Last week, we (especially Malayalees) woke up to the shocking news of the horrific car accident of prominent Violinist Balabhaskar, his wife Lakshmi and their 2 year old baby Thejaswini Bala. News reports stated that the baby Thejaswini had died on the spot. Balabhaskar had injured his vertebral column and had to undergo immediate surgery and he passed away last night. His wife Lakshmi is still under critical care.
Now to understand the cause of death of baby Thejaswini, we have to look closely at the details of the placement of each individual in the car. Balabhaskar was holding the baby and sitting in the front passenger seat without a safety belt around them. When the accident took place, the baby could have been crushed by an air bag, a wall, the windshield, etc. and died on the spot.
My appeal to the government of India and the State of Kerala is to make car seats available for infants and toddlers. It must be mandatory for anyone traveling with an infant or toddler. It also must be mandatory that the car seat be placed in the back seat of the vehicle. Also seat belts for children should be mandatory.