Chandigarh| Young Girl Killed on Zebra Crossing. Are Pedestrians Safe?

What’s Shocking

In a heart-wrenching road accident on Tuesday, a 21-year-old student was run over by a speeding Thar jeep while walking on the zebra crossing on the Sector 21/34 dividing road.

The victim identified as Akshita Abrol, a resident of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir. She was accompanied by her friend Renu Sharma at the time of the mishap.

The incident took place at around 11 AM. As per reports, the accused is identified as Nihar Kaur, a student of SD College-32, was driving Thar jeep without any driving license. She produced her learner’s license only the next day on being released on bail.

About Akshita

Staying as a paying guest in Sector 21 along with her friend Renu, they both came to the city for coaching on banking exams. They had completed graduation two months ago. Both belonged to Udhampur. Akshita is survived by her parents and a younger brother. Jugal Kishor Abrol, her father, is a storeowner at Udhampur.

Recommendations to prevent such accidents in future

To investigate the cause, the Road Accident Analysis Cell of Chandigarh Traffic Police visited the accident spot and made following recommendations:

  • On both sides of the dividing road of Sectors 21 and 34, blinkers should be installed.
  • The zebra crossing should be little far from the roundabout. Pedestrians should have enough time to cross the road even in case of a speeding vehicle approaches them. Also, motorists will have enough time to apply brake after seeing a pedestrian walking.

We talk about following traffic rules, road safety- wearing helmets, wearing seat belts – is road safety only limited to vehicles and their occupants? Do pedestrians have no right over road safety? Even if they follow traffic rules, why they still have to be at the mercy of vehicles on roads?

News Source: The Indian Express

Image Source: Google Images