From Lamborghinis to Porsches: How luxury cars are becoming death machines

From reckless joyrides to deadly crashes, India's luxury car obsession is turning highways into danger zones, as speed, power, and negligence continue to claim lives

A red Lamborghini hit two labourers on a footpath near an under-construction building in Noida’s Sector 94 on Sunday evening. A viral video captured the shocking aftermath, showing construction workers rushing towards the luxury sports car. One of the witness confronted the driver, asking, “Stunt zyaada seekh liye ho? Do you know how many people have died here?” The driver responded with a casual, “Koi mar gaya hai idhar?” (Did anyone die here?).

 

A #Lamborghini, a fat bank account, and ZERO Humanity  This #Noida brat mows down two labourers and casually asks—“Koi mar gaya idhar?” pic.twitter.com/TaUgdB769z

— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) March 30, 2025

 

 

The Puducherry-registered Lamborghini had rammed into a tree, ending up facing the wrong side of traffic. Police confirmed that the injured pedestrians were taken to a nearby hospital and are out of danger. The driver has been taken into custody, and the car has been seized.

 

Disturbing pattern of luxury car accidents 

The Noida crash is just one of many deadly incidents involving high-end vehicles. On March 10, a Porsche in Chandigarh rammed into two scooters near a fuel station, killing a 24-year-old and injuring two women.

 

According to Chandigarh police data, road fatalities surged by 21 per cent in 2024, with deaths rising to 78 from 64 the previous year. Cars were the leading cause of fatal crashes, with 21 involving private vehicles, The Telegraph reported.

 

Luxury cars, symbols of speed and prestige, have been at the centre of multiple deadly accidents across India. On January 11, 2025, a speeding Audi jumped a road divider and crashed into a Maruti Ertiga near Bhikaji Cama Place in Delhi, killing a 28-year-old man.

 

Just a month ago, a 20-year-old named Alvin lost his life while filming social media reels featuring a Land Rover Defender and a Mercedes-Benz on Beach Road.

 

High-profile cases of reckless driving 

One of the most controversial cases of reckless driving occurred in Pune on May 19, 2024, when 17-year-old Vedant Agarwal crashed an unregistered Porsche Taycan into a motorbike, killing two IT professionals. Public outrage erupted when allegations surfaced that police had tampered with his blood alcohol test. His father, grandfather, and hospital staff were implicated in a cover-up attempt.

 

Similarly, in Noida on May 16, 2024, a speeding BMW fatally hit two people, including a nurse, while injuring three others.

 

Drunk driving: A deadly factor 

Many of these luxury car accidents share a common factor—drunk driving. On November 25, 2024, in Ahmedabad, a luxury Audi driver, reportedly intoxicated, crashed into multiple vehicles during rush hour before lighting a cigarette inside his wrecked car.

 

In another case, a Mercedes-Benz driver in Delhi was found to have a blood alcohol level nearly six times the legal limit after killing a 30-year-old woman.

 

In Nagpur, a BMW car belonging to Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s son Sanket was involved in a crash that injured two people. The driver was arrested but quickly released on bail. Similarly, in Mumbai, a fisherwoman was killed when a BMW hit her scooter while she was on her way to sell fish.

 

A long history of deadly crashes

 

Luxury car-related fatalities are not new in India. In 2021, a Jaguar SUV lost control on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway in Ahmedabad, killing nine people.

 

In 2022, a BMW traveling at over 200 kmph crashed on the Purvanchal Expressway, killing four young men. Other incidents in Kolkata, Jaipur, and other cities have followed a similar pattern of reckless high-speed driving.

 

Despite repeated incidents, the combination of weak enforcement, political interference, and lenient legal consequences has led to a culture where reckless driving often goes unchecked.  

 

With luxury cars becoming more common on Indian roads, the rising death toll paints a grim picture of unchecked speed and risk. Despite efforts to tighten regulations, the surge in fatal crashes suggests that the danger is only accelerating.