Staff Reporter :
The Cabinet has approved the draft of “The Road Transport Act-2017” mandating educational qualification of Class-VIII for drivers and tougher punishment for driving offences.
The approval was given in a regular Cabinet meeting on Monday chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As per the draft, the punishment for reckless driving, engaging in unnecessary racing and thus committing any accident, will be maximum three years jail or Tk 25 lakh as fine or both, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters in a news briefing after the meeting.
“There have been some major changes in the proposed Road Transport Act-2017,” Shafiul Alam said, adding: “The law proposes penalising road accident accused in line with penal code.”
The punishment for driving any vehicle without valid driving licence is maximum 6 months jail or Tk 50,000 as fine or both. The punishment for driving any vehicle with fake licence is harsher with maximum 2 years jail or Tk 300,000 as fine or both.
The proposed law also kept a new provision for having licence by the conductors and in default, the punishment would be maximum one month jail or Tk 25,000 as fine or both.
In case of using mobile phone while driving, the punishment will be maximum one month jail or Tk 5,000 as fine.
The age limit for the drivers has been kept as same like 18 years for the general drivers and 21 years for the professional drivers as per the Section 5 of the proposed law, he said.
Under the Section 57 of the proposed law, Shafiul Alam said that if it is cognisable offense where the punishment is maximum 6 months jail or Tk 50,000 fine or both, then police can arrest the accused without any warrant.
The Cabinet Secretary said that the punishment for driving vehicle without fitness certificate would be maximum one year jail or Tk 1 lakh as fine or both.
In case of committing any accident and causing deaths, the penal code would be applicable, Alam said, adding that if the offense is culpable homicide, then the Section 302 of the penal code would be applicable.
He said if the offense is culpable homicide but not amounting to murder, then Section 304 of the penal code would be applicable which is for life-term imprisonment.
The Cabinet Secretary said that if any vehicle exceeds the excel or the weight limit, then both the concerned vehicle owner and the driver would have to undergo maximum three years jail or Tk 3 lakh fine or both.
He also said, a new provision of cutting “point” from the driving licence for violating the rules of the law has been incorporated following various laws on driving licence existing in different countries.
Moreover, he said, one would require passing class 8 and 5 respectively to become a driver and helper of commercial vehicles respectively.
“Major changes have been brought into the proposed law as the transport sector off late became ‘very vibrant’ and many agencies are associated with it,” Alam said.
Road Transport and Highways Division has brought the draft law before the cabinet in line with a High Court verdict requiring all ordinances promulgated under military regimes to be turned into parliamentary acts.
The cabinet secretary said the road transport sector now also have enhanced international links requiring the changes in the law and necessary matters related to transport management were incorporated in the law in consultation with stakeholders.
Driving with fake license would be treated as more punishable offence with the law proposing maximum 2 years jail or Tk 300,000 as fine or both, Alam said.
