As per some news reports, A combination of sheer arrogance and negligence has led to the death of four people on the Purvanchal Expressway in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday (14 October).
Reportedly, the four friends were travelling in a BMW car at speeds as high as 230 km/hr to Delhi when they rammed into a container truck. One of the co-passenger in the car started a Facebook Live where he showed the car racing through the highway with others excitedly saying that the speedometer may next breach the 300 km/hr mark.
All four occupants, Anand Prakash, Akhilesh Singh, Deepak Kumar, Bihar and Bhola Kushwaha died on the spot.
Dr Anand Prakash, a 35-year-old Professor at a private medical college in Rohtas was reportedly behind the wheel while one of his co-travellers can be heard egging him on to touch 300 km per hour. Ironically, he said “charo marenge (all four of us will die)” during the livestream right before encouraging the driver to speed up. When the driver slows down after touching 230 kmph, the man speaking in the video asks him to not hit the brakes. Another passenger then intervenes, saying “araam se (take it easy)”.
Dr Prakash asked everyone to fasten their seatbelts and assured them he would speed up once he finds a long deserted stretch on the road.
The video shows a can placed next to the driver and the person streaming the video appears to be slurring, though there’s no confirmation if any of them were under the influence of alcohol.
The collision was so severe that the engine of the car and all four occupants were blown away and fell at some distance, visuals from the crash site show.
The police and Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) officials soon rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations, an official said.
The victims have been identified as Anand Prakash, a resident of Dehri, Bihar, Akhilesh Singh, who was a realtor, Deepak Kumar, an engineer — both from Aurangabad, Bihar — and a businessman named Mukesh. All of them were in their mid-30s.
The container driver, who has been charged with causing death due to negligence, fled the spot. Cops are trying to trace him.
While it is tempting to speed, the consequences of this action might be detrimental and fatal. “Speeding accidents about as popular as drinking and driving accidents” . Speed limits is supposedly what keeps us safe while out on the road. Many people think that they do not need to follow the speed limit signs. An opinion would be that speed limits should stay the same speed or even go down. There is a strong relationship between speeding, the risk of accidents, and the severity of injuries. Addressing the problem of speeding will lead to a significant reduction of road accidents and save many lives.
Img source: Indiatimes
Content Source: Hindustan times, India times
