Wearing seat belt could have saved Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde who died in a road accident, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday. He also announced a major campaign to spread awareness on observing safety measures while driving.
The Union Minister also urged petrol pump owners not sell fuel to those who do not adhere with safety measures. “I would like to seek the cooperation of the associations of petroleum dealers all over the country to utilise the pumps as points of interface with car and bike users. At any rate a new law is necessary along the lines of European Union countries to make non-seat belt and helmet use punishable,” Vardhan said.
“Wearing seat belt could have saved Munde. I lost my friend to a misconception. Most people think that the back-seat belts serve only a decorative purpose. In fact wearing them is as necessary as wearing front seat belts. They can save lives in the event of impacts,” said Vardhan before leaving for Beed, Maharashtra to attend the funeral of the deceased Minister.
A multi-media campaign in collaboration with NGOs working on safety is being considered, the Health Minister informed. “The focus would be the child victims of accidents whether direct or as those left behind by their parents,” Vardhan said. He said that Munde died within seconds after his car was allegedly rammed from the side by a car who jumped red lights.
“let us regard the Gopinath Munde tragedy as the turning point. The Minister’s tragic and untimely death should be a wake up call to all vehicle owners,” Vardhan stressed. The damage to the Minister’s car was not great, but the force of the throw-forward within the confined space of the car damaged the Atlanto-axial joint in his neck, and severely injured the spinal cord.