.
NEW DELHI: In its bid to rein in the menace of uninsured vehicles plying on roads and unsafe driving, road transport and highways ministry has proposed amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act to empower enforcement agencies to detain such vehicles and introduce a provision barring the issuance of a fresh driving licence (DL) to applicants whose licence was revoked in the previous three years, reports Dipak Dash. In a set of proposed changes to the MV Act that the ministry shared with state transport ministers and commissioners at a meeting this week, it has also said that section 147 in the current law will also be amended to empower insurance regulator IRDAI to specify base premiums and liabilities considering vehicle’s age and challan history.Insurance premiums may be linked to driver behaviour This is being done to link insurance premiums with driver’s behaviour. The history of challans for violations provides sufficient insight into how a vehicle is driven,” said an official. At present, govt prescribes base premiums and liabilities for third party insurance, in consultation with IRDAI. Similarly, the current law has provisions for detention or seizure of a vehicle, if it’s found without registration or permit, or is found violating permit conditions.
At present, a large share of vehicles, particularly two-wheelers, don’t have valid insurance cover. To further link driver behaviour with challan history and licence revocation, the ministry has proposed to amend Section 9, which deals with the issuance and renewal of DL. It proposes removing exemptions from driving tests for applicants whose challan history reflects unsafe driving behaviour. Currently, a driving test is not mandatory if an application for renewal is made within one year before the licence expires. “There is a risk of this provision becoming subjective, as receiving challans during the 15-year validity period of a driving licence is common. Ideally, a driving test should be mandatory before every renewal, with no exemptions. There should also not be a blanket ban on issuing a fresh licence to applicants whose licences were revoked. If a probe concludes such individuals were not at fault, they should be allowed to obtain a fresh licence,” said Anil Chhikara, ex-deputy transport commissioner of Delhi. The ministry has also proposed to amend another section to bring in graded eligibility to obtain licence for larger and heavier vehicles by attaining skill acquired through driving experience. It is also seeking to expand the ambit of mandatory third party insurance by including owner, driver and occupant of personal vehicles. At present, it’s applicable only for commercial vehicles. There is also a proposal to extend the applicants’ age criteria for mandatory submission of medical certificates for new DL or for renewal from 40 years at present to 60 years.
