There have been an increased number of cases of accidents on the roads in the country in recent times. One such very vulnerable class of vehicle is the two-wheelers. As per data, 1214 road accidents take place in India every single day, out of which two wheelers account for 25% of the total deaths due to road accidents. Moreover, data also suggests that 4 people die every hour in India because of not wearing a helmet while on the road on their two-wheelers. With such alarming statistics, it is important that every citizen is mindful of the traffic rules and regulations and follows all safety procedures and protocols. For two wheelers, the biggest rule to follow is to wear a helmet while driving, and while riding pillion.
To prevent road accidents and deaths in the country, the traffic police issues a challan to people who do not wear a helmet while riding on the roads. Earlier, a fine of Rs. 100 was imposed on the offenders. However, with recent amendments made to the Motor Vehicle Act, the amount of the challan has been increased to Rs. 1,000. To drive in more impact, the rules also state that the Motor Vehicle Department can also suspend the driving license of the offender for a period of three months. These moves have been undertaken by the authorities to ensure that people take safety seriously and wear helmets while driving or riding a two wheeler at all times.
In case due to some unforeseen circumstances you do end up getting booked for not wearing a helmet, you will be liable to pay Rs. 1,000 as your challan fee. You can either receive an e-challan, or a physical challan receipt by the traffic police officer. There are two ways by which you can do that, either by paying offline or by paying your challan dues online. In case you wish to pay your challan in an offline manner, you can do so by visiting your nearest local traffic police station, or your state’s transport department or the RTO near you. After verifying your e-challan status, you can then proceed to pay your dues via card, cash or other modes of payment. Once you have cleared your challan and paid your pending amount, you can collect the payment receipt.
In case you wish to pay your e-challan online, you can do so by visiting the government’s Parivahan portal on the web. The portal has been created by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for various services such as checking the vehicle registration, paying e-challans and to get e-challan blacklist details. Once on the portal, you can check the status of your e-challan and verify the amount by entering your vehicle’s registration number or your challan number, as received on your registered mobile number in an SMS. After verification, you can then proceed to make the payment via card, net banking or online wallets. Once the payment is complete, you will receive an e-receipt for the same.
You can easily ignore the entire hassle of paying a challan by wearing your helmet at all times, driving safe and following all traffic rules and regulations diligently.