What's the idea behind the new Act?An Indian dies on the road every 4 minutes. In the last 10 years, 1 million road-accident deaths have been reported. The new Motor Vehicles Act will focus on bringing down this number. The idea is to increase awareness among various levels like police and citizenry, an industry expert advising the government said.

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So, what will be the new features?The new Act will cover non-motorised entities like cyclists, children, pedestrians. Stricter penalties, stringent licensing system and driver-training are other areas. It will seek to protect non-motorised entities with stricter norms, says Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLife, an advocacy group working on road safety.

Is it silent on roads and potholes? No. Stricter penalties for faulty road design and engineering is a major highlight of the Act. The government has already received various recommendations from stakeholders like states and industry bodies. They just have to put together a draft. 

But, there's already an Act...The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, has not seen much amendments since its implementation in 1989. Some changes were made in 2012. But many other amendments recommended could not be implemented in 2014.

What will be the name of the new Act? Not known yet. But it will be an entirely new Act. Home and urban development ministries will be involved. World Bank and WHO are advising the government on international best practices.

But why should car prices go up? The new Act may mandate more safety and quality fittings in cars, trucks and buses. This will further increase their prices, says SP Singh of Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training. 

Will it borrow from similar Acts abroad?Though the ministry is looking at international best practices, the UK model may be taken into consideration in a big way. The ministry of road transport and highways want to get clearances for the new Act in the winter session of Parliament.

Finally, when will it come into force? Not before a year and a half. At present, a draft is being created. This will be placed before the National Road Safety Council, and various state governments and different ministries will be consulted before it goes to Parliament for approval.