Cop's seat belt advice saves Mumbai woman in crash

MUMBAI: It pays to follow rules. A traffic cop’s gentle advice to a woman in a car to wear the seat belt paid off as the vehicle was involved in a crash minutes after she had fastened the seat belt.Goregaon resident Gautam Rohra and his wife, both in their early forties, were headed home in their car late Saturday evening amid pouring rain. Rohra, who was at at the wheel, had fastened his seat belt while his wife, seated next to him, had not.At Kalanagar, Bandra (east), a traffic cop, Pravin Kshirsagar, flagged them down. The cop politely pointed out that the woman was not wearing the seat belt, and reminded the Rohra couple that the penalty for this violation is Rs 1,000.Going beyond his call of duty, the cop went on to add: “...but more importantly, seat belts save lives in case there is a crash...,” Rohra said. The couple thanked the policeman who allowed them to leave without imposing a penalty.Some 15 minutes later, their car crashed into a divider as it was descending a flyover at Andheri (east). The vehicle flipped twice. Bystanders rushed to help, among them another cop.“My wife escaped without a scratch because she had fastened the seat belt... it left even doctors stunned. I sustained minor bruises,” Rohra said, going on to call Kshirsagar a “guardian angel”. He said he and his wife were alive thanks to the cop’s “sense of duty and concern”.He posted on social media a word of advice for motorists: “Traffic Police don’t stop us just to issue fines; they genuinely care about our safety. Let’s not get angry when they point out our mistakes... Those who help selflessly are real angels. I’m truly grateful to the policeman for this second chance at life. A little caution saved our home and that is the greatest blessing.”