Observing that road accidents are on the rise, the
Supreme Court on Thursday directed States and Union Territories to develop
swift response protocols so that victims get help immediately.
A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also
directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to convene meetings of
departments concerned of States and UTs to implement working hours of drivers.
"Road accidents in our country are on the rise.
The reasons may be different. There are cases where victims of road accidents
do not get immediate help. There are cases where the victims may not be injured
but they get trapped in vehicles.
"We are of the view that the state governments
and UTs must work on having swift response protocols as in every state at
grassroots level," the bench said.
The top court granted six months to states and UTs
to develop swift response protocols.
The order came on an application filed by advocate
Kishan Chand Jain, who urged that a protocol should be in place for road
accident victims.