Five traffic violations in a year? You may lose your driving licence

Drivers who rack up five or more traffic violations within a year could face a three-month driving ban, following a fresh amendment by the road transport ministry to the Motor Vehicles Rules. The new provision allows authorities to disqualify or revoke a driving licence (DL) to curb repeat offenders on Indian roads. The rule comes into force from January 1 and applies only to offences committed within a single year, a TOI report stated.

The licensing authority—either the regional transport office (RTO) or the district transport office—will decide on suspending a licence. Before taking action, the authority must give the licence holder a chance to be heard.

Past offences won’t be counted

The notification makes it clear that traffic violations will not be carried forward beyond one year. It states that “no offence or contravention recorded in any previous one-year period shall be taken into account for determining offences or contravention in any subsequent one-year period”.


This means only violations committed within a specific 12-month window will count towards the five-offence limit.

What changed in the rules

Until now, there were 24 grounds under which a licensing authority could begin proceedings to disqualify a driving licence. These included serious offences such as vehicle theft, assault or abduction of passengers, speeding beyond permitted limits, overloading, and abandoning vehicles in public spaces.

These were classified as actions that “constitute nuisance or danger to public”.

Under the new amendment, even relatively common traffic violations—such as not wearing a helmet, skipping a seat belt, or jumping a red light—can add up and lead to licence suspension if five or more are recorded in a year.

Experts are divided over the move

The new rule has drawn mixed reactions from road safety experts.

Former Delhi deputy transport commissioner Anil Chhikara said the idea was sound but pointed to enforcement gaps. He said, “the conflict is that people driving dangerously are not caught by traffic police”. He also flagged the lack of a standard operating procedure, noting that traffic offences recorded through CCTV cameras are often challenged in courts.

Rohit Baluja, who trains police, transport and judicial officers on motor vehicle laws, took a stronger view. He described the amendment as “draconian and conceptually flawed”.

Clearer rules for traffic challans

The ministry’s notification also lays down procedures for issuing and handling traffic challans. Any police officer in uniform, or any other officer authorised by the state government, can issue a challan. The system also allows for auto-generation of e-challans.

A traffic violator can either pay the fine or contest it within 45 days. If the person fails to contest the challan within this period, it will be treated as deemed acceptance of the offence.

With the new rule, the government has signalled tougher action against repeat offenders—but how smoothly it works on the ground will depend on enforcement and legal clarity.

(Source: TOI)