Rishabh Pant Crash: Why Are Athletes Prone To Rash Driving?

It looked a bit like the Halley’s comet crashing through a barricade. (More Cricket News)

The CCTV footage of Rishabh Pant’s car crash on December 30 is scary to watch. It brings out the severity of the crash, and shows how incredibly fortunate the Indian cricketer was to clamber out of the situation alive. 

Normally, athletes are cautious creatures. They go to extreme lengths to ensure their physical well-being. 

Put a car in the hands of a sportsperson, however, and caution exits from his otherwise fine-tuned, risk-averse circuitry.

But road travel can be dangerous. According to the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau), 155,622 people died in road accidents in India in 2021, while 371,884 people suffered injuries. These numbers are among the highest in the world. 

One moment of stupidity, bad luck or fatigue is all it takes for disaster to strike, as Pant found out in the early hours of that fateful day. He was going from Delhi to Roorkee to meet his mother when he drifted off to sleep. Next thing he knew, he was in the deathly vortex of his tumbling, burning Mercedes-AMG GLE43 Coupe. 

Was Pant speeding intentionally? Did his physical state contribute to it? Was he trying to avoid a pothole? Was he speeding at all, or, as Haridwar SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Ajai Singh said, the impression of excessive speed was created by the trajectory of the car after it hit the divider? 

The full facts are not yet known. But Pant has at least two prior speeding violations to his name. 

Classic conundrum

That raises the question. Why are athletes prone to reckless driving despite being conditioned to care for their physical well-being all their lives? 

Sports psychologist Gayatri Vartak knows a bit about the workings of an athlete’s mind. She accompanied the Indian contingent to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has played competitive badminton herself and has worked with stars like Sharath Kamal and Lakshya Sen on the mental aspect of their preparation.

This is what she feels about the issue. 

“Whether the driving was rash in this case or not, I’m not in a position to comment,” Vartak says. “But irrespective of that, some competiveness, adrenalin and risk-taking, which are generally high in elite sportspeople, can lead to some kind of a crossover into driving. Risk-taking is also what makes them successful many times, right? That is really what it is stemming out of.”

SSP Ajai Singh said that on the basis of video evidence, Pant was maintaining the 80kmph speed limit on the highway. It was only after he hit the divider that things got out of control. 

But driving at night in a fatigued state can also classify as risky driving. 

No wonder Kapil Dev responded to Pant’s accident with the wisdom of grey hair.

“When I was a budding cricketer, I was in a motorcycle accident. That day on, my brother did not let me ride the bike,” Dev said. “This should be a learning experience for Pant. He can afford a driver. I understand you enjoy driving. And cricket stars have access to great cars. In young age one does have such passions. But when you have so much responsibility, being a little careful is necessary, and it is up to the individual, no one else.” 

It is almost a tradition of sport that stars will floor the pedal. Tiger Woods, Karim Benzema, LeBron James, Andrew Flintoff are among the many big names who suffered crashes. At least they survived. Many didn’t, like Steve Prefontaine, the American running sensation of the 70s and early Nike mascot, and cricketers Andrew Symonds and Ben Hollioake.

Hollioake’s fate had an element of bad luck. It was reported that there was some oil on the road when his Porsche slammed into a wall in Perth in 2002. Prefontaine and Symonds were unlucky too in the way their vehicles rolled, but they also had some alcohol in their systems. 

A sense of infallibility

Dr Darshan Shah, an Ahmedabad-based psychotherapist, who has had a few cricketer patients, says, “In certain cases of athlete behavior, be it in their game or driving, what is glaring is their [self] perception of infallibility. This has positive consequences as well as negative ones. If you look at the way Pant, Andrew Symonds, Ben Hollioake or Andrew Flintoff played, and the way they drove, this idea does come through. Such a personality type does tend to seek an adrenalin rush, which keeps them in a thrill-seeking state. While it can be entertaining to watch, it can impact cognitive ability.”

On the other hand, Pant is just 25, and a seemingly happy-go-lucky 25. Young people are not bogged down by accident fears. So when a young athlete crashes his car, is it simply youthful 
inexperience? 

“He has a license to drive, so he understands the responsibilities that come with it. So I don’t think it’s about age,” says Dr Shah. 

Is it about ego and image, then? Does a successful cricketer think, ‘I’m a cricketer with a great ride, I can’t possibly drive like an uncle’?’

Vartak disagrees. “I don’t think someone would do that at the cost of their life,” she says. “In other aspects, such as dressing up, their image might be a factor. As professionals, a lot of them understand what their priorities are. They all know where to draw their boundaries.” 
Interestingly, athletes sometimes do risky things precisely to overcome fear. Vartak often gets queries from her clients if they can go bungee jumping or sky-diving in order to conquer their fears. 

“I tell them that’s not the only way of overcoming fear. There are other, and scientific, ways of doing that too,” Vartak says. “But of course I can’t stop them. My role is to give them the pros and cons of different options and help them make the right choice.”

And ultimately, as Kapil Dev said, “It’s up to the individual.”