I came to my home place, Ahmedabad, yesterday. My parents had come to pick me up at the airport. We had just moved a mile or two when I saw some people crowded and a bike lying in the bushes of the divider on the road. We immediately stopped and went to see if there was any help required. What I saw was one of the most ghastly sites I have ever seen in real life. Sitting on the divider and crying in a muffed voice was a child (barely 7-8 years old), with blood all over his face. There was a big hole in his forehead and he could barely open his left eye. He had probably smashed his head on the street lamp post. The driver was his brother, who didn't look more than 15-16 years old. He had cuts here and there, but wasn't as seriously hurt. We immediately called for the ambulance and also called up the parents of the children. The ambulance arrived in 5 minutes and the children were attended to.
This is 3rd bike-related accident that I have seen/heard in the last 2 weeks. Just 4 days ago, one of my close friends, Ronak Tamra, met with an accident and had about 20 stitches in his left leg. Another friend of my friend died while driving on NH 8. A senior of mine died in a bike accident. I guess you would all acquiesce with the fact that you would have heard a lot more about injuries in bike accidents than the ones in car. Since my school days, I have detested bikes. I know that is weird for a 17-18 year old guy, but maybe I value my life a lot, and always found that the way my friends drove their bikes was extremely dangerous. No wonder, I never learnt to drive a bike and don't even intend to learn one.
It is a tautological thing to say, but I would request all of you to please minimize bike-driving. If you cannot stop it completely, please don't go past the 50 kmph speed limit. The main problem with bike-driving is that it might not be your fault at all, but still, if a car hits you while you are on a bike, you are one who is likely to suffer the maximum damage. You get to live only once, and you wouldn't want to lose it in an accident, would you?
