Mumbai Traffic Fines & Rules: List, Penalties

With a population estimated to be 2.6 crores, Mumbai is one of India’s most populous cities. The city has around 2,300 cars per kilometre as of April 2024, the country’s highest number. Proudly acclaimed as the financial capital of India and home to some of the biggest Bollywood stars and industrialists, Mumbai faces rapid population growth every year, and congested roads and unending traffic are a common sight. With both police and traffic departments doing their best to tackle traffic and punish violators, Mumbai has done well in implementing digital challan systems. 

As per data, the Mumbai Traffic Police issued over 36 lakh challans from January to November 2023 alone, collecting over 205 crores in fines. This showcases a rather alarming and substantial jump in traffic offences, mainly because of a lack of awareness and sheer ignorance of the law. From driving without a license to improper parking, there are various traffic rules that one must be conscious of to drive safely in and around Mumbai. Therefore, in this article, we have compiled a brief list of common traffic challans and laws, so that you know what not to do the next time you are on the road.

Mumbai Traffic Rules and Fines: The Governing Statute

Talking about the governing law, the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 is the central statute that regulates and governs almost every aspect of road transport, including penalties and challans for traffic violations. In terms of the Act’s applicability, the Motor Vehicle Act equally applies to every state across India, including Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. In 2019, the Motor Vehicle Act was also amended by the central government, enhancing the penalties for almost every offence to reduce traffic violations and fatal accidents across the nation. Traffic regulations, challans, rules, regulations, and penalties under the Motor Vehicle Act can be divided into several different categories based on offences related to vehicle maintenance, driving, documentation, etc.  

Traffic Violations Related to Driving

Ever since the amendment of the Motor Vehicle Act in 2019, Mumbai has been at the forefront of adopting digital traffic management and violation detection systems such as AI-infused traffic monitoring, Optical Character Recognition, Over Speed Violation Detection (OSVD) Cameras, Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems. With a rise in traffic challans each passing year, traffic violations are strictly penalised in Mumbai and the state is even pushing to link the bank account of offenders to their e-challans to ensure proper recovery. Therefore, it is important to know the list of common driving-related violations that are penalised in Mumbai as per the Motor Vehicle Act.

Dangerous Driving

Governed under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle at high speed or in any manner that is dangerous to the public, including the offence of red-light jumping, use of mobile while driving, stop-sign traffic violation, unlawful overtake, wrong side driving will constitute an offence of dangerous driving, which is punished with:

• Imprisonment for a term not less than 6 months but which may extend to 1 year (for the first offence) or
• With a fine not less than Rs. 1,000 but which may extend to Rs. 5,000 (for the first offence) or
• With Both (for the first offence)
• Imprisonment that may extend to 2 years (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence) or 
• With a fine that may extend to Rs. 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence) or
• With Both (for the second/subsequent offence within 3 years of the first offence)
• In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service.

As per recent data, the Mumbai Traffic Police in a bid to ensure a safe New Year, ran a special drive issuing about 2,893 challans for dangerous driving, 109 for using mobile while driving, 40 for wrong-side driving, and about 1,739 challans for red-light jumping.

Drunk Driving

Governed under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving under the influence of Alcohol and/or Drugs constitutes the offence of Drunk Driving, which is a strict liability offence and entails a penalty of:

• Imprisonment of up to 6 months (for the first offence) or 
• With a fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the first offence) or
• With Both (for the first offence)
• Imprisonment of up to 2 Years (f(for the second/subsequent offence) or 
• With a fine of Rs. 10,000 ((for the second/subsequent offence) or
• With Both (for the second/subsequent offence)

Mumbai hosts some of the nation’s trippiest parties and the city has a wide array of restaurants, hotels, lounges, farmhouses, clubs, and pubs. A direct outcome of this party-culture is a rise in drinking and driving, which continues to be the biggest concern for Mumbai Traffic Police and a major reason behind fatal accidents and mishaps. As per the data, over 152 arrests were made on 31st December 2024 alone, and several challans were issued to curb drink and drive offences. Therefore, it is always advised to either book a cab or have a chauffeur along every time you plan to go on an outing that involves alcohol.

Overspeeding

Governed under Section 183 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving or causing a motor vehicle to be driven at speeds exceeding the requisite speed limit is an act of overspeeding, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 1,000 to 2,000 in the case of Light Motor Vehicles for the first offence
• A fine of Rs. 2,000 to 4,000 in the case of Medium/Heavy Goods Vehicle or Medium/Heavy Passenger Vehicle for the first offence
• Impounding of License for the second and every subsequent offence 
• In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service, which was a step added in 2019 to instill a sense of community responsibility in offenders.

While there is no doubt that time is money, saving it at the cost of risking your own life is not smart. With a fast-paced lifestyle now becoming a universal phenomenon, overspeeding has become so common that people often fail to pay attention to it altogether. As per data, the Mumbai Traffic Police impounded over 841 vehicles on 2024 New Year’s Eve Alone for overspeeding.

Driving with Excess Passenger

Governed under Section 194A of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving with more passengers than what the registration certificate of the vehicle specifies constitutes the offence of driving with Excess Passengers, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 200 for every excess passenger

Driving Without a Seat Belt

Governed under Section 194B of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without wearing a seat belt constitutes the offence of driving without a seat belt, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 1,000.

Driving in Excess of Permissible Weight Limit

Governed under Section 194 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle or causing it to be driven with weight exceeding the permissible weight limit constitutes the offence of driving over the permissible weight limit, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 20,000 along with
• A fine of Rs. 2,000 per tonne of excess load

Failure to Give Way to Emergency Vehicles

Governed under Section 194E of the Motor Vehicle Act, whoever fails to give way to an emergency vehicle such as a fire brigade or an ambulance etc. by drawing their motor vehicle to the side of the road constitutes the offence of failure to give way to an emergency vehicle, which is punished with:

• Imprisonment of up to 6 months or
• A fine of Rs. 10,000 or
• Both

Violating Traffic Rules

Governed under Section 177A of the Motor Vehicle Act, traffic violation of any road regulation shall constitute an offence of volition traffic rules, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 500 to 1,000

Traffic Violations Related to Documentation

When it comes to being a law-abiding citizen, following traffic rules isn’t enough. Possessing all legal documents, insurance, permits, licenses, etc. is an important aspect when it comes to driving lawfully on public roads. Any traffic violation related to the possession of such documents is also an offence under the Motor Vehicle Act and attracts various penalties. Therefore, it is crucial to know the repercussions of not possessing relevant documents while driving and a list of related challenges that might follow:

Using a Vehicle without Registration

Governed under Section 192 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without registration constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without registration, which is punished with

• A fine of Rs. 2,000 to 5,000 (for the first offence)
• A fine of Rs. 5,000 to 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
• Imprisonment of up to 1 year (for the second/subsequent offence) or 
• With Both (for the second/subsequent offence) 

Using a Vehicle without a Permit

Governed under Section 192A of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without a valid and requisite permit constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without a permit, which is punished with

• Imprisonment of up to 6 months (for the first offence) or
• A fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the first offence)
• Imprisonment of 6 months which may extend to up to 1 year (for the second/subsequent offence) or
• A fine of Rs. 10,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
• With Both (for the second/subsequent offence) 

Driving without a Valid Driving License

Governed under Section 181 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without a valid driving license, or underage driving in contravention of the driving license requirements constitutes an offence of driving without a License, which is punished with:

• Imprisonment of up to 3 months or
• A Fine of Rs. 5,000 or 
• Both
• In addition to the penalty and fine, the offender may also be liable to render community service.

Driving Uninsured Vehicle

Governed under Section 196 of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving a motor vehicle without a valid insurance certificate constitutes an offence of using a vehicle without insurance, which is punished with:

• Imprisonment of up to 3 months (for the first offence) or
• A fine of Rs. 2,000 (for the first offence) or
• With Both (for the first offence)
• Imprisonment of up to 3 months (for the second/subsequent offence) or
• A fine of Rs. 4,000 (for the second/subsequent offence) or
• With Both (for the second/subsequent offence) 

Driving Without a Valid Pollution Certificate

Governed under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicle Act, driving without a valid pollution certificate constitutes an offence of driving without a valid PUC, which is punished with:

• A fine of Rs. 1,000 (for the first offence) or
• A fine of Rs. 2,000 (for the second/subsequent offence)

How to Check and Pay Traffic Challan in Mumbai

With the use of digital technologies such as Traffic Violation Detection Cameras, Speed Interceptors, Surveillance Cameras, etc., traffic violation detection and challan issuance have increased manifolds. The majority of challans in Mumbai are now being issued virtually. Therefore, it is also important to know how to check for a virtual challan online. Here are the steps to check the virtual challan in Mumbai:

• Step 1: Visit the official M-Parivahan website.
• Step 2: Choose the e-Challan System 
• Step 3: Click on ‘Get Challan Details’
• Step 4: Pick the most suited option to get challan details for your vehicle. You can choose between Vehicle Number, DL Number or Challan Number to get all the challan details.
• Step 5: Depending upon the selected option, enter the details and click ‘Get Detail’
• Step 6: The details of all your issued and pending challan will be shown. Verify all information and click ‘Pay Now’.
• Step 7: Select your preferred payment option to make the payment.
• Step 8: Upon completion of the payment, an acknowledgement will be provided with the transaction ID for future reference.

FAQ’s