Reasons Driving Without A Driving Licence Is An Invitation To Trouble

If you have recently bought your car or bike, make sure to have your driving license in place before you take it for a spin. Driving without a valid driving license is a punishable offense. There are severe rules and regulations concerning drivers’ licenses, including their issuance, revocation, and suspension. Read on to know more.

Laws and Acts relating to Driving license in India

Under the Motor Vehicle Act, section 3 states that anyone driving without a valid driving license can be punished under the provisions of Indian law. The minimum age to apply for a driver’s license is 16 years in the case of two-wheelers below 50cc, for other vehicles, it is 18 years and for transport vehicles, the minimum age limit is 20 years. If a minor is driving the vehicle without an appropriate license, then the owner of the vehicle will be prosecuted by law.

The various reasons for the suspension of license include:

• Habitual offender – drink and drive, drugs consumption, criminal offense, etc.,
• Dangerous to the public due to previous records

A license will be revoked permanently if the person commits a criminal offense under the Motor Vehicle Act. There are a host of other sections which outline the fine applicable under various circumstances. The most common is disqualification due to driving a vehicle without a license, which attracts a penalty of Rs. 500 or imprisonment up to 3 months or both based on the severity of the offense and repetition of the same offense.

Not holding a license is not an option. Here is how you can get a valid driving license.

Procedure to avail the valid driving license in India:

Online registration can be done in the following way:

• You can apply for a valid driving license online through the Sarthi Parivahan website of the Road Transport & Highways Ministry
• Choose the option “New Driving Licence” from “Sarathi Services”
• Fill in all required details in the form downloaded

The online application for a driving license is offered in 5 stages

• Online registration
• Filling up the form
• Submission of the form
• Appearing for the LL test (learner’s license)
• Appearing for permanent license test
• Obtain the license

The online driving license application status can be checked at the Parivahan website. The driving license application status is updated seamlessly to ensure that the process is executed without any time lag.

For individuals who are not tech-savvy, the offline driving license process can be adopted. It is quite simple and hassle-free. You will be required to visit the nearest RTO and fill out Form 4 which pertains to a motor vehicle driving license in India. The necessary documents such as age proof, Identity proof, and, address proof need to be submitted to the RTO in the concerning jurisdiction. A particular date and time will be allotted for your learner’s license test, upon clearance you will be allotted the learner’s license. After the expiry of the learner’s license, you should appear for the permanent license test, upon clearing the same you will be issued the permanent license.

You can check the driving license application status on the government website. The respective state has to be selected, after which the page will transition with multiple options, the Driving license will be listed as one of the options on the left side of the web page. Apart from applying online, you can see application status as one of the options, upon filing the application number the driving license application status will be stated. You may act as per the status of your driving license application and procure your license without any glitches.

Important points to note about driving license

• After clearance of your test, RTO takes 2 weeks to issue a driving license
• The typical period for getting a license is 1 month
• If you are not likely to be home at the time of delivery, any other person can collect the same by showing a valid identity proof on your behalf
• Until you gain a permanent license, you should hold your learner’s license, which is valid for 30 days, post which you can either renew it or apply for a permanent license

In the event your driving license expires, you can renew the driving license by applying online, here again driving license application status for renewals will be made available online. The renewal is needed after 20 years of permanent DL issuance or upon attaining 50 years of age.

The procedure for applying for a driving license is very simple now, as compared to the days when it was not tech-enabled and it is very easy to check the driving license application status online. It is recommended that you apply and procure your DL even before you buy your dream vehicle as it is a good measure to ensure your safety and wellbeing.