” He added.
Digital documents do not mean scanned copy or a photo of driving license, RC (registration certificate) or insurance. They have to be stored on DigiLocker or mParivahan app. It is verified and is accepted by the traffic police across the country. This would enable the use of digital platforms for carrying and verification of the documents and is a step towards citizen facilitation.
Also, If you own multiple vehicles, Digilocker allows you to create multiple folders for each of your vehicles.
How to Use Digilocker:
Step 1: Download the free Digilocker app
Step 2: Create an account using a valid mobile phone number.
Step 3: Enter your Aadhar card number when prompted
Step 4: Add your Driver's Licence number
Step 5: Once the DL has been setup, the Digilocker app will allow you to save other vehicle documents.
Step 6: The RC and the DL will then be spot verified for authenticity through a digital signature on the documents or in the form of a QR code.
