Draft law for educated drivers, tougher penalties
- 6 month jail for no driving license
- 2yr jail for fake license
- 1 month jail for mobile use while driving
Bangladesh government today approved the draft law for road transport, mandating eighth grade education for drivers and tougher penalties for driving offences.
The approval was given in a regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam briefed reporters after the meeting.
“There have been some major changes in the proposed Road Transport Act-2017,” Secretary Alam said. “The law proposes penalising road accident accused in line with penal code.”
In case of using mobile phone while driving, the punishment will be maximum one month jail or Tk 5,000 as fine.
As per the proposed law, the punishment for reckless driving, engaging in unnecessary racing and thus committing any accident, the penalty will be maximum 3 years jail or Tk 25 lakh as fine or both.
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.
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 punishment for driving any vehicle without valid driving license is maximum 6 months jail or Tk 50,000 as fine or both. The punishment for driving any vehicle with fake license is harsher with maximum 2 years jail or Tk 3,00,000 as fine or both.
The proposed law also kept a new provision for having license by the conductors and in default, the punishment would be maximum one month jail or Tk 25,000 as fine or both.
The Cabinet Secretary said that the punishment for diving 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 life-term imprisonment.
The Cabinet Secretary said that if any vehicle crosses the weight limit, then both the concerned vehicle owner and the driver would have to undergo maximum maximum three years jail or Tk 3 lakh fine or both.
Alam 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.
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