Thiruvananthapuram: The motor vehicles department is considering a proposal to make it an offence for drivers to abandon the victim of road accident.
The driving licences of those who cause accidents due to drunken driving or by attempting stunts are usually suspended for a period ranging from three months to one year. But now the proposal recommends that if the suspension has to be revoked, the driver would have to furnish evidence that he/she had personally taken care of the bed-ridden accident victim for at least a week.
The Transport Commissioner has handed over a recommendation, including the proposals. The department will compile the list of people, who have been bed-ridden after being injured in accidents, from hospitals and NGOs. Then the drivers would be sent to the victim's house or treatment centre for providing care after getting their permission. The department hopes that the drivers would turn over a new leaf after seeing the plight of the bed-ridden victims.
Road accidents in Kerala
An average of 42,000 road accidents happen in Kerala every year and about 20,000 people are left bed-ridden for a long period after suffering serious injuries. Alcohol and speeding are the main causes of accidents. The chairman of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety had directed to reduce the accident rate in Kerala by at least half.
