New Delhi: A 19-year-old man, who was driving rashly, ran his car over a four-year-old child. The boy died in the accident which took place near the Ambedkar College in the Wadala area in Mumbai, police said on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Ayush Laxman Kinvade. The police said the boy used to live on the footpath and his father is a worker. He was knocked down by the car while he was reportedly playing on the road.
The accused, Sandeep Gole, a resident of Vile Parle, was reportedly driving the Hyundai Creta at a high speed. The police have arrested the teen driver and are investigating the incident further. “Prima facie, the driver was not under the influence of alcohol,” a police official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The driver was taken into police custody under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Maharashtra’s poor record in road safety
Around a fortnight back on December 9, a driver in Mumbai lost control of an electric bus operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, and crashed into pedestrians and vehicles. The incident left seven dead and 42 others injured. The accident occurred in Kurla and was captured on CCTV. It also caused damage to over 20 vehicles. The driver Sanjay More was arrested by the police and charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Last week, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said Maharashtra is one of the states that has seen the highest number of road accidents over the past five years. The state recorded 66,370 road fatalities, ranking third after Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, between 2018 and 2022. The report, compiled from data provided by various states and Union Territories, revealed that over 7 lakh people lost their lives in road accidents across India between 2018 and 2022.
During the Parliament’s winter session, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari pointed out that road accidents claim 1,78,000 lives annually, with 60 percent of the victims falling within the 18-34 age group.
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