Vadodara Car Crash: Accidents in India
- The Upcoming Writers
- Mar 20
- 4 min read
Vadodara Car Crash: Accidents in India
India's roads are getting ever more perilous. In 2023 alone, there were over 4.8 lakh accidents, claiming over 1.72 lakh lives. They are not merely figures; they are human lives, families disrupted and lives taken away. What is even more alarming than the accidents themselves is the way in which the system of justice neglects to prosecute those guilty to the fullest. The Pune Porsche case, as well as the Vadodara hit-and-run, serves to illustrate just how often such drivers are excused by the system, especially when they have a privileged social background.
The Alarming Situation
Each day, approximately 1,317 accidents occur, and 474 lives are lost on India's roads. The prime reasons are speeding, drunk driving, and people just not paying attention to traffic rules. But there's another large problem: dangerous drivers are not being punished enough. Too frequently, such drivers escape with their misdeeds, and the judicial system does not move fast enough to punish them.
Vadodara Car Crash: Accidents in India:
The Vadodara Hit-and-Run: A Shocking Lack of Remorse
On 14th March, 2025, in Vadodara, Gujarat, 20-year-old law student Rakshit Chaurasiya was traveling at a speed of 120 km/h when he hit multiple two-wheelers and Hemali Patel died and three were injured. Things became worse after the accident. Eyewitnesses reported that instead of displaying worry, Chaurasiya was heard saying "another round," indicating he was drunk. His car dragged two scooterists according to CCTV footage before he came to a stop.
What was more worrying was Chaurasiya's conduct following the accident. He first denied he had been drinking, but eventually confessed that he had taken bhaang (cannabis) before going out in his car. Chaurasiya was apprehended, but the question on everybody's mind now is: will justice really be served? Considering that he's a law student from a well-off family, many people are worried he may not get the right punishment for his act, even though someone died due to his negligence behind the wheel.
The Porsche Case: Justice for the Rich?
This problem of leniency for rich young drivers was also observed in the Pune Porsche case. In May 2024, a 17-year-old boy, Vedant Agarwal, who was under the influence of alcohol, drove a Porsche and rammed two IT professionals on a motorcycle, killing them both on the spot. Rather than being given severe punishment, Agarwal was released on bail under lenient terms such as community service and counseling. This ignited anger throughout the nation. Adding to the outrage was the fact that Agarwal's blood sample had been replaced with his mother's to escape legal repercussions. A number of individuals, including his parents and hospital officials, were arrested for their roles in the cover-up.
Agarwal's case also brought into question whether the justice system is biased in favor of rich people compared to commoners. His light punishment and the blood-tampering incident left little doubt that justice might not always be blind, particularly for the rich.
A Broken System
Both the Vadodara and Pune cases expose a fundamental flaw in India's legal system: a failure to hold young, rich drivers accountable for causing accidents. In both instances, the drivers never showed any genuine remorse, and the justice system did not appear to treat their actions as seriously as they should have been treated. Such a culture of impunity worsens the problem. The longer the justice system takes to deal with these cases, and the softer the justice system is on the offenders with connections, the less likely we are to witness any real change on the roads.
This is not all about bad luck; it's an issue with the way the justice system operates. The laws exist, but they are not always enforced correctly. Too many drivers escape with reckless behavior, particularly if they are wealthy or influential. This makes it more difficult to cut accidents and fatalities on the road.
What Needs to Change?
To rectify this, the justice system must reform how it deals with road accidents. First, the cases of death or serious injury should be disposed of promptly. The drivers who cause such accidents must be dealt with immediately. There must be no scope for delays or loopholes that release the culprits.
Second, youths who commit offenses, particularly young people from wealthy backgrounds, need not be dealt with more indulgently. Reckless driving by anyone a young person or a grown-up must have harsh penalties. The justice system should make it apparent that no individual is exempted from the law.
Third, speeding, driving drunk, and general disregard for minimum road safety codes must be emphasized more through public education. It must be imparted that disobedience to such laws will not only result in serious injury, but also in the certainty that the law will catch up eventually.
Lastly, the government needs to invest more in road safety. Bad roads, poor signs, and mismanagement of traffic all add to the large number of accidents. We need better traffic management and safer roads if we wish to minimize deaths.
Conclusion
India's increasing menace of traffic accidents is a major public health problem that must be addressed with utmost urgency. But it's not merely about enhancing roads or policing traffic. It's also about ensuring that the justice system holds irresponsible drivers accountable, regardless of who they are and where they are from. The Vadodara and Pune cases indicate how the wealthy and influential tend to get away with murder, literally. If we are serious about making our roads safer, we need to start by repairing the justice system and ensuring that it serves everyone, and not just those with privilege. Then and only then shall we have some hope of minimizing the horrible statistics of road fatalities in India.
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