Road accidents in the national capital are no new phenomenon and neither is the fact that accident victims often succumb to death. However, as the nation gears up to celebrate the 70th year of its independence, a question that every citizen in the national capital must ask is whether our indifference to people around us is rendering us heartless.
The latest display of Delhi’s heartlessness was as cruel as it gets. A man, hit by a speeding mini-truck is flung to the side of the road on impact, the driver flees, passersby act as voyeurs but do not approach him and those who do, rob him. The man succumbed to his injuries for want of medical attention. Needless to say, help at hand could have possibly saved his life. It is when instances like these hit our television sets that one realises that the insensitive attitude of its residents serves well for the ‘heartless’ reputation that Delhi is tagged with.
A survey carried out by NGO Save Life Foundation attests to Delhi’s heartlessness. As per the study, four in five Delhites would be reluctant to help road accident victims, even if they have serious injuries. So, what this effectively means is that only 20 percent of the people who spot an accident or a victim in Delhi are likely to come up and lend a helping hand.
The SaveLife foundation conducted this survey to know why, despite being the world leader in road accidents, very few bystanders come forward to help the road accident victims.
The pedestrians were asked whether they would be willing to help an accident victim. The responses showed that 74 pc were unlikely to assist an accident victim, even if the person was seriously injured. It was not only individuals but also a group at the accident sites that would be equally unwilling to help to the victims.
When pressed for the reason behind their lack of concern towards the suffering of the people, 77 pc of the respondents said that admitting a victim to a hospital would require them to stay back for investigation or would be turned away by the hospital without a deposit being made for the treatment of the victim.
Further, 88 pc of respondents cited fear of legal hassels, which also included the police and court questioning.
According to the police, only around 5 pc of accident victims, among which 70 pc of whom are either pedestrians or cyclists, reach medical help within the golden hour and in time to save their lives.
