Save life, earn a badge of honour is theme of road safety fortnight

Shed the fear of police harassment, get ready to earn a badge of honour for helping road accident victims. This is the central theme of this year's Road Safety Fortnight that kicks off today.

To encourage greater public participation in reaching help to the victims of road mishap, the state government plans to facilitate good Samaritans while assuring them that they won't get entangled in legal formalities.

In the last five years 2,545 people died and 19,042 were injured in road accidents in Mumbai. While there has been a drop in the casualty figures, experts say many more lives can be saved if victims receive medical help within one hour, also called the golden hour.

"We want people to come forward and help accident victims for which we plan to even reward them. During this road safety fortnight we will urge them to be a good Samaritan. Reduction in the number of deaths due to road accidents will make this effort successful," said an official from the transport department.

The reward need not just be monetary but also public felicitation or giving badge for being a responsible citizen is what the government is considering, said the official.

According to government data, 490 people died in road mishaps in 2017, down from 510 in the year before. Speeding, crisscrossing lanes, jumping signals and jay-walking by pedestrians are among the main reasons for road deaths.

"Road safety is something that needs to be followed round the year. We want to focus on improving various aspects of road safety; be it how motorists are trained at driving schools or following traffic rules or even improving geometry of roads," said Manoj Saunik, principal secretary, transport.

Experts have welcomed the idea. "People should not fear helping an accident victim on the grounds that they will be stuck in a police case," said Ashok Datar, transport expert and chairman of think tank Mumbai Environmental Social Network.