Hyderabad: The recent fracas between the Union government and truck drivers' association over the reincarnated Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 2023 has been in the thick of things. Irate truck drivers not in consonance with the 'stringent' punishment in hit-and-run cases, took to the streets throwing normal life out of gear.
The government's decision to impose Rs 7 lakh as fine and jail term of up to 10 years, has incurred the wrath of truck drivers who find the new rules harsh and unfair. They went on a stir, choking normal life, triggering a panic buying of fuel in almost all major cities as the tanker drivers too joined the stir, bringing the entire country's fuel supply to a grinding halt.
It worked. The truckers brought the government to its knees and an official announcement from the government of deferring the implementation was made. The government said the implementation of the new rules will be put on hold until all stakeholders are consulted.
In this context, it is pertinent to look back at the number of hit-and-run accidents in recent times as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
Over 50 thousand deaths in 2022- According to the NCRB data, there were 47,806 incidents of hit-and-runs in the country that killed 50,815 people in 2022. This implies that almost six people died in hit-and-run cases every hour with 140 succumbing everyday. In 2021, there were 47,530 hit-and-run incidents which caused the demise of 43,499 people.
Share of hit & run in National Highways- As per data from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH), the share of such cases in road accidents and deaths was 14.6% and 18.1% in 2022 and 16.8% and 11.8% in 2021. This means most of the hit-and-run cases were reported in the State Highways, and other district and village roads which are maintained by the local bodies.
Getting in a fluster over hit & run- If at all you are, then these facts are pertinent. According to the data, hit-and-run cases are worrying as they sit second in terms of the number of fatalities they account for. There are other significant categories that add more numbers to the accidents which include head-on collisions, hit from back or from side, among the nine classifications of road accident patterns. As for the number of accidents, it is ranked fifth overall by the report.
Now, drivers going astray while on the wheels are an aberration on roads. Speeding is a factor and the figures justify - 72% of the accidents and 71% deaths due to road accidents in 2022 were attributed to over speeding, the MoRTH data read.
Highways more accident prone- Give it to highways more than ordinary roads when it comes to accidents and deaths. The share of national and state highways was 4.9% in total road length in 2022 and they account for 60.5% of deaths in road accidents happened on these roads.
Victims and offenders- As per the MoRTH data, the break-up of road accidents caused by crime vehicle and victim vehicle recorded two-wheelers in both the categories. In fact, two-wheelers ramming into two-wheelers hold the pole position in the crime-victim matrix.
Trucks and lorries are just behind two-wheelers in the crime vehicle group and it's two wheelers who have to pay the price.
Does anyone get punished for hit-and-run? Figures point to a high conviction rate in hit-and-run cases on a comparative note to other causes. For in 2022, the conviction rate was 47.9% while in other forms of accidents, it was just 21.8%. Guess what - murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder were behind hit-and-run in terms of conviction - 43.8% and 38.7%.
But it is still baffling as to how over 90% of hit-and-run remains pending in courts every year.
Charge sheets were filed in 66.4% of hit-and-run cases in 2022, vis-a vis 81.5% in murder cases, 84% of culpable homicide and 79.6% of other accidents. The major reason behind failure to file a charge sheet in these cases is inability on the part of cops to get enough proof. Such cases accounted for 28% of hit-and-run cases in 2022 compared to 11% in murder cases, 9% of culpable homicide cases, and 11% of other accidents.
So, it is crystal clear that failure to nab the perpetrator may be the main factor why the percentage of charge-sheeting is abysmal.
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