DRIVING DISASTERS...

faulty drving has made news all d time. here's a case yet again wen some labourers were cruched by a young boy's reckless drive...
it's time wen we need 2 become vey carefu, how many innocent lives wud b taken due 2 someone else's mistake???
it's we have 2 act more responsibly... here's d full story courtesy "Mumbai Mirror"

lI will never drive again


Says Alyster Pereira who crushed six pavement dwellers and injured eight with his rash driving on Carter Road, Bandra, on Sunday. He has been booked for culpable homicide



Santosh Andhale and Dippy Vankani


Alyster Anthony Pereira, the 21-year-old Bandra boy who crushed six pavement dwellers and injured eight on Carter Road early on Sunday with his rash driving, says he will never take to the steering wheel again.

“I swear I will never drive a vehicle again in my life," the plump-looking youngster clad in jeans and a striped shirt, remanded to police custody till November 14, told this paper last evening. Pereira, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code, said Sunday's mishap in his Toyota Corolla was the first he was involved in ever since he learnt to drive five years ago, and it would be his last.

"The images and memories of the accident will haunt me for life," he noted.

Pereira, a resident of Silvery Dee St Paul's Road, Bandra (W), is now worried not only about the course the law will take but also about his family's reaction. His father owns a machines and tools factory in Goregaon, and Alyster, an engineering student, helps him with the business. "The incident has brought shame to my family. I can't imagine how furious my dad would be. I just want to tell him I am sorry for whatever happened," Alyster said.

Recounting the course of events that led to the accident, Pereira said he had gone to Taj Lands End with five school friends -- who have been booked under IPC for consuming liquor without having a permit and for rude and indifferent behaviour in a public place -- for "a party and a concert organised by a liquor company."

Of his five friends, four are Bandra residents, while the solitary girl in the group lives in Mazagaon. Pereira claimed that none of them had consumed alcohol during the party, though he himself was an occasional drinker.

"We were so tired after the concert that we dropped the idea of having a couple of drinks and instead collected stock for ourselves, which we decided to consume inside the car on our way back. But we did not drink even inside the car," Alyster claimed.

However, blood alcohol level tests done by Khar police on Alyster and others after their detention confirmed that all six were in an inebriated state.

"The medical report from Bhabha Hospital clearly states that all six had consumed alcohol," Shivajirao Kolekar, inspector of Khar police station, said.

Pereira, who is fond of treating friends, however, feels that three of his friends who were with him in the car ditched him after the accident by fleeing the spot.

 

[gaurav200x]

The is quite an article. As they say, speed thrills but it also kills.... So ur passion can become a one-timer for another one and u will always feel guilty of the person'a blood on ur head.

So always drive safe and if u wanna race, using a closed racing circuit.

 

[dpka]

there's more 2 d story....
all the people in this car were catholics, thus the church has its own say in this matter... here's it in detail...

The Church speaks out

We’ll leave no stone unturned to ensure that the culprits in the Bandra case will not go scot-free...
Manoj R Nair



The Catholic Church in Mumbai has said it will ensure that there is no failure of justice in the Sunday's incident at Bandra where seven people were mowed down by a speeding Toyota Corolla car driven by a Catholic boy. All other occupants of the car -- four boys and a girl -- were also Catholics.

Though some members of the Church said that the religion of those held for the mishap was only incidental to the case, the Church said it will take a public stand similar to the one it had taken after the murder of a woman and her grandchild in Borivali three years ago by four Catholic boys.

The Church, in the meantime, has offered relief and assistance to the survivors of Sunday's accident.


Alyster Pereira
In the Borivali case, apart from counselling some of the witnesses in the case, members of the Church had worked closely with the public prosecutor to ensure that the accused were convicted. "We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the culprits in the Bandra case too will not go scot-free free. We are waiting for preliminary investigations to be over," Father Anthony Charanghat, spokesperson for archbishop of Bombay, said.

Though the Church said that it was too early to say whether it will offer similar counselling or support to the relatives of the Bandra victims, it said that the social justice cell that exists in the local church could be asked to take a look at the case.

The difference between the two cases is that while in the Borivali case both the victims and the perpetrators belonged to the same Church, the victims in the Bandra incident were homeless migrants. "First and foremost, this incident is culpable homicide and not murder like in Borivali. But drunken driving is also a serious offence and a sin," Charanghat said.

The Church had taken a strong public stand in the shocking murder of 54-year old Borivali resident Leticia Mendes and her 16-month old grandson, Dylan Lobo, on November 19, 2003.

After the twin murders, the Church had said that it will not allow the accused to go scot-free free.

“The murders were mentioned in the sermons and there were prayers for the victims,” remembered a parishioner of I C Church, Borivali.

Later, the Church counselled Leticia’s husband so that he did not break down while recording his statement before the court. “His evidence was crucial and we gave him moral support because he was practically alone in the court, while the accused would turn out with a large number of relatives,” said Charanghat.

The main witness in the case, Glenda, Dylan’s mother, too was counselled by the Church. The accused were convicted mainly on Glenda’s statement.

“She was depressed and was not in a state of mind to record evidence. She had to be counselled till she came out of the depression,” said a court official.

The Bandra incident has shocked the Catholic community because some of the youngsters held belong to prominent Catholic families. Clarence Gomes, a resident of Bazaar Road who has a 21-year son, said, “My son has a car and I insist that if he takes the car out, he should be back home by 10.30 pm.”

Joe Dias of Catholic Secular Forum, a community group, said the Church should use the incident to look at the issue of alcoholism in sections of the community.

“The Church in Goa has taken a very strong stand against alcoholism. Unfortunately, incidents like these will feed the stereotype of Catholics as alcoholics,” said Dias.

However, others said it was too early to take a stand.

Dolphy D’souza of the Bombay Catholic Sabha said, “That the persons accused of driving the car are Catholics is only incidental to the case.

“The victims definitely need to be reached out to. But nothing more can be read into the case as of now.”