The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Student killed as motorcycle hits median

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Student killed as motorcycle hits median

K. Manikandan

The victim swerved to the right and jammed the brakes to avoid a senior citizen

TAMBARAM: : A 19-year-old motorcycle rider died when he sustained head injuries after hitting the median on Mount-Poonamallee Road at Nandambakkam on Monday.

The victim, S. Pradeep Kumar, swerved to the right and jammed the brakes to avoid a senior citizen at a pedestrian crossing. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The death could have been avoided had the youth worn a helmet. He had sustained injuries only on the head and face.

A second-year student at the SRM Eswari Engineering College at Ramapuram, near Porur, Kumar was on his way home at Ekkatuthangal when the accident took place, Nandambakkam police said.

About 10 days ago, a student was run over on the Grand Southern Trunk Road near Vandalur. He had overtaken a city bus and swerved to the right, only to be knocked down. He came under the rear wheels of the bus and was dragged about 25 feet.

Despite the number of fatal accidents involving students, there has been little effort from educational institutions to impart a sense of road safety among them, , let alone the importance of wearing helmets. As most engineering colleges charge exorbitant bus fees many students prefer to make their own transport arrangements.

Many of the colleges charge nothing less than Rs. 10,000 a year. As it works out to Rs. 40,000 by the time they finish their course, many students manage to convince their parents that buying a motorcycle would not only make it convenient for them to commute , but would also be worthwhile investment.

The parking lot of these private engineering colleges resemble those near a railway station with scores of students zipping down on their motorcycles to college.

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