96 per cent of people in Delhi would not aid accident victims: Study

Delhi would probably be the worst place to meet with an accident, as the chances of getting help from bystanders is the lowest, a new survey reveals. Nearly 96 per cent of people who witness accidents in Delhi are unlikely to be the first to come to the aid of a victim in case of serious injuries, a survey by SaveLife Foundation, carried out with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Global Road Safety Partnership at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, found.

Overall, 74 per cent of people who witness accidents in the major cities of India are unlikely to help an accident victim. Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur is only marginally better than Delhi, as 95 per cent of the accident witnesses were unlikely to help a victim. The figure is 90 per cent for Mumbai.

"Public inaction is often blamed, but in several mass-casualty incidents such as building collapses and train crashes, it is the public that is often the first to respond to the victims. But why do people hesitate when it comes to victims of road accidents and violence? This study documents and answers that question," Piyush Tiwari, Founder of SaveLife Foundation, said.

Interestingly, the survey says 88 per cent of the respondents said the reason for not getting involved was legal hassles they might later have to face. Some 77 per cent also were apprehensive about having to stay in the hospital and pay registration charges, while 49 per cent said they feared getting late to whatever they were headed for.

The survey was carried out among 1,027 road users across Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Indore and Kolkata. A report of the Law Commission of India states that 50 per cent of those who currently die in accidents could be saved if they received timely medical attention.

Another 80 per cent of victims fail to receive emergency medical care within the 'Golden Hour', a 2006 survey found.

More than 1,35,000 deaths were caused by road accidents in 2012 in India. After the infamous Delhi gang-rape of December 2012, the victims lay on the road naked, and no one approached to help them. Of the respondents, 88 per cent said there was need for a "Good Samaritan Law" that would create an environment supportive to those who came to the aid of accident victims.