EXCLUSIVE BikeDekho Fact Check: Royal Enfield Classic 350 Rider Fined For Having Low Fuel - Here's What Exactly Happened

Is it possible to get fined for low fuel? We shed more light on this

An image of a challan issued in Kerala has gone viral on social media as the offence committed is listed as ‘Driving without sufficient fuel with passengers’. The description of this offence is definitely baffling; however, the story gets more interesting, as the challan has been issued on a privately owned Royal Enfield Classic 350 motorcycle.

In an exclusive conversation with the recipient of this challan, Mr Basil Syam, it was revealed that he was on his way to his workplace when the local traffic police flagged him down for riding in the opposite direction in a one-way street. He was then asked to pay a fine of Rs 250 for this offence, to which he duly complied, and was then issued the challan.

Upon reaching his workplace, Basil observed that the traffic offence mentioned in the challan was unheard of. Well, is ‘Driving without sufficient fuel with passengers’ even a traffic offence? We have also spoken to a Kerala MVD official, who wishes to be unnamed, to shed more light on this traffic offence.

The official reveals there is no law in the Indian Motor Vehicle Act that prohibits anyone from driving/riding their vehicle with low fuel. In fact, there are no legal implications too, if your vehicle runs out of fuel. However, the traffic offence mentioned in this challan is valid and is applicable to only commercial transport vehicles (yellow board vehicles).

The law states that any vehicle, be it a bus, minivan, car or even two and three wheelers, that is registered and used as a commercial taxi are barred from refuelling while passengers are seated in the vehicle. Drivers of these vehicles are to ensure that all passengers deboard the vehicle, only after which can they refuel. Any commercial vehicle in violation of this law will be fined upto Rs 250.

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A small error by the traffic police resulted in Basil getting an incorrect offence on his traffic challan, which is now viral. However, let's look at the brighter picture. Thanks to this viral image, most of us are now aware of a law that was mostly unheard of. That being said, we would advise you to always follow lane discipline and traffic rules.