Center amends Motor Vehicles Act to add cash incentive and identity protection for Good Samaritans helping road accident victims. However, the states are yet to implement it.
see photosIndia had the highest number of road accident related deaths globally in 2019
In October this year, the central government launched the Good Samaritan Scheme under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. Additional section added to encourage people to help others in case of road accident. However, almost two months after its implementation, the state governments are yet to implement the new scheme, according to a recent report. Under the Good Samaritan scheme, those helping road accident victims will be recognized and rewarded, while the process of hospitalization of the victim will be hassle-free.
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To officially make it a part of the law, the Center incorporated section 134A in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, which deals with “protection of good people”. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in its statement said, “Any person who has saved the life of a victim of a fatal accident by providing immediate assistance and providing immediate assistance and transported to a hospital within the golden hour of providing medical treatment. shall be eligible for the award. An individual Good Samaritan may be awarded a maximum of five times in a year.”
Good Samaritans will get a reward of ₹5,000 and can even refuse to share their identity with the investigating agencies
Traditionally, Indians have been reluctant to help road accident victims for fear of embroiling themselves in the bureaucratic mess that it may be. However, the amendment aims to counter this. The central government also gave an initial grant of ₹ 5 lakh to each state for this. However, reports suggest that states have not even opened bank accounts to receive money. The report said that the ministry will now send reminders to the states to implement the scheme.
Some of the benefits of helping road accident victims include a reward of ₹5,000 per accident. The Good Samaritan is free not to reveal its name to law enforcement agencies. They can also choose not to participate in the legal process and investigation after the accident.
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The states need to popularize the scheme through publicity initiatives at the district level. According to the report, the local administration is also required to keep a record of the good people and upload their details on the central website on a monthly basis. More than half a million road accidents and 150,000 deaths occur every year. India has one of the highest number of road accident related deaths in the world. These deaths could be avoided if victims received treatment within an hour, also known as the Golden Hour.
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Source: Indian Express
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