Massive changes have come into effect for commuters, cyclists and drivers who travel between Punjab. The Government of Punjab has made historic changes to the 12th Schedule of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, taking a bold measure towards the reduction in the incidents of road accidents, efficient urban traffic and fostering responsible driving practices. The state has raised ticket fines under these newly adopted laws and adopted an advanced “License Point System”.
Whether you drive a vehicle or ride a motorcycle on the roads of Punjab, this comprehensive information about the Fine and Point System defaulters will come in handy to help you steer clear of hefty fines and automatic cancellation of your driving license.
How the Driving License Point System Works
The system of black points or demerit points introduced by the Punjab government is a system which is in direct line with the international traffic management system. In this modern approach, demerit points are charged to a driver’s license along with the ticket for a traffic offense – such as running a red light or speeding – are automatically recorded.
It works much like the regional districts schedule international exams or notify of national public holidays, in that it is applied uniformly throughout the region. The following are some of the mechanics of the point system:
After 20 demerit points on a motorist’s record in a 12 month period the driving license will be automatically suspended for 6 months.
Extended Suspensions: If a violation is extremely serious or dangerous, the suspension period may be extended up to 1 year.
Repeat Offender Penalty: A base penalty fee will be doubled for each offense if the same traffic violation is repeated within one calendar month.
Revised Traffic Fines List for Various Vehicles
There’s been a change in the penalties, which now list the fine by vehicle type, engine size (CC) and commercial use. The new matrix takes away the older, nominal fine structures that don’t deter reckless driving, and instead puts in place weighty consequences of minor carelessness.
The fine amounts for common offences, as per the gazette have been increased as follows:
Fine on Traffic Sign Violation: The motorcycles will be given a fine of PKR 2,000, the regular passenger cars (small below 2000cc) will be fined PKR 5,000 and the luxury SUVs and commercial vehicles will be fined up to PKR 10,000 for violating red lights.
Without a License: Police will fine the motorbiker of motor car immediately, PKR 2000 (for motorbike) and PKR 5000 (for motor car) respectively.
Private drivers will face a fine of PKR 5,000 and a huge PKR 15,000 will be imposed on commercial fleet drivers who use a mobile phone while driving.
One-Way Violations (Wrong-Side Driving): Any Motorcycle Driving will be fined PKR 2000 and any Passenger Vehicle Driver will be fined PKR 5000 for making a mistake of parking on the wrong side of the road.
The fine on those who are motorcycling without a safety helm has now been hiked up to PKR 2,000 per occurrence.
Complete Electronic Schedule and Official Statutory Information can be checked directly on the Punjab Traffic Police Official Web Portal.
E-Challan Systems and Digital Payment Integration
Challan dues are required to be settled within 10-days of issuance. If the fine is not paid within this time, then the case will automatically be transferred to the traffic courts, along with the documents.
The Government of Punjab Official Laws Portal is available for detailed and structural updates for provincial transport bylaws, as well as to download legal texts.
This new traffic police arrangement has started to play a vital role to save human lives and set discipline in the roads of Punjab’s highways and urban road network. It is hoped that commuters comply with all traffic lights, lanes and speed limits, which are crucial so that people can continue to drive their vehicles by keeping things to a minimum.
