HIT and RUN Fatalities on the Rise | Good Samaritans Needed to Save Lives

“HIT AND RUN” is a metaphor that only suits games such as Baseball and Poker. On roads, this metaphor becomes a menace. As per the motor vehicles act, of 1988, hit and run is defined as “an accident arising out of the use of a motor vehicle or motor vehicles the identity whereof cannot be ascertained in spite of reasonable efforts for the purpose”.

The motor vehicles act can be read at https://morth.nic.in/motor-vehicles-act-1988.

The definition suggests that knowingly or unknowingly a person has caused harm to another person, by means of using his vehicle, and then fled the scene of the accident. The fear of law and punishment may cause the driver of the vehicle to flee the scene. Whatever the reason, in such case, humanity takes a hit and the driver runs for their life.

Statistics of Hit in Nagpur

The Road Accidents Report 2021 by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), highlights that of the 50 cities with more than 10 million populations, Nagpur ranks 23rd in the number of people killed in road accidents.

The ranking doesn’t seem that bad. However, out of the 958 accidents in Nagpur in 2021, the death count was 268. That is a 28% mortality rate, a very high number for a small city such as Nagpur.

Of these 268 innocent lives lost, 16.8% i.e. approximately 45 people died of HIT AND RUN. Hit and run is Nagpur's third highest cause of death due to motor vehicles

Good Samaritan = Responsible Citizen

With timely intervention, it may be fair to say that a helping hand by the onlookers of these accidents may have saved some lives

MORTH claims that “nearly 50 percent of road fatalities would not have happened had medical attention been given within the first hour”.

Inherently, no human wants to see their fellow citizen die in front of them without trying to help them. However, it is often observed that the onlookers never try to help the victim in Hit and Run cases. A common reason for this is that most do not want to go through trials when trying to save someone’s life. Police harassment, hospitals asking for treatment money, and fear of identity reveal.

The citizens may be more helpful if they knew about the GOOD SAMARITAN LAW. MORTH outlines the Good Samaritan law saying that “The Good Samaritan Law allows a person, without expectation of payment or reward and without any duty of care or special relationship, voluntarily come forward to administer immediate assistance or emergency care to a person injured in an accident, or crash, or emergency medical condition. Good Samaritan Law protects Good Samaritans from harassment on the actions being taken by them to save the life of the road accident victims”.

In short, the citizen is protected from harassment if you help someone who has met with a Hit and run or any other kind of road accident. The following are the rights of a Good Samaritan

• He shall not be liable for any civil or criminal liability.

• He shall be allowed to leave the hospital immediately. He shall not be forced to furnish his personal details.

• He shall not be compelled to deposit money for the treatment of the victim.

• The hospital shall provide him with an acknowledgment in this regard.

• He shall be suitably rewarded to encourage other citizens.

• He shall be examined for a single occasion by the police after his consent.

MORTH has also issued guidelines for the Police and the hospitals to protect the Good Samaritan from police harassment, detention at hospitals, and prolonged legal formalities. The guidelines can be accessed through the below link.

http://morth-roadsafety.nic.in/pdf/Good-Samaritan.pdf

Knowing your rights is important, especially when they can help remove doubt and fear while saving someone’s life. The increase in Good Nagpur Samaritans may help reduce the number of Hit and Run fatalities in the Orange City.

One life saved will be one step forward toward a smarter city

References

Motor Vehicle Act	https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/9460/1/a1988-59.pdf
Good Samaritan	https://morth.nic.in/good-samaritan
Good Samaritan Rights and Duties of the Hospitals/Police	http://morth-roadsafety.nic.in/pdf/Good-Samaritan.pdf
Road Accidents Report, 2021	https://morth.nic.in/sites/default/files/RA_2021_Compressed.pdf