Motor Vehicles Act, CMVR and Allied Transport Law
The legal domain tests the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Act 59 of 1988, in force 1 July 1989), the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, whose penalty provisions commenced on 1 September 2019.
Licensing and registration
- Section 3 requires a valid driving licence; Section 7 covers the learner's licence (Form 3), Section 9 the driving test, Section 19 disqualification.
- Section 39 prohibits use without registration; Section 41 prescribes registration; Sections 47 and 50 govern transfer of registration and ownership.
- Section 56 is the certificate of fitness for transport vehicles; Section 66 the permit requirement; Sections 72 and 74 stage and contract carriage permits.
Conduct and penalties
- Section 129 mandates protective headgear; Section 134 fixes the duty of a driver in an accident (stop, render assistance, report); Section 185 sets drunken driving at blood alcohol above 30 mg per 100 ml.
- Section 194 (overload): ₹20,000 plus ₹2,000 per tonne of excess load. Section 192A (unregistered vehicle): up to ₹5,000 first offence. Section 192 (uninsured): ₹2,000 first, ₹4,000 repeat. Section 194C (helmet): ₹1,000 plus 3-month disqualification. Section 194B (seat belt): ₹1,000.
- Section 207 empowers an officer to detain a vehicle suspected of a permit or registration offence.
Worked example
A goods carriage permitted at 9 tonnes is weighed at 12 tonnes. Excess = 3 tonnes. Penalty = ₹20,000 + (3 × ₹2,000) = ₹26,000. The driver's licence is not the subject of this section, so no disqualification is added unless another provision applies.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing Section 192 (uninsured) with 192A (unregistered).
- Quoting a flat fine for overload instead of the base-plus-per-tonne formula.
- Forgetting that fitness under Section 56 applies to transport vehicles, not private cars.