They were allegedly riding at speed and the scooter jumped a divider and dashed into a heavy vehicle. The three were not wearing helmets
The scooter the trio was riding; the truck that Tanishq rammed after losing control of the scooter
The New Year skies turned dark for at least three families who lost young loved ones in an accident in the city on Wednesday morning. The three, two women and a man, were riding triple seat on a two-wheeler early morning. They were allegedly riding at speed and the scooter jumped a divider and dashed into a heavy vehicle. The three were not wearing helmets.
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There are some takeaways from this huge tragedy. Speeding is a death trap, there is no other way one can put it. The brutal truth is that early hours, relatively emptier streets is not an invitation to open throttle. Proceed with the same amount of caution you would during regular hours, you must always be slow enough to control the vehicle. When one is fast one may be deceived into thinking that you can control the vehicle, but that can be fatal overconfidence.
The helmet rule exists for good reason. Sheath your head, that often makes the difference between serious injuries and minor, life and death. We strongly advocate that pillions wear helmets, too. Let us not wait for rules and helmet drives. Good sense and caution must automatically make one reach for the helmet. Just like car passengers at the back should buckle up with an abundance of caution, so should pillion riders. One suspects though that with so many bikers flouting the helmet rule, it will be extremely tough for pillion riders to wear the helmet. Do this not because of fines or laws but for your own safety.
Finally, three to a bike is not on. Do not overload a vehicle, which definitely compromises your control. At times, we shockingly see entire families on scooters and bikes, with kids riding precariously. Let this news jolt us into changing, even as our thoughts and condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones.