Truckers protest new hit-and-run law in Jagtial

Karimnagar: The Lorry Drivers Association held a road blockade with lorries at Nandi Chowrasta in Korutla town of Jagtial district on Wednesday, in a protest against the new hit-and-run law made by the Central government.

According to the new law under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 of amendment of Section 106 (2), if any hit-and-run accident takes place, the trucker must inform the police or magistrate without fail about the accident. Failure to do so will result in 10 years of jail and a Rs 7 lakh fine.

Expressing apprehensions of facing mob violence or lynching if they stop at the accident site to report to the police or aid the victim, truck drivers have been protesting across the country, demanding the government revoke or reconsider the law.

They argue that they work in challenging conditions and that accidents may also occur due to the fault of pedestrians, other motorists, bad roads, and poor visibility. In those cases, how can the innocent truckers be prosecuted as per the new law, they questioned.

The protestors warned of a nationwide strike if the government behaved stubbornly.

Nearly 30 per cent of India’s 1,66,994 road accident deaths in 2022 came from hit-and-run cases according to the NCRB. Such incidents involving a rash or negligent driver who flees the scene after causing a lethal injury, pose a challenge for authorities to identify the perpetrators and compensate the victims.