[saket77]

Originally Posted by zenren

According to the latest reports quoting the Delhi Police, it was Munde's driver who jumped the red light and not the Indica.
Looks like another factual error by our beloved media in a race to say "we told you first" although every word told by the so-called 'first' might be rubbish. We have already seen SX4 becoming Ambassador, side-impact becoming head-on collision, multiple head injuries when there were no visible injuries and so on. Looks like blaming an innocent driver is just another bit of the 'responsible journalism' showed by our media!

Exactly. Read a while back that it was actually the driver of Mr. Munde's car who jumped the signal. However, the way media reporting has gone since morning, I am not sure if they will not change their own version again. I read it here http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/bjp-l...-1-766478.html

If that indeed is the case, then I pity the poor Indica chap.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by saket77

If that indeed is the case, then I pity the poor Indica chap.

Have to give some credit to Delhi police for declaring that the mistake was done by a VIP vehicle and not a common man. We don't see that everyday in India

Drivers of most government vehicles consider them above the law. This is a lesson to all politicians, high court judges and senior bureaucrats who doesn't discourage their drivers from violating the law. They could become a victim of their driver's arrogance.

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

our "News Corporations"

The less said about them, the better!

I was watching NEWS at 09:00 hrs and observed the reporters making silly demands.

First of all, when Mr. Gadakari was about to make a statement, these people lacked basic common sense to maintain silence and let that man speak! They have become insensitive, and it pains even more when they exhibit it when an announcement on a person's death is impending.

Mr. Gadakari was not there to announce the Portfolio distribution that made these people jostle like they did!

And once Mr. Gadakari was done making the sad statement, these people asked him to repeat the same in Hindi, then Marathi

Even when Mr. Javadekar made a brief statement seated in his car, these people asked him to repeat the same in Marathi. The poor fellow obliged, but broke down before he could complete what he wanted to say!

Common, is this Professionalism? Hell NO!!

Sorry for going

[Drivethru]

This is really sudden and shocking.

Some lessons from this incident

- Even if its a normal home to airport run, the risk of meeting with a near fatal or fatal accident exists

- Always buy cars which have airbags. If budget permits one which has 6-8 airbags. Rear airbags are sometimes as important as fromt airbags.

I'm surprised to see a cabinet minister level travelling in SX4 while many junior politicians travel around in Jaguars / Mercs / BMWs which are better built.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Drivethru

- Even if its a normal home to airport run, the risk of meeting with a near fatal or fatal accident exists

- Always buy cars which have airbags. If budget permits one which has 6-8 airbags. Rear airbags are sometimes as important as fromt airbags.

I'm surprised to see a cabinet minister level travelling in SX4 while many junior politicians travel around in Jaguars / Mercs / BMWs which are better built.

The risk of accident, esp on the roads is always there. Whether it is a run to the airport or to a local grocery store.
And sorry to clutter this thread with it, but then no amount of airbags will save you if you do not put on the seat belts. In fact, deployment of airbags without seat belts can be fatal in itself!

Also, this was not a major collission at all. If Mr. Munde was belted, things would have been different. SX4 has some safety features built to it, I am sure, it must have had airbags too, but where the built features put to use? Sad but a loss that had to happen this way.

[malq]

Probably the most crowded and jammed 24x7 part of Ring Road due to Delhi Metro work is the Moti bagh/Ring road crossing. Taking that into account as well as the usual preferred route if coming from Maharashtra Sadan and headed for T1/T3 Delhi Airport, it does not make sense to me that a driver who knows his way around would presumably come South from Maharashtra Sadan either via India Gate or Man Singh Road and then "Munde was coming from Prithviraj Road and going towards Safdarjung Road when the Indica going towards Tughlak Road from Aurobindo Marg hit his car."

Please look at a map and tell me if from MH Sadan this route makes sense or the better, faster and less crowded route aiming for SP Marg - Dhaula Kuan and thence to Airport (byepassing both PM Residence and Moti Bagh/Ring Road crossing.

[100kmph]

RIP
The safety of the car (SX4) didn't play a great role as the minister died of trauma.

[abeerbagul]

I am sure the trauma would not have happened if Mr Munde had put on his seat belt.
Look at the SX4, it is hardly damaged just a dent on the rear left side door. The driver and PA sitting in the front are not injured. This must be because both of them sitting in front belted up.

This is a lesson to all our ministers and politicians, they are not protected by divine powers, but only by seat belts.

Also, this area is choc a bloc with high profile traffic, where is the CCTV footage?

[Hayek]

A sad death, and a completely unnecessary one. The accident itself was unnecessary - irrespective of whether the signal was on or off, and who (if anyone) jumped the signal, basic courtesy would have prevented it. The damage on the SX4 was minor, and the fact that the other two occupants in the front seats were unheard shows that his death was likely because he was not wearing a seat belt. The amazing thing is that to this day, educated friends laugh at me because I wear a seat belt even in the rear seat and insist on my kid sitting in a child seat.

[tj123]

Looking at the SX4 pictures it looks like a minor T-bone accident, but since the minister was not wearing any seat belt he might have been thrown off sustaining blunt internal injuries.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by iceman7

News agencies are reporting that the Indica jumped a red light. The accident is reported to have happened at 0620 AM.

My question is - Are traffic signals operational at this hour?

Also, no pictures of the SX4 as yet.

I lived in moti bagh about 100 metres from the signal.
At 620,i don't recall it being operational.
And now with the metro work, it's a convoluted crossing, with the lights hardly visible.

[speedsatya]

Was he wearing seat belts ?


Sent from my mobile phone , please excuse typos

[VW2010]

Poor indica driver. The accident is just another accident if you compare it with the dozens of pictures people are posting in our accident thread. And to add to that the pictures of Indica or the SX4 does not suggest life threatening for passengers inside either of them.

The minister died of something or anything other than the accident.

Now being a minister, the poor driver will be taken to dogs for something he would have got away with had it been one of us in that SX4.

If its one of the call taxi i have no pity for the driver because my experience with call taxi has always ended up with me wishing they rot in jail all the time.

May good sense prevail.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

The mentioned place - Motibagh. This place has Metro construction going on, maybe they didn't spot each other until the very last moment.

Originally Posted by malq

Probably the most crowded and jammed 24x7 part of Ring Road due to Delhi Metro work is the Moti bagh/Ring road crossing. Taking that into account as well as the usual preferred route if coming from Maharashtra Sadan and headed for T1/T3 Delhi Airport, it does not make sense to me that a driver who knows his way around would presumably come South from Maharashtra Sadan either via India Gate or Man Singh Road and then "Munde was coming from Prithviraj Road and going towards Safdarjung Road when the Indica going towards Tughlak Road from Aurobindo Marg hit his car."

Please look at a map and tell me if from MH Sadan this route makes sense or the better, faster and less crowded route aiming for SP Marg - Dhaula Kuan and thence to Airport (byepassing both PM Residence and Moti Bagh/Ring Road crossing.

Originally Posted by mayankk

I lived in moti bagh about 100 metres from the signal.
At 620,i don't recall it being operational.
And now with the metro work, it's a convoluted crossing, with the lights hardly visible.

Guys, I think we all got misled. This did not happen anywhere near Motibagh. It was somewhere near Prithviraj road/Aurangzeb/Tuglaq road intersection.

As for why was he on that particular route, my guess - he was heading to Safdarjung Airport to catch a heli to finally drop him at IGIA.

Originally Posted by VW2010

Now being a minister, the poor driver will be taken to dogs for something he would have got away with had it been one of us in that SX4.

The driver is out on bail. What helped his cause was he did not try to run. Called the PCR himself. This in part must also have led the DP to admit that the minister's cavalcade had broken the signal and not the Indica.

[SmartCat]

Seatbelt could have saved Gopinath Munde

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/repor...-munde-1993295