The Government of India has decided to increase the compensation given to victims of a hit-and-run accident from April 2022. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in Parliament last year told that a total of 1,16,496 road accidents occurred on all national highways including expressways in 2020. 47,984 people died in more than 1.25 lakh accidents. These figures are a reason to impose strict laws regarding road safety in India.
According to the latest notification from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), if the victim involved in the hit-and-run case dies, the revised compensation given to the family will be ₹ 2 lakh, which is 8-times compared to the existing ₹ 25,000 solatium. In case of injuries, the compensation increased 4-times, from ₹ 12,500 to ₹ 50,000. The new compensations will be effective from April 1, 2022, and will apply to all roads and highways across India.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a notification and shared it on Twitter. Sharing the same they wrote, “MoRTH has decided to enhance compensation to victims of Hit & Run motor accidents - from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000 for grievous hurt and from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000 for death. This will be effective from 1 April 2022 and applicable for all roads and highways across India.”
Here are some key changes applicable from April 1:
- A Motor Vehicles Accident Fund will also be created for providing compensation treatment to Hit & Run accident victims.
- The hospital will give the Medico-Legal Manual (MLC) and the post-mortem report within 15 days.
- The criminal investigation must be completed within 60 days.
- If the victim dies during a hit and run case, compensation given to the family will be ₹ 2 lakh.
- If the victim gets injured during a hit and run case, compensation given to the family will be ₹ 50,000.