[Driver's Award] Compensation for Traffic Accident Injuries and Fatalities to Passengers and Pedestrians | Eligibility | Calculation Method of Subsidy Amount

According to Police Region's Traffic accident figures for the first 11 months of 2025, there were 15,261 Traffic accidents, including 81 fatal traffic accidents and 398 serious traffic accidents. If you are unfortunately injured in a traffic accident, you must follow these steps:

1. Call the police immediately.
2. Receive medical treatment
3. Retain all supporting documents (including but not limited to: doctor's notes, medical receipts, police statements, etc.).

Depend on the Social Welfare Department, the purpose of the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme (Driver's Award) is to provide financial assistance to the injured or deceased, or their families, as early as possible, regardless of who is at fault in the traffic accident. The beneficiary's financial situation will not be taken into consideration.The aid is only provided for injuries or death of the injured party; property loss is not covered. Note that if other compensation is received for the same accident, the traffic accident injury/death aid or compensation received must be returned, whichever is less.

• The relevant traffic accident must fall under the category of Traffic Accident Victims (Assistance Fund) Ordinance as defined in Chapter 229 of the Laws of Hong Kong, and a police report has been filed.
• The victim was legally residing in Hong Kong at the time of the accident.
• Applicants may only claim the "compassion allowance" once every two years.
• Applications must be submitted within 6 months of the incident (excluding the day of the incident; however, if the last day of the period is a public holiday or a storm warning signal (Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above) is hoisted, the period includes the next normal working day).
• The victim dies/is permanently disabled due to the accident; or is hospitalized for no less than 7 days; or is granted sick leave of no less than 7 days with a certificate from a registered doctor/registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner (if the accident occurs before 00:00 on June 28, 2025, then sick leave of no less than 3 days is required).

To submit the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA) Preliminary Application Form to the Social Welfare Department, you can fill in the Online form or download the application form (PDF / Word). After completing the form, submit it to the Traffic Accident Injury and Death Assistance Group through the following channels.

• Mail or in person
• Fax to the Social Welfare Department (2893 8690)
• Email to tavaenq@swd.gov.hk

After receiving the application form, the Social Welfare Department will schedule a meeting with the applicant (or their family). Except in cases of mobility impairment or special circumstances, applicants must attend a meeting with the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Section of the Social Welfare Department. Applicants should provide relevant information and bring the following documents with them to the meeting:

• Identity documents, such as Hong Kong identity cards, birth certificates, or other acceptable forms of identification (if the victim is deceased, identity documents of both the victim and their family members must be provided).
• All relevant documentation for injuries sustained in an accident, including death certificates (if the victim died), sick leave certificates, medical reports issued by registered doctors, hospital bills, and hospital/clinic visit cards issued by the Hospital Authority or medical institutions under the Director of Health (original documents are preferred).
• Documents providing payment instructions, such as bank account number, bankbook, and debit card, are required to arrange automatic bank transfers.
• Applicants may also bring the above documents in person to the office of the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Section

The Social Welfare Department will verify the information provided by the applicant with the police force, the victim's family, and the employer, and then pay the assistance funds according to the victim's injury or death.

Source: Police Force, Social Welfare Department