Centre to reward good Samaritans who help accident victims

Hyderabad: The Union ministry of road, transport, and highways (MoRTH) has launched a new scheme to award a cash reward of Rs. 5,000 to good Samaritans who help accident victims. This will encourage more people to administer immediate assistance and rush the victim to the hospital within the golden hour of the accident to provide medical treatment, the ministry said.

The scheme will be effective from 15 October 2021 and will remain operational till 31 March 2026. The ministry also notes that road traffic injuries are one of the leading causes of death, disabilities, and hospitalizations.

Earlier in 2021, the Hyderabad traffic police had recorded more deaths in the first half of 2021 than in the first half of 2020 in the city. Till June 2020, around 105 people lost their lives due to road accidents in the first six months. The number rose to 134 in 2021. A major proportion of the road accidents in 2021 was due to over-speeding - 95 deaths; six due to drunk driving; eight due to wrong side driving; three due to underage driving, and 15 due to negligence.