No dip in hit-and-run cases in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Delhi remains an unsafe city for road users, underlining the urgency in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expression of concern over the death of 20-year-old Vinay Jindal, a hit-and-run victim who lay bleeding for 10 minutes. Though the traffic police data shows a fall in the number of fatal accidents in the city, the number of hit-and-run cases has not shown any dip since last year.And, shockingly, in only 10% of these cases has the errant driver been traced and booked. Lack of a policy for dealing with such cases strongly is a major impediment in preventing such incidents.
This year, out of 822 road fatalities, 331 were cases of hit and run. In the corresponding period last year, 848 incidents had been reported and 335 people had died in hit-and-run incidents. Traffic police officers say they expect the figures to dip following a drive to check the movement of heavy vehicles past midnight.
Experts say that though the drives have checked the number of accidents on the highways, roads within colonies are not monitored. For example, Jindal, who was mowed down in Vivek Vihar, was hit as soon as he had driven out of the colony road. Police sources say their plans to monitor these roads using CCTV cameras are still on paper. Though this incident was captured by a CCTV, police could not get a breakthrough due to the quality of the video.
“We have been pushing for technology-based policing at night along with regular patrols to reduce the number of fatalities. These would include night-vision cameras and speed-checking devices,” said additional commissioner, traffic, Sharad Aggarwal.
Moreover, it becomes difficult for policemen to find eyewitnesses as people avoid being questioned by the police, fearing harassment. Studies by the traffic police and International Road Federation (IRF) have shown that in 90% of the cases, the victim dies or turns critical as precious moments are wasted in informing the police and ambulance. “People generally avoid contacting the PCR despite assurances that they won’t be harassed,” said a police officer.
In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, Modi reiterated the need to launch an all-India emergency number,1033, to report such incidents which will be forwarded to the people concerned.
It has been observed that a majority of these accidents take place between 9pm and 4am when police presence is limited. Experts blame speeding, drunk driving and lack of concern for safety of others to be the major reasons for these accidents. Traffic officials say that 50% of the casualties involve pedestrians and two-wheelers.
“In a city like Delhi, some roads are extra wide with fewer number of vehicles. Invariably, motorists tend to overspeed,” said K K Kapila, IRF chairperson.
Most drivers in the city also do not pay any attention to the high pick-up or weight of their vehicles while driving. “Most drivers speed on a certain stretch and have to slow down suddenly which leads to a pile-up effect,” an expert pointed out.
The traffic police and ministry of road transport had started a campaign for providing free reflective tapes to cyclists in Delhi and more than three lakh bicycles. Experts say that apart from creating awareness, the government should close loopholes and stiffen penalties in hit-and-run cases. “The requirement is a tougher sentences for those who drive away,” said an expert.