The capital of Karnataka, Bangalore, struggles with some of the worst traffic conditions in India. As per recent data, Bangalore Traffic police issued over 80 lakh challans in 2024 alone showcasing an exponential rise in traffic violations. Two of the biggest causes behind this are sheer ignorance of the law and lack of awareness. From tinted windows to wrong-lane driving, there are various traffic rules that one must be aware of to drive safely in and around Bangalore. Therefore in this article, we have compiled a brief list of common traffic fines, rules, and challans so that you know what not to do the next time you are on the road.
Bangalore Traffic Rules and Fines: Governing Law
The Motor Vehicle Act 1988 is the central statute that regulates and governs almost every aspect of road transport including penalties for traffic violations. The Motor Vehicle Act, being a central legislation, applies to all states across India including Bangalore and the rest of Karnataka. In 2019, the Motor Vehicle Act was also amended by the central government to further strengthen the enforcement of the act and enhance the penalties for almost every traffic violation. Traffic regulations, challans, rules, regulations, and penalties under the Motor Vehicle Act can be categorised into several heads based on offences related to vehicle maintenance, driving, documentation, etc.
Traffic Violations Related to Driving
Bangalore is leading the digital revolution that India has adopted to tackle traffic violations. With the use of the latest technologies such as AI-infused traffic monitoring, Over Speed Violation Detection (OSVD) Cameras, Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems, Optical Character Recognition, and a highly intuitive traffic information, and management application, Bangalore has managed to digitise traffic management in such a way that of the 80 lakh challan issued in 2024, 94% were contactless. With a rise in traffic challans each year, traffic violations are heavily penalised and strictly Governed in Bangalore by both digital modes as well as from on-field personnel. Therefore, it is important to know the list of common driving-related violations that are commonly penalised in Bangalore as per the Motor Vehicle Act, because you don’t know when the camera captures you.
Overspeeding
Governed under Section 183 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving or causing a motor vehicle to be driven at speeds exceeding the requisite speed limit is an act of overspeeding, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 1,000 to 2,000 in the case of Light Motor Vehicles for the first offence.
- A fine of Rs. 2,000 to 4,000 in the case of Medium/Heavy Goods Vehicle or Medium/Heavy Passenger Vehicle for the first offence.
- Impounding of License for the second and every subsequent offence.
- In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service, which was a step added in 2019 to instill a sense of community responsibility in offenders.
As per Challan data and statistics available on the Bangalore Traffic Police website, overspeeding alone was the reason behind 41,000 challans in 2024 with an average of almost 111 violations every day.
Dangerous Driving
Governed under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle at high speeds or in any manner that is dangerous to the public, including the offence of red-light jumping, use of mobile while driving, stop-sign traffic violation, unlawful overtake, wrong side driving will constitute an offence of dangerous driving, which is punished with:
- Imprisonment for a term not less than 6 months but which may extend to 1 year (for the first offence) or
- With a fine not less than Rs. 1,000 but which may extend to Rs. 5,000 (for the first offence) or
- With Both (for the first offence)
- Imprisonment that may extend to 2 years (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence) or
- With a fine that may extend to Rs. 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence) or
- With Both (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence)
- In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service.
With the fast-paced lifestyle the city is known for, people’s patience levels have surely reduced, resulting in errant drivers jumping red-light, violating stop signs, overtaking unlawfully, and whatnot. As per the Bangalore Traffic Police Data, the city’s traffic department issued about 6,81,000 challans for red-light jumping and about 93,000 challans for the use of a mobile phone while driving, collecting crores of rupees in fines.
Drunk Driving
Governed under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving under the influence of Alcohol and/or Drugs constitutes the offence of Drunk Driving, which is a strict offence and entails a penalty of:
- Imprisonment of up to 6 months (for the first offence) or
- With a fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the first offence) or
- With Both (for the first offence)
- Imprisonment of up to 2 Years (f(for the second/subsequent offence) or
- With a fine of Rs. 10,000 ((for the second/subsequent offence) or
- With Both (for the second/subsequent offence)
With Bangalore being home to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, lounges, clubs, pubs, and even farmhouses that thrive especially during the weekend, drinking and driving constitute one of the most common causes of fatal accidents and mishaps. Therefore, it is always advised to either book a cab or have a chauffeur along every time you plan to go on an outing that involves alcohol.
Driving in Excess of Permissible Weight Limit
Governed under Section 194 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle or causing it to be driven with weight exceeding the permissible weight limit constitutes the offence of driving over the permissible weight limit, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 20,000 along with
- A fine of Rs. 2,000 per tonne of excess load
Driving with Excess Passenger
Governed under Section 194A of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving with more passengers than what the registration certificate of the vehicle specifies constitutes the offence of driving with Excess Passengers, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 200 for every excess passenger
Often ignored, driving with an Excess Passenger is a common violation that usually goes unnoticed. But the same is not the case in Bangalore, where about 7,388 challans were issued for driving with an Excess Passenger alone in 2024; a commendable on-field job.
Driving Without a Seat Belt
Governed under Section 194B of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without wearing a seat belt constitutes the offence of driving without a seat belt, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 1,000
With advanced violation detection cameras capturing every move, challans for no-seatbelt grew to about 4,22,000 in 2024 alone.
Failure to Give Way to Emergency Vehicles
Governed under Section 194E of the Motor Vehicle Act, whoever fails to give way to an emergency vehicle such as a fire brigade or an ambulance etc. by drawing their motor vehicle to the side of the road constitutes the offence of failure to give way to an emergency vehicle, which is punished with:
- Imprisonment of up to 6 months or
- A fine of Rs. 10,000 or
- Both
Violating Traffic Rules
Governed under Section 177A of the Motor Vehicle Act, violation of any road regulation shall constitute an offence of violation of traffic rules, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 500 to 1,000
The section tackles almost every road violation that does not find a specific mention. You will be surprised to know that by using section 177A, the Bangalore Traffic Police issued about 2,07,000 challans for offences such as defective number plates, dazzling headlights, shrill horns, defective silencers and without uniform driving in 2024.
Traffic Violations Related to Documentation
The secret behind a safe and lawful ride is not just following traffic rules and regulations but also possessing all legal documents, permits, licenses, insurance etc. Any traffic violation related to the possession of such documents is also an offence under the Motor Vehicle Act, attracting various penalties. Therefore, it is crucial to know the repercussions of not possessing relevant documents while driving and a list of related challenges that might follow:
Driving without a Valid Driving License
Governed under Section 181 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without a valid driving license, or underage driving in contravention of the driving license requirements constitutes an offence of driving without a License, which is punished with:
- Imprisonment of up to 3 months or
- A Fine of Rs. 5,000 or
- Both
- In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service.
Using a Vehicle without Registration
Governed under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without registration constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without registration which is punished with
- A fine of Rs. 2,000 to 5,000 (for the first offence)
- A fine of Rs. 5,000 to 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- Imprisonment of up to 1 year (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- With Both (for the second/subsequent offence)
Using a Vehicle without a Permit
Governed under Section 192A of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without a valid and requisite permit constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without a permit, which is punished with
- Imprisonment of up to 6 months (for the first offence) or
- A fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the first offence)
- Imprisonment of 6 months which may extend to up to 1 year (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- A fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- With Both (for the second/subsequent offence)
Driving Uninsured Vehicle
Governed under Section 196 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without a valid insurance certificate constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without insurance, which is punished with:
- Imprisonment of up to 3 months (for the first offence) or
- A fine of Rs. 2,000 (for the first offence) or
- With Both (for the first offence)
- Imprisonment of up to 3 months (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- A fine of Rs. 4,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
- With Both (for the second/subsequent offence)
Driving Without a Valid Pollution Certificate
Governed under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without a valid pollution certificate constitutes an offence of driving without a valid PUC, which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 1,000 (for the first offence) or
- A fine of Rs. 2,000 (for the second/subsequent offence)
Thanks to the efficient work of Bangalore’s on-fied traffic personnel, document-related violations do not go unnoticed. As per reports in 2024, the Bangalore Traffic Police issued over 13,000 challans for driving without a license driving, 415 challans for driving an uninsured vehicle, 26 challans for violation/non-use of the permit, and 534 challans for not producing relevant documents.
How to Check and Pay Traffic Challan in Bangalore
With the use of technologies such as OSVD Cameras, Traffic Violation Detection Cameras, Speed Guns, Interceptors, etc. traffic violation detection and challan issuance has increased manifolds. The majority of challans in Bangalore are now being issued virtually. Therefore, it is also important to know how to check for a virtual challan online. Here are the steps to check the virtual challan in Bangalore:
- Step 1: Visit the official M-Parivahan website.
- Step 2: Choose the e-Challan System
- Step 3: Click on ‘Get Challan Details’
- Step 4: Pick the most suited option to get challan details for your vehicle. You can choose between Vehicle Number, DL Number or Challan Number to get all the challan details.
- Step 5: Depending upon the selected option, enter the details and click ‘Get Detail’
- Step 6: The details of all your issued and pending challan will be shown. Verify all information and click ‘Pay Now’.
- Step 7: Select your preferred payment option to make the payment.
- Step 8: Upon completion of the payment, an acknowledgement will be provided with the transaction ID for future reference.
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