National Road Safety Month: Process of applying for the Good Samaritan award should be simplified

Here is why those who have saved a road accident victim could think twice before applying for the Good Samaritan award instituted by the Central government despite a five-fold increase in its reward money

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced five-fold increase in the reward amount for the “Good Samaritan” scheme.

Launched in 2021, this award is extended to anyone who has saved the life of the road accident victim by administering immediate assistance and rushing the person to a hospital or trauma care centre within the Golden Hour. Currently, an award amount of ₹5,000 is given to the Good Samaritan, which the Minister said would be increased to ₹25,000.

As per reports, the Good Samaritan Award money was given to 80 people until December 2022 according to government data tabled in the Parliament.

The Hindu Downtown spoke to a cross-section of NGOs working in the area of road safety and found out the scheme is not popular among most citizens.

The RTO or the traffic police in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred is required to certify the individual as a Good Samaritan and share their details to the Transport Commissioner.

“During our workshops I ask volunteers if they had ever wanted to nominate themselves for the Good Samaritan Award and the response I got was we hand over the accident victim to the ambulance driver and leave the place,” says Karthik Venkatesan, manager - training and public affairs, Alert.

He has not come across any person who has applied or won this recognition since it was started.