[hserus]

Originally Posted by shadow

A boulder! I don't understand where in the middle of Chennai did someone get a 'boulder' to keep in the middle of the road.
And post the accident, the boulder magically rolled away, is it.

The usual reason someone does that is if there is an open manhole in the middle of the road and a municipality worker has descended down it to clean it up. And that disgusting practice has mostly been replaced by lorries with jet rodding machines these days.

The thing is, I can't for the life of me remember just where someone has placed a manhole of any sort in the middle of one of the busiest roads in Chennai that leads directly to the city centre.

Most manholes in such cases are on the pavement rather than in the middle of the road, unlike in residential areas.

[i74js]

Plain and simple, we don't have freeways or Autobahns in India, whereas we do have cars that can swiftly cover miles on these freeways.

The city infrastructure provides limited freedom during day time while these car owners presume that testing the capabilities of their machines is possible during night hours with less of traffic, negligible policing and the safety features in the cars.

Will capacity building help, well to some extent for sure - car manufacturers will have to park adequate money for it and they should. In addition to this, providing controlled environment for fun drives at regular intervals will also help.

In this case particularly, the person involved is a racer otherwise and fairly knows how capable these cars are; this cannot be qualified as "innocence" or "negligence"

Putting people behind bars may not be a solution, something else should be. What can that be - should be deliberated.

The recent change in the MV Act / traffic violation penalties should have also looked into addressing such incidents which are rising because of liquidity in the Indian market and better access to these cars (which was quite rate in say 80's and 90's) when we use to see Ravi Shastri getting an Audi TT after a match.

As a conscious forum - can we not make suggestions to policy makers and regulators?

[Whiplash7]

Originally Posted by i74js

Will capacity building help, well to some extent for sure - car manufacturers will have to park adequate money for it and they should. In addition to this, providing controlled environment for fun drives at regular intervals will also help.

Chennai already has a race track that could be rented. In my opinion I think this wouldn't help a lot. I would recommend installing speed cameras and deducting points from a drivers license which ultimately results in termination of the license. renewing such a license should be made a costly affair, maybe link the renewal cost to the cost of the car or HP or the average speed driven over the speed limit.

But all this would not matter if you are drunk and this is the biggest problem. all these drivers think they can easily handle a car even after having a few drinks and when they are proven wrong it is already too late.
I remember reading somewhere in the internet that someone had once made a car simulator to experience how you would be driving if you are under the influence of alcohol. Basically the simulator dials down all the response times and in my opinion every new driver should spend some time on it before being issued a license to drive.

I found a similar video of such a simulator

https://youtu.be/2NYI2c1nJMs

[haria]

Is it some dare-devil instincts which provokes people to take these stupid risks ? or is it something more complex and psychological ?

Really cannot understand how totally stupid people can be!
I mean, almost everyone who knows to read/write will have heard some story or other of drunken driving, celebrity accidents with resultant price, et. all. With all pervasive social media and presence, it is highly unlikely that even a celebrity can simply "escape" away from these kind of situations.

Even after knowing all these and knowing that this is a damned serious offense, how can somebody of the so called "educated" ever drink and drive ? knowing the consequences and effect of it!

Really feel sorry for the poor victim's family. Poor chap. They will be soon forgotten in all this tamasha.

Originally Posted by i74js

Will capacity building help, well to some extent for sure - car manufacturers will have to park adequate money for it and they should. In addition to this, providing controlled environment for fun drives at regular intervals will also help.

In this case particularly, the person involved is a racer otherwise and fairly knows how capable these cars are; this cannot be qualified as "innocence" or "negligence"

Putting people behind bars may not be a solution, something else should be. What can that be - should be deliberated.

The recent change in the MV Act / traffic violation penalties should have also looked into addressing such incidents which are rising because of liquidity in the Indian market and better access to these cars (which was quite rate in say 80's and 90's) when we use to see Ravi Shastri getting an Audi TT after a match.

We cannot blame a manufacturer for people's stupidity. This is like blaming a knife manufacturer because knife can also be used to kill people!

Cars, for that matter ALL vehicles are dangerous. They can easily kill / maim people if used in a negligent fashion.

For starters we should have stringent laws and penalties. People should be damn scared and never even think of driving under influence. Getting DL should be made extremely difficult. Getting a DL is so trivial a process here. Many people I know even have got license without even giving a test. They just have their photos taken in the RTO and hey presto, they have a DL. My relatives who are in Germany/France describe how difficult it is to get a DL there. One of my friend, who drives with gay abandon in the streets of india , parking wherever he likes, is absolutely careful when he is driving in france. Reason, he was slapped with a 200Euro fine because he had parked his car with his bumper just projecting over the pavement and was obstructing the movement of pedestrians. After this experience, Every time he was parking, he used to go around the car and double check whether he has parked it correctly! But the same person, when he comes to INDIA, .. So it all depends on how tough the enforcement is and people should not even dream of breaking it, because the price will be too high to pay!

[Whiplash7]

Originally Posted by haria

Really cannot understand how totally stupid people can be!
I mean, almost everyone who knows to read/write will have heard some story or other of drunken driving, celebrity accidents with resultant price, et. all. With all pervasive social media and presence, it is highly unlikely that even a celebrity can simply "escape" away from these kind of situations.

Unfortunately I guess this is what Morpheus meant when he said "There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path"

To be honest I would like to know what it really feels like to drive after being drunk and have the possibility to compare the before and after videos. It would be nice if someone could offer such a service in a controlled environment obviously.

[basubhatta]

I am looking from a different angle:
A car racer definitely has good control on his car. But, he could not control. Why? Because of alcohol. If you are drunk, never sit behind the wheel. Your driving experience or expertise nothing will work. My polite advise: leave your car there and call a cab.

[fine69]

Please quote me when he's released, all hale and hearty, which shouldn't take much time.

In today's TOI daily edition, there's an article where Supreme Court says that drinking and driving needs much more stringent action. Well, a whole lot of laws need amendment, one of which is drinking and driving.

Road accident statistics in India are alarming, we have poorly built vehicles, morons as drivers, population explosion leading to people sleeping on pavements, power explosion leading to running people over who were on pavements and what not. Money is hardly a deterrent. I mean if one knew he was getting 2 years or 5 years (non-bailable) behind bars for drinking and driving, trust me, it would be hard to gather guts.

But when I most definitely know that money does buy everything, especially in our country, I wouldn't give two hoots to what the law says.

On second thoughts, the law could have clauses such as
(a) Drinking and driving but no accident - ok, part away with 5,000 bucks
(b) Drinking and driving AND an accident - 50,000 bucks penalty and say 3 to 6 months in jail
(b) Drinking and driving, an accident and taking a life - 5,00,000 bucks penalty and 5 year jail

That ought to do it. But then, if wishes were horses or govt. really wanted to make this a better country.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by fine69

(b) Drinking and driving, an accident and taking a life - 5,00,000 bucks penalty and 5 year jail

As we have seen, especially if you're rich/powerful, its easier to pay off someone else to take the fall. Or the police could be incentivized for (or make of their own incompetence) procedural lapses which can then be utilized to undermine the prosecution. As long as these loopholes exists, no amount of legislation is going to help

[fine69]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

As we have seen, especially if you're rich/powerful, its easier to pay off someone else to take the fall. As long as this loophole exists, no amount of legislation is going to help

No I agree. Corruption exists, there are loopholes but wouldn't we want to have a loophole the size of a wedding ring rather than a manhole.

[iamswift]

Originally Posted by fine69

On second thoughts, the law could have clauses such as
(a) Drinking and driving but no accident - ok, part away with 5,000 bucks
(b) Drinking and driving AND an accident - 50,000 bucks penalty and say 3 to 6 months in jail
(b) Drinking and driving, an accident and taking a life - 5,00,000 bucks penalty and 5 year jail

I thought this is already fixed that any drunk driving causing loss of life is treated as murder.

[Chetan_Rao]

Personal responsibility is an extinct concept in today's world. Everything is someone else's fault.

And while everyone goes gaga over talented teenagers (or thereabouts) becoming professional racers, everybody conveniently forgets that ability needs to be tempered with maturity. GTO's quote of Mr. Ebrahim sums it up nicely.

As for the legal angle, facts and truth unfortunately don't matter once a case gets to a court of law. It's all decided on technicalities, one way or another. Plenty of cases where the truth is the worst-kept secret in the world, but acquittals abound. Accounting for this guy's parentage, all past evidence points to him being out and about fairly soon.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by iamswift

I thought this is already fixed that any drunk driving causing loss of life is treated as murder.

Not murder. The usual routine is to slap

1. IPC section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way)
2. Section 185 (driving by a drunken person) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

For routine drunk driving cases.

If there is a fatality - IPC 304(II) (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) is additionally applicable, as in this case.

https://indiankanoon.org/doc/409589/

Central Government Act
Section 304 in The Indian Penal Code
304. Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.—Whoever commits culpable homicide not amounting to murder shall be punished with 1[imprisonment for life], or imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine, if the act by which the death is caused is done with the intention of causing death, or of causing such bodily injury as is likely to cause death, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, or with fine, or with both, if the act is done with the knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without any intention to cause death, or to cause such bodily injury as is likely to cause death.

[GeeTee TSI]

Complete sympathies with the affected people here, however; accidents invoking powerful cars on public roads (drunk or otherwise) also points at the rather increasing trend where people floor the pedal and 'have a go' when no one is looking. More and more people have access to powerful cars but absolutely no controlled environment to experience them (also including yuppies racing tuned scooters around residential roads)

We miss track day events/venues like in the west and the temptation to race on public roads to vent ones 'urge', just makes this hazard all the more obvious. This is without considering the hazards that a drunk 2 wheeler to a truck driver pose irrespective of their speeds.

[Lobogris]

The accident is tragic and the actions of the driver in speeding and driving drunk are deplorable. Having said that, it also shows how unsafe these auto rickshaws are. Everyday millions of people are ferried in these ungainly and unstable contraptions. A Nano or Alto doesn't cost much more and is safer and more comfortable. It is sad that there are no plans on replacing these autos with safer vehicles even in 2016.

Finally, the practice of sleeping, sitting and hanging around roads is dangerous. If a person simply loses control or is bumped by another vehicle, he or she can end up killing people if they are sleeping or sitting on footpaths or roadsides. If it had been an empty footpath, the Porsche would have simply hit the roadside or parked vehicles with no harm to anyone else. This is not intended to take any responsibility away from the driver but is meant to highlight the danger of hanging around a fast road or highway. Of course there are times when one has to sit by the roadside while parked and waiting for some purpose but it is dangerous to sit or sleep near a road or highway.

[hserus]

The location is actually a road with several bars / pubs etc just down the road. And many office buildings too where people might work night shift and then need to go home.

So you will always find some auto drivers doing night duty at their respective stands - hoping to pick up a drunk or a returning office goer.