New amendments to Motor Vehicle Act to revoke driving license for life

Police say the new amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act could revoke a driver’s license for a lifetime for two offenses under drunk driving.

Accordingly, if a driver of a passenger vehicle is found guilty of drunk driving or a drunken driving accident, the driver’s license can be revoked for life hereafter.

Section 216 of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act No. 10 of 2019 has been amended and accordingly the penalties have been imposed under three criteria for drunk driving.

If a driver of a private vehicle is found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol, he will either be fined not less than Rs 25,000 and not exceeding Rs 30,000 or remanded for a period of not more than 3 months, or he could be subjected to both penalties.

In addition, the driver’s license can be suspended for a period of not more than 12 months.

If a driver of a passenger vehicle is found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol, he will either be fined not less than Rs 25,000 and not exceeding Rs 30,000 or remanded for a period of not more than 6 months, or he could be subjected to both penalties.

It is also significant that the relevant driver’s license can be revoked for life.

The last offense is causing an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol.

If found guilty, the driver will be a fined an amount of not less than Rs 100,000 and a fine not exceeding Rs 150,000, or remanded not less than two years and not more than 10 years, or be subjected to both of those penalties.

The driver’s license can be revoked for life in this instance as well.