In a fresh incident highlighting Vadodara's growing road safety crisis, a speeding car struck two individuals in the Sama area on Tuesday night before the driver fled the scene. The local police have launched a manhunt to trace the absconding motorist.
Details of the Sama Area Incident
The hit-and-run occurred around 10:30 PM near the Sama Sports Complex. According to police reports, the car first collided with Vinod Agrawal, who was pushing his vegetable cart. The impact injured Agrawal's leg. The vehicle, instead of stopping, continued at high speed and hit a motorcycle some distance away. The person riding pillion on the two-wheeler sustained injuries in the second collision.
CCTV footage captured from the vicinity shows the car speeding away after the twin collisions. This event adds to a disturbing pattern of reckless driving incidents reported in the city over the past several months.
A Pattern of Reckless and Drunken Driving
The latest accident has once again turned the spotlight on the alarming frequency of rash and intoxicated driving in Vadodara. This is not an isolated case but part of a dangerous trend:
- On October 24, 2025, an allegedly drunk driver, Nitin Jha, drove his car over a family sleeping on a footpath near Vishwamitri Bridge, resulting in the death of a four-year-old girl. Enraged passers-by chased Jha down and overturned his car.
- In August, two men, Nilesh Rajput and Satish Chauhan, were assaulted by locals after their car hit a two-wheeler in the Warasia area. Rajput, who was behind the wheel, was reportedly inebriated.
- In September, a police constable identified as Amit Parmar created a ruckus while driving his car in an allegedly intoxicated state in the Makarpura area.
- In June, Deep Patel, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, rammed his two-wheeler into a car in Manjalpur.
- In May, a drunk driver, Vijay Kumavat, hit three vehicles with his car in Gotri. His friend Vraj Barot was in the passenger seat, and police found alcohol in the vehicle.
Growing Public Concern and Police Action
The repeated incidents have sparked significant public anger and concern over road safety in Vadodara. The common thread in many of these cases is the alleged influence of alcohol and a blatant disregard for traffic rules and human life. The police are now actively searching for the driver involved in Tuesday's Sarea hit-and-run. The sequence of events, captured on CCTV, is expected to aid in identifying the vehicle and the culprit.
These consecutive episodes point to a systemic issue that demands stricter enforcement of traffic laws, heightened surveillance, and possibly more severe penalties for offenders. The community's frustration is palpable, as seen in instances where citizens have taken the law into their own hands, confronting and assaulting accused drivers.
As the investigation into the latest Sama area case continues, authorities face mounting pressure to curb the menace of hit-and-runs and drunken driving, ensuring Vadodara's streets are safe for all citizens.
