[TusharK]

The truck driver’s association has called off its nationwide protest opposing a new hit-and-run law following a meeting with government officials.



The government told members of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) that the new law had not been implemented yet. They were also assured that a decision would only be taken in consultation with AIMTC representatives.

The trucker’s agitation entered the second day on January 2, causing massive disruptions in fuel supplies. Around 2,000 petrol pumps in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab are said to have run out of stock, while long queues were witnessed at others. The supply of fruits, vegetables and milk was also affected by the strike.

What is the new Hit-and-Run law?

The new Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) was passed during the winter session of the parliament. It replaces the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC). The new law provides for heavy penalties for hit-and-run cases, which include a jail term of up to 10 years and/or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.

Truckers argue that drivers choose to run away from the scene of the accident, fearing mob justice. They believe that it would be unfair to punish the drivers, while the mobs usually go unpunished.

Source: Moneycontrol

Link to Team-BHP news

[Shreyans_Jain]

There are mixed news coming in on this. Many media outlets are just trying to paint a happy picture.

Reliable sources are quoting the AIMTC chairman saying that it is the drivers who have gone on strike, not the transporters. He says that there have been no concrete assurances from the government and their previous petitions have also gone unheard. Says that although the AIMTC (Delhi based) has called off the strike, other associations in other states will continue the agitation and added “Let’s see how many drivers turn up for work on Wednesday”.

Quoting from The Hindu. Home Ministry seeks to pacify truckers protesting new hit-and-run law - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/amid-nationwide-strike-by-drivers-and-transporters-on-increased-punishment-in-hit-and-run-cases-mha-meets-transport-body/article67698427.ece, For the best experience read this on The Hindu App. https://bit.ly/THNewsApp

Of course, there is plenty of back room politics at play here. The situation at petrol pumps was grim in many parts of Punjab, Himachal, Chandigarh and Haryana yesterday.

[PreludeSH]

I read an interview with All India Motor Congress chairman. Most of the issues seem to be genuine and affecting drivers of any vehicle. It assumes accidents to be caused intentionally and equates it to a crime.
Unless our crowd stops its behaviour of violence and lynching the driver, the law cannot work as intended.

[Bhargav7]

Help me understand something - As per present laws, after an accident, you can go and surrender at the nearest police station. This way, the accident will not be deemed to be a hit-and-run. Also, you will be spared from mob vigilantism.

Is there something that changed in the new law, apart from the increase in the imprisonment term?

[Rajjaiswal92]

Take it from a person who is involved in the transportation of minerals via dump trucks , the absolute nightmare these drivers go through is unimaginable. When these trucks pass through any village the villagers would intentionally put something of least value on their track and when it gets damaged the mob gathers and the drivers are made to pay a huge amount, if the drivers resist the truck and their life both are at stake . Now in this situation who will stop ? Imagine you are a driver and because of no fault of yours someone rams into you , you see a huge crowd gather with sticks ! Would you stop ? The mob justice of this country kills more road victims than the accident itself.

[ruzbehxyz]

Its simple. Instead of such rules why not have a permanent camera and recorder in all vehicles like a “Black Box” which is tamper proof and which can be extracted in case of an accident. The recording should be stored in the ECU or some other place which cannot be easily accessed, although jugadu people will still find a way. If they still want to make it fool proof, the recording can be saved on a cloud based Government server which can be assessed only in case of an accident and can be overwritten over a period of time.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

Its simple. Instead of such rules why not have a permanent camera and recorder in all vehicles like a “Black Box” which is tamper proof and which can be extracted in case of an accident. The recording should be stored in the ECU or some other place which cannot be easily accessed, although jugadu people will still find a way. If they still want to make it fool proof, the recording can be saved on a cloud based Government server which can be assessed only in case of an accident and can be overwritten over a period of time.

After reading about this news, this was exactly my thought too. Make 360 degree cameras and GPS with a central recording Black Box mandatory for all vehicles in India, and let it serve to help penalise the guilty in case of any accident, instead of the mob justice that usually ensues.

I hope that I never have to face such a situation, but as much as possible, I will reply on my front and rear dash cams for proof of wrong, whether it be me at fault, or the other party.

[itsbaman]

There may be shortcomings with this law, but IMHO, the intent is in the right direction. We NEED strict traffic rules and strict punishments for certain serious traffic-related offences.
The majority of drivers, from riding a bike to driving a heavy vehicle, are driving like maniacs. No one care for their own lives let alone care for someone else’s on the road.

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Make 360 degree cameras and GPS with a central recording Black Box mandatory for all vehicles in India

Yes, it’s high time the government must make tamper-proof front and rear dash cams mandatory in all vehicles. I think a full HD dual dash cam shall cost under 5k if manufactured at mass scale, which is affordable for almost all type of vehicles.

[Cresterk]

From my understanding : The new law doesn't state that you absolutely have to stop, it says if you don't report it yourself after a bad accident, it will be treated as a hit and run with more severe punishment when the cops catch you by themselves.
Also the way the Home Minister worded it in parliament was that all you needed to do was call either the police or hospital to inform them about the incident.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1jYi...pwNzB4NjB1cXVx

As far as I'm concerned, this is a good change and we are finally on the same level as the rest of the world. The protests seem to be from misunderstanding this law.

https://bprd.nic.in/WriteReadData/us...416BNyayaS.pdf

Here is the whole thing if anyone wants to read it.

[SixPistons]

I am smelling another Farm Laws-like mass-agitation to line up with the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Likely not the same scale. Another equivalent of Tikait on national level (mostly there will never be common face because the opposing parties are not very united) and we have gross wastage of resources and many livelihoods hurt. For political gains of a few “gatekeepers” of the nation as they call themselves.

I hope I am wrong and this is a pessimistic thought at best. Because that would certainly be very damaging to the economy. But a certain few political parties/analysts/entities and what not are hounding at the gates to take advantage of any discontent among the masses and turn it into something else.

[condor]

Originally Posted by SixPistons

I am smelling another Farm Laws-like mass-agitation to line up with the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Looks like truck driver salaries will be the next issue. But hope things dont turn bad, forget ugly levels.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by Rajjaiswal92

...if the drivers resist the truck and their life both are at stake . Now in this situation who will stop ? Imagine you are a driver and because of no fault of yours someone rams into you , you see a huge crowd gather with sticks ! Would you stop ? The mob justice of this country kills more road victims than the accident itself.

As per the new law, the driver has to inform the police. It can be done by phone, or driving to the nearest police station or district magistrate office. If the driver fails to inform to the police within reasonable time, then it will considered a hit-and-run case (i.e Unidentified vehicle) and stricter provisions ensue.

There is no requirement that the vehicle should be stopped at the scene.

This is a reasonable provision, in my opinion.

Read more here.

"The driver who informs police about the accident will not be prosecuted under the stringent law. If the driver fears that he will be attacked if he stops at the spot of the accident, he can go to the nearest police station or can call police or the toll free emergency helpline number 108 and inform about the accident," the functionary said.

Sub-section 106 (1) and sub-section 106 (2) of the BNS make it clear that if the person reports the incident of death by careless driving to a police officer or magistrate immediately after the incident, he will be charged under sub-section 106(1) instead of sub-section 106(2), which carries a punishment of up to five years, while sub-section 106(2) carries a punishment of up to 10 years.

[Jordygt500]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

Its simple. Instead of such rules why not have a permanent camera and recorder in all vehicles like a “Black Box” which is tamper proof and which can be extracted in case of an accident. The recording should be stored in the ECU.

Yes instead of installing air conditioned cabins they should put 360° cameras and black box in the cabin of all the trucks.

[Raghu M]

I think the law is being interpreted in the wrong way (like in most cases). The driver can always move from the spot or even flee and surrender at the nearest police station. The police generally do not show arrest to those who surrender immediately. They give time to secure bail (a station bail can also be given with valid ids). The drivers are a little paranoid and their association should have taken care of this. I think this whole process could have been handled in a better way. Since the bigger vehicle is always at fault (as per the law), they might be worried but I think they need to read the sections in entirety.

[RMN]

I think this Law is the correct one. Hopefully people will understand that soon.