DriveRightTraffic Signs & Rules

Rules of the Road, Markings & Penalties

Everything the Motor Vehicles Act expects of you, grouped so you can actually remember it. Signs are on the signs page — this page is about how you drive, what the road is telling you, and what it costs when you get it wrong.

The rules that keep you alive

None of these are optional. Most of them exist because somebody died learning them the hard way.

What the paint on the road is telling you

Road markings are signs you drive over. Read them as carefully as you read a signboard — they are covered by IRC:35 and are equally enforceable.

Traffic lights

Red, amber, green — and the two flashing states that most learners get wrong.

Hand signals by a traffic police officer

A police officer's signal overrides the traffic light and every sign on the road. Learn to read the arm, not the light.

Hand signals you must give as a driver

If your indicators fail, these are the legal signals. They are still part of the RTO theory test.

Maximum speed limits in India

Notified by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways under Section 112 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The lowest limit that applies to you always governs.

Remember: a speed limit is a maximum for perfect conditions — not a target. In rain, fog, at night or in traffic, the safe speed is usually well below the sign. The only rule that never changes: never drive faster than the distance you can see to be clear.

Speed and the law

  • Section 112 sets the framework; the actual figures are notified road by road and State by State.
  • Section 183: over-speeding a light motor vehicle costs ₹1,000 (first offence) or ₹2,000 (repeat).
  • Transport vehicles pay ₹2,000 for a first offence and ₹4,000 for a repeat, and the licence is impounded.
  • Speed governors are mandatory for transport vehicles under Section 136A.
  • Electronic evidence — speed cameras, radar guns and ANPR — is admissible in court.

Penalties under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019

The 2019 amendment sharply increased fines and added new road-safety offences. These are the Central Act figures.

Important: a State Government may increase a penalty under Section 210A, and Section 200 allows specified offences to be compounded. Section 199B also permits an annual revision of fines of up to 10%. Always check the offence section, the issuing authority and the applicable State notification before paying a challan.

Documents you must carry

Stop-check by traffic police? These are what they will ask for. Digital copies in DigiLocker or mParivahan are legally accepted.

Tip: keep the originals at home and a digital copy on your phone. If a document has been submitted to an RTO, carry the acknowledgement receipt.

Ready to test yourself?

Twenty random questions covering signs, markings, signals and penalties. Instant feedback in practice mode, full review at the end.

Start the test