Bengaluru CEO, Family Members In SUV Die In Freak Accident. Road Safety Debate Ensues

SOURCE ; NEW18

Last Updated:December 23, 2024, 09:59 IST

The CEO of a Bengaluru automotive solutions firm was killed along with his family in an accident on Nelmangala-Tumkuru highway last week, sparking a social media debate about road safety.

The death of a Bengaluru automotive solutions firm’s boss along with his family in a chilling crash of a Volvo SUV has ignited an online debate about how travelling in a car may not ensure safety unless our roads are made safer.

This comes after the Volvo XC90, which is considered the gold standard in car safety, was crushed by a container truck on the Nelmangala-Tumkuru highway on December 21 morning.

CEO of IAST Software Solutions, Chandram Yegapagol, 48, died in the horrific accident, along with his wife Gourabai, 42, son Gyan, 16, daughter Deeksha, 12, sister-in-law Vijayalakshmi, 36, and Vijayalakshmi’s daughter Arya, 6.

How Did Accident Take Place?

The incident had taken place when the family was travelling to Maharashtra’s Sangli. The police told Times of India that Chandram was driving safely and was “not at fault”.

Arif, the driver of the truck, who also suffered injuries, said that his vehicle jumped the divider while attempting to save a car that abruptly stopped on the highway.

“A car in front of me braked suddenly, forcing me to do the same. However, the truck continued moving forward. To avoid colliding with the car, I swerved to the right, causing the truck to cross the divider,” he explained.

The truck then collided with a milk truck before crashing into the Volvo behind it.

He was booked for rash driving and death by negligence.

Debate On Social Media

The road rash has ignited a debate on social media as users highlighted that even the safest cars in the country cannot ensure the safety of our lives unless others are playing their equal part on the roads.

DriveSmart, a profile on X that promotes safe driving, shared the pictures of the accident site and said, “This pic is a reminder that being safer on the road is not achieved by a safer car alone. Safe Roads + Safe Driver + Safe Car –> All three are essential for safety. All the passengers in this Volvo lost lives in this car which supposedly went through all types of testing.”

“The first question comes to my mind is why the slow-moving heavy vehicle was on the fast/right lane. This is absurd practice on our roads that all heavy vehicles ply on the right lane forcing other vehicles to undertake. There is no law enforcement here!” a user wrote.

Another user blamed the road infrastructure for the loss of lives.

“Neither the car nor the driver is the contributor to the crash. It’s the road infrastructure. This crash could have been prevented if @NHAI_Official did its job of providing median crash barriers that could prevent the truck’s crossing over,” the user wrote.

“Bengaluru to Tumakuru stretch is an accident hotspot, sir. The main culprit is poor road design and those who made the truck lose control. Has to be verified what went wrong. As for the occupants a few seconds here and there could had made lot of difference. Sheer bad luck,” another user said.

Users Urge Nitin Gadkari To Bring Stricter Road Safety Rules

Some users tagged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, urging him to make stricter rules to ensure safety on roads, while others also noted that though Volvo builds safe vehicles, it may not withstand the weight of a container packed with aluminum.

Gadkari, during a discussion in the recently-concluded Winter Session of the Parliament on accident deaths in the country, had said that he has to hide his face at international conferences about road accidents.

He said that he had set the target to reduce accidents by half when he took charge of the ministry, however, the numbers have only increased.

“Far from reducing the number of accidents, I must admit with no hesitation that they have actually increased. When I attend international conferences on road safety, where road accidents are discussed, I find myself wanting to hide my face,” he had said.

He had called upon the people to adhere to laws to avert road accidents.