Seat belt could have saved Gopinath Munde
Force of the throw-forward within the confined space of the car damaged the atlanto axial joint in his neck
New Delhi: Saying that Gopinath Munde might have been saved if he was wearing a seat belt, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday called for a change in the law to make wearing of seat belts compulsory for even those sitting in rear seats of cars as it is for those sitting in front.
“I lost my friend due to a misconception... that back seat belts serve only a decorative purpose,” he said, urging adoption of EU-type laws with penalties for not using seatbelts or helmets.
A multi-media campaign in collaboration with NGOs is being considered, the Union health minister informed. “Let us regard the Gopinath Munde tragedy as the turning point. His death should be a wake up call to all vehicle owners,” he stressed.
The damage to the Gopinath Munde’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 injured the spinal cord. The blood supply to the brain stem got disrupted and this became a cause for immediate cardiac arrest.