A Hyundai Creta that was moving along a bridge in Alipore following all traffic rules was crushed from its front as a truck from the opposite direction suddenly changed lanes and hit it head-on early on Tuesday.

Airbags, seat belts and luck saved the four occupants of the car.

Four friends were returning home after having dinner at a Bhowanipore eatery when they met with the accident on Dhana Dhanya Bridge early on Tuesday.

Amit Ram, 30, who was at the wheel suffered injuries to his knees and hands. The airbags saved his life, he said.

“It happened in a fraction of a second. Suddenly a truck came in front of my vehicle and the light was blinding. Before I could react, the truck crushed my car,” Ram, a resident of Behala Parnasree told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

The police said the truck, a goods vehicle, tried to skip the queue and changed lanes when it collided with the Hyundai Creta on the opposite flank.

Businessman Ram said: “Two of us were in the front and two in the back-seat. The impact of the collision deployed the airbags and we escaped major injuries,” he said.

He lamented that though he was driving along the right lane and did not violate any traffic rules, that was not enough to keep his car and life safe on Calcutta’s roads.

“When we take our cars out on the road, small scratches or dents are normal. But the way the car has been damaged is very dangerous,” Ram said.

The chassis, mudguard, dashboard and steering wheel are all damaged, he said.

“Had it been a smaller car, the consequences could have been fatal,” he added.

The crash was reported around 4.30am on Tuesday when Ram was going to drop his friends to Kidderpore and return home.

The accident again exposed how unsafe the city’s roads could be even for motorists and commuters who follow traffic rules. Heavy goods vehicles that have a free run at night are especially reckless.

Incidents over the past two days suggest the roads are unsafe at other times as well.

The police acknowledged that goods vehicles cause most accidents on the roads at
night when there are fewer vehicles. The habit of reckless driving and the immense possibility of the vehicles escaping prosecution for violations leads drivers to flout norms with impunity.

In this case, officers of Hastings police station took charge of the vehicle and drew a “motor collision report”.

The police said as there were “no serious injuries” or “a formal complaint”, they did not seize the vehicle or arrest the driver.

“We will proceed if there is a formal complaint,” an officer said.

Ram, whose primary objective is to get the car repaired, said he had not yet decided if he would lodge a police complaint.

“Right now my focus is to repair the car and to get well first. The rest can wait,” he said.

The crash came a day after two pedestrians lost their lives after being run over by rogue buses in separate crashes — one at Wellington and the other near the Exide crossing.

A few hours before the Alipore collision, a truck driver who had parked the vehicle along Casuarina Avenue was run over by a car while crossing the road. Nikhil Bairagya was declared dead at SSKM Hospital. The driver of the car was arrested.