New motor vehicle fines 2025 — Hefty penalties, jail time, and license suspensions

Amid the rising accidents and traffic violations in the country, the Indian government has implemented stricter motor vehicle fines from March 1, with penalties that include heavy fines, jail time, and community service. Drunken driving now carries a fine of up to ₹15,000 and two years in jail for repeat offenders. Certain fines have risen to 10x the original fine amount, in order to establish an example about road safety and traffic rule awareness. Read on to know the restructured India road traffic fines.

New motor vehicle fines 2025 — All details

Take a look at the modified new motor vehicle fines 2025 that shall be implemented across the country, effective from March 1, 2025:

• Drunken Driving: ₹10,000 fine and/or 6 months jail; repeat offenders: ₹15,000 fine and up to 2 years jail.
• No Helmet/Seat Belt: ₹1,000 fine; helmet violators may lose their license for 3 months.
• Using Phone While Driving: ₹5,000 fine (up from ₹500).
• Missing Documents:

1. No license: ₹5,000 fine + possible 3 months jail/community service.
2. No insurance: ₹2,000 fine; repeat offense: ₹4,000 fine.
3. No pollution certificate: ₹10,000 fine and/or 6 months jail with community service.

• Triple Riding on Two-Wheeler: ₹1,000 fine.
• Dangerous Driving/Racing: ₹5,000 fine.
• Not Yielding to Emergency Vehicles: ₹10,000 fine.
• Signal Jumping: ₹5,000 fine.
• Overloading Vehicles: ₹20,000 fine (previously ₹2,000).
• Juvenile Offenders: ₹25,000 fine + 3 years jail; vehicle registration canceled; license ban until 25 years old.

Riding without a helmet or not wearing a seatbelt will cost ₹1,000, while using a phone while driving attracts a ₹5,000 penalty. Missing essential documents like a valid license, insurance, or pollution certificate can lead to fines of ₹2,000 to ₹10,000, with possible jail time. Offenses like triple riding, reckless driving, and ignoring emergency vehicles also come with substantial fines. Additionally, traffic violations such as signal jumping and vehicle overloading have seen massive fine hikes. The strictest penalty is for juvenile offenders, who face a ₹25,000 fine, 3 years of imprisonment, cancellation of vehicle registration, and a driving ban until they turn 25. These stringent measures aim to improve road safety and reduce reckless driving in India.

Also Read: Chandigarh Court cancels 69 challans issued for giving way to ambulances, VVIPs

While putting higher and more stronger fines and punishments to the road users is imperative to promote road safety, a lot more is needed to improve the state of transportation at large. This includes streamlining and reinforcing license issuance with proper driving tests, educating drivers about lane discipline, road courteousness and more; and further enforcing speed cameras to control overspeeding, to name a few.

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