Fastening belts binding on drivers

LAHORE - The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed six bills including Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2009, which makes it binding on drivers to fasten seatbelts on notified roads.
A new section 89-B has been added in the ordinance XIX of 1965, according to which, “a person who is driving a motor car, motor cab, light transport vehicle or a heavy transport vehicle on a notified road shall fasten a seatbelt. The government shall notify roads for the purposes of this new section. The offender would be liable to fine amounting to Rs 200 in case of motor /car /jeep and Rs 300 for all vehicles.
This law, shall, however, not apply if-(a) “the person who is driving has a medical exemption certificate issued by a qualified medical practitioner; (b) no seatbelt is fitted in the vehicle by the manufacturer; (c) the vehicle is a two or three wheel vehicle or a delivery van, an emergency vehicle, or a goods vehicle; or (d) the person driving the vehicle is performing a reverse maneuver”.
According to this law, the government may also exempt “a class of vehicles, a vehicle, a person, or a class of persons” from the application of this provision and may charge a prescribed amount of fee for the exemption.
Through another amendment in section 92 of the said ordinance, a sub-section has been added, according to which, a person who is driving a vehicle shall stop his vehicle when the vehicle is involved in an accident with a person or property and the person driving shall give his name and address of the owner affected by the accident.
As per another amendment in sixth schedule of the said ordinance, amount of fines for all categories of violations have been kept between Rs 100 (for minor offences), and Rs 300 (for major offences).
With the passage of this bill, the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Ordinance, 2007 has been repealed.
The assembly also passed another similar bill, called Provincial Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Bill, according to which, the government, may, by a notification, direct the owners of motor vehicles registered in a district to obtain new registration marks within stipulated period. The government may also direct the owners to obtain a set of two number plates of the prescribed description.