Last updated: October 2026
The figures to remember for 2026 are these: Rs.500 for a helmet or seat belt offence (charged per person), Rs.1,500 for first-time speeding on a light motor vehicle, Rs.2,000 for using a handheld phone while driving, Rs.5,000 for driving without a licence, and Rs.25,000 with possible prison time when a minor is caught driving. Drink driving is never settled with a fee; it goes to court. Kerala compounds most Motor Vehicles Act fines below the Act's headline penalty, which is why different websites show different numbers. This guide gives the full fine table with the Act sections, the amounts the Safe Kerala AI cameras use, and how to check and pay a challan.
A compounded fine is the amount you pay to settle an offence without a court case. Kerala notifies its own compounding amounts for offences the Motor Vehicles Act allows to be compounded. The helmet, seat belt, phone, and first-offence speeding amounts follow the cut Kerala's cabinet approved in 2019, bringing several Act fines down from Rs.1,000 to Rs.500. The rest of the table follows the state's published compounding schedule, cross-checked on 30 September 2026. The amount printed on your challan is the final word, so confirm it there before paying:
| Offence | Section | Kerala compounded amount |
|---|---|---|
| Riding without a helmet, rider or pillion | 194D | Rs.500 per person |
| Driving or sitting in front without a seat belt | 194B(1) | Rs.500 per person |
| Triple riding on a two-wheeler | 194C | Rs.1,000 |
| Using a handheld phone while driving | 184 | Rs.2,000 |
| Overspeeding, light motor vehicle | 183(1) | Rs.1,500 first offence; Rs.3,000 on repeat |
| Driving without a valid licence | 181 | Rs.5,000 |
| Allowing an unlicensed person to drive your vehicle | 180 | Rs.5,000 |
| Driving without valid insurance | 196 | Rs.2,000 first; Rs.4,000 on repeat |
| No valid PUC certificate | 190(2) | Rs.2,000 first offence |
| Illegal vehicle alteration | 52 | Rs.5,000 per alteration |
| Not giving way to emergency vehicles | 194E | Rs.10,000 |
| Drink driving | 185 | No compounding; court only |
| Minor driving | 199A | Rs.25,000; guardian liable |
What I could not verify: a Kerala compounded amount for red-light jumping, which sources disagree on, so I left it out of this table rather than guessing. Check the amount on your challan for that offence.
The disagreement is usually not an error; it is two different figures being quoted. The Motor Vehicles Act sets the legal penalty, and Kerala's compounded amount is the lesser figure you actually pay to settle. The Act's own penalties are steeper: riding without a helmet or breaking the pillion rules carries Rs.1,000 and a three-month licence disqualification under Sections 194D and 194C, seat belt offences carry Rs.1,000 under 194B, dangerous driving carries Rs.5,000 under 184, and drink driving carries Rs.10,000 for a first offence and up to Rs.15,000 with prison for a repeat under 185. Kerala chooses to compound the smaller offences at the lower amounts in the table above. That lower amount is what appears on a typical challan, but the legal penalty explains why repeated or serious offences can also reach your licence. When two sources quote different numbers, check whether one is citing the Act and the other the compounded schedule.
The Safe Kerala project installed 726 AI cameras across the state, of which 675 detect helmet and seat belt violations and four are dedicated to speeding; 692 were set to impose fines when enforcement began. The cameras automatically flag riding without a helmet, driving without a seat belt, triple riding, handheld phone use, signal violations, and unauthorised parking. The fine schedule reported at launch matched the compounding table: phone use Rs.2,000, speeding Rs.1,500, helmet and seat belt Rs.500 per person, and unauthorised parking Rs.250.
Two consequences matter in practice. First, the system issues separate challans for each person: if the driver and the front passenger are both unbelted, the camera issues two challans, because the seat belt fine applies per person. Second, repeat offenders are escalated: in one Kannur case, a rider accumulated 155 no-helmet violations on a single camera and received a challan of Rs.86,500, with his licence suspended. Our AI camera fine guide shows where to check and pay these challans.
Kerala's Transport Commissionerate issued Circular No. 18/2026 in June 2026, grading licence suspension and correctional training by offence. As reported: helmet offences under Sections 194C and 194D bring at least a three-month suspension and a one-day training session, speeding under Section 183(1) brings at least three months with three days of classes, and drink driving brings at least six months with three days. The Act itself notes that compounding does not discharge an offender from a refresher course, so a paid fine does not automatically end the matter. Ask your RTO how the circular applies to your case, and see our driving licence renewal guide if a suspension has interrupted your licence.
Phishing warning: do not pay from a link that arrived by SMS or a messaging app. Traffic-challan phishing is common. Open the portals yourself and verify the challan before entering card, UPI, or banking details.
Central Motor Vehicles Rule 167 was rewritten with effect from 21 January 2026: you get 45 days to pay or contest the challan on the portal with evidence, and an accepted challan must then be paid within the next 30 days. If you take no action, licence and registration services are not processed, and the vehicle can be flagged "Not to be Transacted" on the portal. In practice, Kerala challans are also reported to move toward the virtual courts after about 60 days. Unpaid challans can additionally block RC, PUC, and driving licence renewal services. If a challan is wrong, use the Complaint tab on the Parivahan e-challan portal within the window printed on the challan; do not let the deadline lapse while you assume it will disappear.
Kerala compounds it at Rs.500 per person, rider and pillion counted separately. The Act's own penalty is Rs.1,000 plus a three-month licence disqualification, which is why some sources quote Rs.1,000.
No. Section 185 is not among the offences the Act allows to be compounded, so there is no fee to pay on the portal. The case is decided by a court, with fines of Rs.10,000 for a first offence and up to Rs.15,000 with prison for a repeat.
Sources disagree on Kerala's compounded amount for this offence, so I have not quoted a figure. The Act treats signal offences seriously; check the amount on your challan before paying.
Yes, per person. AI cameras issue a separate challan for each unbelted front-seat occupant, and Section 194B(1) covers seat belt use generally, so belt up in every seat.
30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. Anything at or above that limit is drink driving under Section 185.
On echallan.parivahan.gov.in, at the challan itself. The amount printed there is final, and fees change without notice.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before paying. This guide reflects the Kerala traffic fine schedule as documented in October 2026.
Keralam Transport