Ten members of a Dombivali family, on their way to a Bhavnagar temple, died when their jeep collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on a highway in Ahmedabad. The police suspect that the driver, who also died, fell asleep at the wheel. One person from the group has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition.

The report underscores the dangers of long distance road travel in this season, when the driver’s faculties or alertness is compromised in any way. We can take away important lessons from this humungous tragedy. First, the driver, who is responsible for his and of course, the lives of others travelling in the vehicle, needs to be completely sharp during such drives.