NEW DELHI: Rajesh, a hardworking gardener supporting his family, tragically lost his life on Saturday while cycling to work in Bhogal. He was hit by a speeding car, devastating not only his life but also the hopes and dreams of his wife and two children. Rajesh's premature death is one of the many in cases where the drivers of unidentified vehicles are involved, leading to prolonged legal processes and a high number of hit-and-run incidents in the city.

Drivers are known to flee these scenes due to a belief that they can navigate the legal system with the help of lawyers later on. Fear of public retaliation is also a contributing factor. To address this issue, more comprehensive measures beyond the existing Good Samaritan law are necessary.

By enforcing stricter measures, authorities were able to reduce the number of fatalities caused by hit-and-run incidents from 51 last January to 47 this year. Collaboration between traffic and local police has been key in identifying problem areas and increasing surveillance in those locations.

So far this year, 518 people have lost their lives in 511 fatal accidents, with the numbers expected to surpass 700 by August 15th. Despite this, the police have reported a decrease in fatalities compared to the previous year, where 552 deaths were recorded in 544 collisions.During the January to May period of 2023, some of the major roads in the national capital such as Ring Road, National Highway (NH) 24, NH 8, Rohtak Road, GTK Road, and Mathura Road have seen a high number of fatal accidents. In the past, hit-and-run cases were prosecuted under IPC Section 304A, which had a maximum penalty of two years of imprisonment. With the introduction of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita Section 106(2), the maximum prison term has now been increased to 10 years. However, lack of awareness about this change may be contributing to the lack of deterrent effect.