Page 15 - The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988

THE MOTOR VEHICLES

ACT, 1988

[Act 59 of 1988, dt. 14-10-1988]
(As amended by the Motor Vehicles (Amdt.) Act, 2019 (32 of 2019), dt. 9-8-2019)

An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to motor vehicles
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-ninth Year of the Republic of India as
follows :
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title, extent and commencement
(1) This Act may be called the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
1
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for
different States and any reference in this Act to the commencement of this Act shall, in
relation to a State, be construed as a reference to the coming into force of this Act in that
State.
2. Definitions
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
2
[(1) “adapted vehicle” means a motor vehicle either specially designed and
constructed, or to which alterations have been made under sub-section (2)
of section 52, for the use of a person suffering from any physical defect or
disability, and used solely by or for such person;
(1A) “aggregator” means a digital intermediary or market place for a passenger
to connect with a driver for the purpose of transportation;
(1B) “area”, in relation to any provision of this Act, means such area as the
State Government may, having regard to the requirements of that provision,
specify by notification in the Official Gazette;]
(2) “articulated vehicle” means a motor vehicle to which a semi-trailer is
attached;
(3) “axle weight” means in relation to an axle of a vehicle the total weight
transmitted by the several wheels attached to that axle to the surface on
which the vehicle rests;

1 Enforceable w.e.f. 1-7-1989, vide SO 368(E), dt. 22-5-1989.
2 Substituted by the Motor Vehicles (Amdt.) Act, 2019 (32 of 2019), dt. 9-8-2019, w.e.f. 1-9-2019 vide
SO 3110(E), dt. 28-8-2019. Prior to substitution, clause (1) read as under:
“(1) “area”, in relation to any provision of this Act, means such area as the State Government may,
having regard to the requirements of that provision, specify by notification in the Official Gazette;”