The Margao police has reportedly invoked an attempt-to-murder charge against the driver of the ill-fated rent-a-cab involved in a road accident at Sirlim, wherein a lady rider on a two-wheeler was mowed down by the vehicle, leaving her critically injured. The move to include the offence of attempt-to-murder by the police comes against the backdrop of rising hit-and-run incidents reported in the state and must be considered a step in the right direction. Hit-and-run offences generally carry lesser punishments. However, in recent years, police agencies across India have increasingly invoked harsher charges when the conduct of the driver appears particularly reckless or deliberate. Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol arguably go beyond ordinary negligence and enter the realm of knowledge that death or grievous injury is likely.
The perception among many citizens is that traffic offences often result in minor penalties and prolonged trials, reducing the fear of punishment. Stronger charges send a message that reckless driving causing grave harm will be treated as a serious crime rather than a routine traffic offence. If drivers know that fleeing an accident scene could expose them to charges carrying severe imprisonment, it may discourage reckless behaviour and encourage immediate assistance to victims. The decision by the Margao police reflects this evolving trend. The rationale is understandable. If, in a hit-and-run case in which the driver is charged with attempt-to-murder, the accident victim dies, then obviously the driver can be charged with murder.
Hit-and-run incidents are no longer viewed merely as traffic violations. The psychological impact of harsher criminal liability should not be underestimated. There is also every possibility that a hit-and-run incident is actually an attempt-to-murder, with a bid to get away with a lighter punishment under traffic violation laws if apprehended. The law must send a clear message that roads are not lawless spaces and that reckless disregard for human life will invite serious consequences.
