In a major step towards improving road safety and emergency response, the Supreme Court of India has issued strong directions to all state governments and union territories. The Court has mandated the creation and implementation of swift response protocols to ensure that victims of road accidents receive immediate help.
The Bench, comprising Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, observed the increasing number of road accidents in the country and expressed serious concern about delays in medical assistance and rescue operations.
“A very important issue has been flagged by the applicant. Road accidents in our country are on the rise. The reasons may be different. There are cases where victims do not get immediate healthcare,”
— Supreme Court Bench
The Court acknowledged that many accident victims, though not injured, remain trapped in vehicles. This highlights the need for a comprehensive state-level response mechanism that can act swiftly in emergencies. While six different protocol heads were suggested by the applicant, the Court chose not to issue a writ of mandamus at this point. However, it emphasized the urgent need for structured action.
“We are of the view that the state governments and union territories must work on having swift response protocols, as in every state at grassroots level the situation may be different,”
— Supreme Court Observation
Accordingly, the apex court directed all states and union territories to begin developing and implementing these protocols within six months. The objective is to ensure that help reaches accident victims without delay. All states and UTs have been instructed to place their progress reports on record within the given timeframe.
“We therefore direct all state governments and union territories to take effective steps for developing swift response protocols with the object of ensuring that help immediately reaches the victims of road accidents. We grant time of 6 months to states and union territories to take appropriate action and place the response on record.”
— Supreme Court Order
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Directions on Drivers' Working Hours:
In a related directive aimed at further enhancing road safety, the Supreme Court also focused on the working conditions of transport drivers. The Court referred to Section 91 of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Motor Transport Workers Rules, 1961, which limit drivers to 8 working hours per day and 48 hours per week.
“The question is implementation of the provisions,”
— Supreme Court noted
The Court raised concern that these legal provisions are often ignored, leading to fatigue-related road accidents. Fatigue among drivers remains one of the key causes of accidents on Indian roads.
To improve enforcement, the Court directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to convene meetings with transport departments of all states and union territories. The goal is to create a clear strategy for effective implementation of driver working hour regulations.
“We therefore direct the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Government of India to convene meetings of the concerned departments of all the states and union territories for working out effective methods to implement the provisions regarding working hours of the drivers.”
— Supreme Court Direction
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The Court further instructed that during these meetings, the possibility of applying penal provisions against violators should also be considered. It emphasized that deterrent measures are necessary to enforce driver safety laws.
“Unless there are deterrents, important provisions regarding working hours of the drivers cannot be implemented,”
— Supreme Court Observation
All state governments have been ordered to submit compliance reports to the Ministry by end of August. The Ministry will compile the findings and submit a comprehensive report to the Supreme Court for further directions.
