“Creation of a separate fund for victims of accidents involving uninsured vehicles”, ET Auto

New Delhi: Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae for road accident compensation claims, Justice JR Midha, on Monday argued in favour of a separate fund to compensate victims of accidents involving uninsured vehicles. According to the International Road Federation (IRF), more than 50% of vehicles in India are uninsured. Midha also expressed concern over the pathetic road conditions in the country as well as the poor facilities provided to drivers who have to drive for hours without rest or adequate sleep at night.

“The state can set up a separate fund to compensate uninsured vehicle owners or accident victims.

“… for such sacrifices, a small levy can be added to the fuel price or when registering the vehicle,” he said at an event organized by the International Road Federation (IRF).

As a judge of the Delhi High Court, Justice Midha developed a special scheme for timely settlement of road accident claims within 90 to 120 days, which came into effect in Delhi in April 2010.

Expressing concern over the recent spike in drunk driving accidents in different parts of the country, Midha said, “Restaurants should serve alcohol only to people who have a driver or who agree to hire a driver provided by the restaurant to take them home.”

According to him, some restaurants in Mumbai have been implementing this concept for some time and it should be part of the liquor license of a restaurant serving liquor.

Speaking at the event, IRF President Emeritus KK Kapila said road accidents and resulting deaths are an extremely serious problem in India.

There is an urgent need for coordinated action to improve road safety by involving all stakeholders at all levels of government and administration, he added.