The death of former Tata Sons boss Cyrus Mistry has put the spotlight on India's dismal road safety record and triggered an appeal for passengers to wear seat belts.
The accident on Sunday afternoon killed Mr Mistry, 54, and friend Jehangir Pandole, who were in the back seat of a Mercedes sedan.
The driver, leading gynaecologist Dr Anahita Pandole, and her husband Darius Pandole, in the front seats, were critically injured when the car slammed into a concrete barrier of a bridge about 100 kilometres outside Mumbai.
A police report said speeding caused the accident and that both passengers in the rear were not buckled up.
India has 38 deaths per 100 crashes - more than anywhere else in the world
Piyush Tewari,
founder of SaveLIFE Foundation
The death of the billionaire businessman, whose family founded the construction group Shapoorji Pallonji, has stirred industry figures to pledge to rear seat belts.
India has a law that mandates all passengers to use seat belts — but many don't adhere to it.
Police can issue a fine of 1,000 rupees (Dh46/$12) to passengers not buckled up in the front but they do not tend to check passengers in the back.
India has just 1 per cent of the world's road vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global deaths from road accidents.
Dangers of failing to buckle up
Piyush Tewari, the founder of the SaveLIFE Foundation investigating the crash, said enforcement of traffic law and safety awareness is key.
“It’s unfortunate that it took such a tragic incident for the country to start focusing on the issue of road safety which otherwise kills 155,000 people each year or about 426 people every day,” Mr Tewari told The National.
“What caused the crash was a combination of over speeding that led to loss of control and interaction with an exposed concrete structure leading to a very serious crash taking place at a high speed.
“What led to deaths and injuries was the fact that the seat belts were not used by rear passengers.”
The non-government organisation conducts forensic investigations into road accidents for police across the country.
On Sunday, its team examined the accident involving Mr Mistry.
The speed limit on the bridge was 40 kph but few on highways and roads adhere to speed limits.
Mr Tewari spelt out the dangers of not buckling up at the back.
“If you are not belted at the back, the curtain airbag along the window is not going to save the passenger. The first thing that will happen is that their head will hit the roof — and the roof has no air bags,” he said.
“After that, their head will hit the front passenger who is also moving forward.
“Then they will move and front load the seat, as we call it, which will cause spinal injuries and fractures to the front seat passengers.”
Among the world's deadliest roads
Investigations carried out by SaveLIFE on Indian highways show that 30 per cent of fatalities were due to passengers not wearing seat belts in the back seats.
A 2019 survey conducted by the group covering more than 6,000 people in 11 Indian cities found only 7 per cent said they used the rear seat belt and only 27 per cent were aware of the law on seat-belt wearing in the back seats of cars.
As many as 91 per cent of people said they had never been stopped by police for not using rear seat belts.
The use of rear seat belts can prevent death by 25 per cent and injury by 75 per cent, according to the World Health Organisation.
Road traffic injuries claim more than 1.35 million lives each year globally, with the number of deaths high among low and middle-income countries.
Grim statistics from India reinforce the global fatality rate.
The World Bank last year said that although India had one per cent of the world’s vehicles, it accounted for 11 per cent of all road crash deaths, 53 road crashes every hour, and the death of one person every four minutes.
The country has the highest crash severity rate in the world, or the highest number of deaths per 100 crashes.
“India has 38 deaths per 100 crashes which is much more than what you might have in the US, Europe and among the other developing countries, so we definitely have deadlier roads than anywhere else in the world,” Mr Tewari said.
“More people are killed per 100 crashes than anywhere else in the world so that unfortunately pegs us at the very top when it comes to severity of road crashes.”
He said efforts were continuing to work with authorities to identify high fatality areas and reduce deaths using road engineering design, police enforcement, improved trauma care and user engagement.
Safety messaging that the lives of passengers in the back seats are as important as those in the front and rear seat belt reminders for all cars, not just luxury cars, will be important going forward.
His team of six forensic scientists and engineers have examined tread marks, pools of oil and blood at the site and will correlate injuries of the victims with a study of the car interior.
Road safety pledges
On Tuesday, hundreds attended the cremation of Mr Mistry in Mumbai.
Industry heads and friends of Mr Mistry have trained the spotlight on road safety.
Billionaire businessman Anand Mahindra said Mr Mistry was “destined for greatness” if his life had not snatched away.
“I resolve to always wear my seat belt even when in the rear seat of the car. And I urge all of you to take that pledge too. We all owe it to our families,” he said on Twitter.
Experts worry these are knee-jerk reactions.
Ashish Verma, a professor and convener of the Indian Institute of Sciences Sustainable Transportation Lab, said safety on all roads and not just national highways was essential.
“We are always reactive, not proactive, that is the problem,” he said.
“A major overhaul is required. We concentrate on engineering aspects of highways but we are not doing enough on the human aspect.
“There must be education and systematic improvement in the driver licensing.
“Drivers should not just be taught to manoeuvre vehicles, we must create licensed drivers who are safe. That remains a big element.”
Road accidents in India — in pictures
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Selected fixtures
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Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
Scoreline
Liverpool 4
Oxlade-Chamberlain 9', Firmino 59', Mane 61', Salah 68'
Manchester City 3
Sane 40', Bernardo Silva 84', Gundogan 90' 1
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
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Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
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Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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The low down
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Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
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Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
