staff correspondent

If any traffic sergeant tries to take benefit from the new the Road Transport Act, 2018, action will be taken against him or her on complaints, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said today.

About the implementation of the Road Transport Act, 2018, the DMP chief said, the traffic rules violators will be made aware of the fines and punishment under the law during the first seven days since it was in forced on November 1.

“No fines will be imposed on the first week. Rather, people will be made aware of the law,” he said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told reporters during a briefing.

The DMP commissioner also expressed hope that the fear of being penalised and stricter rules would improve discipline on the roads.

Meanwhile, announcements are being made through loudspeakers at significant bus terminals and intersections to raise awareness on the new law.

The much-talked-about Road Transport Act, 2018 came into effect on November 1. It was passed by the parliament on September 19, 2018.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

On October 22, the Road Transport and Highways Division issued a gazette, stating that the Road Transport Act (RTA) would be effective from November 1.

According to section 105 of the new act, if anybody gets seriously injured or killed in a motor vehicle-related accident, it would be considered an offence under the relevant sections of the Penal Code-1860.

However, no matter what section 304(B) of the Penal Code contains, if anybody causes accident by reckless and negligent driving, and kills or injures someone severely, the person will face a maximum sentence of five years in jail or fine or both, reads section 105 of the RTA.

The offences that fall under section 105 are not bailable.

The maximum punishment under section 302 of the Penal Code is death penalty while it is life imprisonment under section 304(B).

The law also hands hefty fines for violation of traffic rules.

For driving without licence, the maximum penalty is six months in jail or a fine of Tk 25,000 or both. It is same for running unfit vehicles.

The maximum punishment for driving vehicles without registration is six months’ jail sentence or Tk 50,000 in fine or both. The highest punishment for honking banned horns is three months’ jail term or Tk 10,000 fine or both.

The law says the maximum punishment for illegally modifying vehicles’ body parts is three years’ jail sentence or Tk 3,00,000 fine or both.

According to the previous law, the maximum punishment for driving without licence was four months’ jail or Tk 500 fine or both. For driving vehicle without registration, the punishment was 3 months’ jail or Tk 2,000 fine or both (for first time) while for running unfit vehicles the punishment was three months in jail or Tk 2,000 fine or both.