Government to implement 'good Samaritans law' to protect people who try to help others

The government has announced plans to implement a ‘good Samaritans law’ to protect people who take action in emergencies or volunteer for the public good from the threat of being sued.

The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Bill aims to stop claims of negligence being brought against members of the public who step in to help in emergencies, by requiring courts to take into account the context of any incident from which a negligence claim is brought. The move has been supported by the British Safety Council.

Alex Botha, the British Safety Council’s chief executive, commented: "Planned changes to the law should help society have a more sensible relationship with both everyday and extraordinary risks. All of us benefit when individuals are enabled to take heroic actions to help others when necessary or to volunteer to serve the community…People should not be punished if they have acted in good faith for the benefit of society, their community or of one person who is in trouble. Of course we do not support reckless actions and risk education is an important part of this debate, but decisions sometimes have to be made in seconds. It is important that the context of any incident is taken into account by the courts."