The government is set to introduce stringent measures to curb traffic violations and ensure better compliance with e-challan payments. Under the new regulations, those who fail to pay their traffic fines within three months may face suspension of their driving licences. Additionally, individuals who accumulate three challans for offenses such as jumping red signals or reckless driving in a financial year could have their licences confiscated for at least three months. These measures aim to address the low recovery rate of e-challan payments, which currently stands at only 40%. Reports indicate that states such as Delhi have an even lower recovery rate of 14%, while others like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh fare slightly better, with rates ranging between 21% and 29%. States like Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Haryana have managed to achieve a recovery rate between 62% and 76%.
To further enforce compliance, the government is planning to link insurance premiums with outstanding challans. If a vehicle owner has at least two pending challans from the previous financial year, they may have to pay higher insurance premiums. This strategy aligns with the directives issued by the Supreme Court, which has asked 23 states and seven Union Territories to file compliance reports on the implementation of electronic monitoring under the Central Motor Vehicles Act.
Section 136A of the Act mandates the use of advanced technology such as speed and CCTV cameras, speed guns, body-worn cameras, and automatic number plate recognition systems to enhance traffic law enforcement. The government is also working on a comprehensive standard operating procedure to address issues such as late challan notifications and erroneous fines. Under the new system, an e-challan notice will be sent within three days of the violation, and the recipient will have 30 days to either pay the fine or contest it. Failure to act within this period will be considered an acceptance of fault, and non-payment within 90 days will lead to suspension of the driving licence or registration certificate.
