Driving is a task that requires utmost dedication to ensure road safety and discipline. Since driving concerns the safety and well-being of not just the driver alone but also the pedestrians, society and other vehicles on the road, several rules and regulations are in place to ensure that traffic rules are thoroughly followed. To ensure that laws are not flouted easily, traffic rules and regulations in India also contain penalties and challans to keep drivers in check. From jumping a traffic signal to overloading a passenger car, there are several traffic rules and fines that you must be aware of in order to drive safely, especially in the capital city of Delhi which is marked with high vehicular activity around the clock. In this article, we have compiled a comprehensive list of traffic rules, fines and challans so that you know what to do and what not to do when driving in and around the capital.
Delhi Traffic Fines & Rules: Governing Law
The Motor Vehicle Act 1988 is the comprehensive governing statute that regulates all aspects of road transport including penalties for traffic violations. Since the Motor Vehicle Act is a central legislation, it applies to all states in India including Delhi. In 2019, the Motor Vehicle Act was amended to further strengthen the rigour of the act as well as to enhance the penalties in place for traffic violations. Traffic fines, rules, regulations, challans and penalties under the Motor Vehicle Act can be segregated into several categories based on offences related to driving, documentation, vehicle maintenance etc.
Traffic Violations Related to Driving
With Delhi blending the use of both manual as well as digital traffic violation detection systems such as Over Speed Violation Detection (OSVD) Cameras, AI-infused traffic monitoring cameras etc., traffic violations related to driving are strictly dealt with and penalised in Delhi. Therefore it is important to know the list of common driving-related violations that are commonly penalised in Delhi as per the Motor Vehicle Act.
Overspeeding
Governed under Section 183 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving or causing a motor vehicle to be driving 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
Dangerous Driving
Governed under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle at high speed 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
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 that 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 several clubs, pubs, lounges and restaurants in Delhi serving Alcohol, drunk driving constitutes one of the most common challenges in the Capital and a big cause of accidents and mishaps. To put things in perspective, Delhi Traffic Police issued over 558 challans for Drunk Driving on 31st December 2024 alone collecting over 5 lakh in fines. 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 Vehicle Weight Limit
Goverened under Section 194 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle or causing it to be driven with weight exceeding the permissible 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
Goverened 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
Driving Without a Seat Belt
Goverened 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
Failure to Give Way to Emergency Vehicles
Goverened 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
Goverened under Section 177A of the Motor Vehicle Act, traffic violation of any road regulation shall constitute an offence of volition traffic rules which is punished with:
- A fine of Rs. 500 to 1,000
Traffic Violations Related to Documentation
Lawful driving requires not just following traffic rules and regulations but also possessing all statutory documents, licences, permits, insurance etc. Any traffic violation in possession of such documents constitutes 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 challans that might follow:
Driving without a Valid Driving License
Goverened 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 ano fence 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
Goverened 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
Goverened 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
Goverened 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
Goverened 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)
With Delhi struggling with hazardous air quality, especially in winter, driving without a valid Pollution Certificate is seen to be a strict traffic violation with special drives specially focused towards ensuring vehicles have a valid pollution certificate with enhanced fines of up to Rs. 10,000 for violations.
How to Check and Pay Traffic Challan in Delhi
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 with a majority of challans in Delhi 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 Delhi:
- 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.