Spotted a fellow driver in trouble? Here's what to do.

Most of us have driven past someone in trouble and thought: I wish I could help. Here's how to actually do it.

Indian roads present a specific set of situations where a stranger might need your help but can't easily ask for it. Flat tyres. Dead batteries. Medical situations. Breakdowns in the middle of traffic. Here's a practical guide.

The first question: is it safe to stop?

Before anything else, assess the situation. Stopping on a highway at night is dangerous for you. Stopping in flowing traffic is dangerous for everyone. If it's not safe to stop, the best thing you can do is call the highway helpline (1033 on national highways) and report the situation with the location and vehicle description.

Flat tyre

If you see a parked car with a flat and the owner isn't around, check for a QR sticker or a phone number on the dashboard. A quick message via Vtag or a phone call can save them from returning to a completely flat tyre — or worse, driving on one they didn't notice.

If the owner is present and struggling: most cars carry a spare and a jack, but not everyone knows how to use them. Offering to help is almost always welcomed. Five minutes of help is meaningful.

Dead battery / jump start

Jump cables are cheap and should be in every car. If someone's flagging you down for a jump start, it takes under ten minutes and costs you nothing but time. The standard sequence: red to dead, red to good, black to good, black to earth on the dead car (not the battery terminal).

Medical emergency

If you witness an accident or medical situation involving a vehicle, call 112 first. In India, Good Samaritans are protected under the Supreme Court guidelines of 2016 — you cannot be detained or harassed for stopping to help at an accident scene.

If the driver is unconscious and you need to contact someone: check for an ICE (In Case of Emergency) sticker or QR code on the vehicle. Many Vtag users add emergency contact information to their profile precisely for this situation.

Breakdown on a highway

Highway breakdowns are serious. If you're the one who's broken down, get your vehicle as far off the road as possible, turn on hazard lights, place a warning triangle 50–100 metres behind the vehicle, and call the highway helpline (1033). Don't stand behind your vehicle.

The QR approach

For non-emergency situations — a door left open, a window left down, a bag visible in the back seat — a Vtag scan is the cleanest way to help. No awkward confrontation, no wondering if the number is still valid. Scan, type, send. The owner gets a WhatsApp notification. Job done.

The best thing about modern India is the number of people who still want to help. The worst thing is that we've built no infrastructure for it.

A sticker that says "scan to reach me" is small infrastructure. But small infrastructure, distributed across millions of vehicles, adds up to a meaningfully more cooperative road system.