Supporters of Nikhil’s Law encourage everyone to remain mindful while driving and always stop at stop signs.
WEST ORANGE / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — It has been four years since 11-year-old Nikhil Badlani died in a car crash in South Orange, but his parents will always vividly remember his beautiful smile.
In fact, according to Sangeeta and Sunil Badlani, it is nearly impossible to recall a time when their son was not smiling. He smiled when he received his usual straight-A report cards and when he learned about animals, his favorite subject. He smiled whenever he would help the younger children entering Gregory Elementary School in his native West Orange for the first time, going out of his way to make them feel welcome. He even won an award during a Boy Scout trip for smiling — no matter what task he was asked to complete.
Simply put, Nikhil always had a smile on his face, which Sangeeta Badlani said underscores exactly the type of person he was.
“Nikhil was truly a very special kid,” Sangeeta Badlani told the News-Record in an Aug. 6 phone interview. “Anything that he put his heart into, he gave 100 percent to it. He was very kind and generous, and generally got along with everybody.
“Every parent would wish for a child like him,” she said.
And now, thanks to his parents, Nikhil’s smile is not the only legacy he has left behind. On Aug. 4, acting Gov. Kim Guadagno signed Nikhil’s Law into effect during a ceremony at the Randolph Motor Vehicle Commission after four years of effort on behalf of the Badlanis to get the bill developed and passed; it was passed unanimously earlier this year by both the New Jersey General Assembly and state Senate.
As a result, the law now requires that state driver’s license exams include a question asking takers whether they are aware of the dangers of not following state motor vehicle laws as well as whether they know about the STOP for Nikhil Safety Pledge created by the Nikhil Badlani Foundation. The pledge is a promise to follow traffic laws and refrain from distractions, specifically by doing the following: coming to a complete stop at stop signs and red lights, staying alert with two hands on the steering wheel, and using hands-free telephones to talk without texting.
Additionally, the act states that information will be included in the driver’s manual that explains the dangers of failing to follow traffic laws and instructs those interested to take the pledge. People who wish to take the pledge will be able to fill out standard forms at motor vehicle offices; otherwise, they will be directed to the foundation’s website, according to the law.
Overall, the act seeks to prevent traffic accidents from occurring by urging people to keep in mind what could happen when they drive distracted. As Guadagno said before signing the law, being careful can prevent someone else from dying like Nikhil, who was killed after a driver ran a stop sign in South Orange.
“We all wish that we could prevent every car accident, every serious injury, every fatality,” Guadagno said. “We know that we can’t, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try. A moment of caution can make all the difference. This bill will send Nikhil’s message not just to our youngest drivers, but all of our drivers. And, hopefully, the Badlanis’ tragedy will help prevent other families from enduring such hardships.”
Prevention is precisely why Nikhil’s Law was crafted, according to the Badlanis, who wished to create a nonpunitive measure following their son’s death that would reduce the number of traffic fatalities in New Jersey. According to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, that number totaled more than 550 in 2014, with nearly 265,000 accidents in all and almost 76,000 injuries. As for national statistics, a two-year National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study also found that of approximately 10,000 fatalities that occurred at traffic signals, 20 percent of drivers failed to obey the light and 13 percent had failed to yield the right of way. And an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that of the 700,000 crashes that happened over a four-year period, 70 percent were caused by vehicles that ran through stop signs.
It is the Badlanis’ hope that taking the STOP for Nikhil pledge — which more than 1,000 people have done since it was launched in 2011 — will prevent future crashes from happening by making people aware of how their actions on the road affect others, Sunil Badlani explained. It may seem like a simple solution to a major problem, but he pointed out that a little mindfulness goes a long way.
“When they read the pledge and sign on to it, the thought is that once it enters their head they will be more inclined to follow it,” Sunil Badlani told the News-Record in an Aug. 6 phone interview. “Even if they don’t actually commit to it, the fact that they read it — if they read it sincerely — plants the thought into their head. And that’s why I think it will work over time.”
Assemblyman John F. McKeon, who represents the state’s 27th Legislative District, worked closely with the Badlanis to create Nikhil’s Law, agreed that the act should serve as an effective reminder of how one should behave when behind the wheel. After all, McKeon said, there is a big difference between knowing the state’s traffic laws and following them. The act will hopefully bridge that gap, he said. The 27th Legislative District includes the towns of Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, Millburn and Livingston, among others.
In addition, the assemblyman said he is pleased to see the Badlanis’ efforts finally pay off with the law’s signing, adding that they should be praised for all that they did to bring it about.
“I have so much respect for the family and how they took what is an unspeakable tragedy and summoned the strength to find a reason for it in all of their efforts,” McKeon told the News-Record in an Aug. 6 phone interview. “It’s really, to me, what’s extraordinary about this. The profound sadness of the loss of that young man will hopefully — through taking a moment to focus on the consequences of distracted driving and not obeying the rules of the road — lead to lives being saved in the future.”
Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey, who also also represents the state’s 27th Legislative District, praised the Badlanis for their work, having gotten to know them over the past four years. Jasey told the News-Record that she believes Nikhil’s Law will be effective over time because it is instilling traffic safety in drivers at a young age, ensuring that it stays with them as they proceed on the roads. The fact that it was passed unanimously by the state assembly and senate demonstrates that other legislators on both sides of the aisle feel the same, she said.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Jasey said in an Aug. 6 phone interview. “I think that all the members of the legislature understood that this is something that could happen to anyone, and that whatever we can do to prevent things like this from happening we should be doing.”
Now that the law has been signed, the Badlanis said they plan to work with the Motor Vehicle Commission to make sure that the regulations behind the law are put into action effectively and in a timely fashion. They said the law is required to go into effect within seven months of the vote to pass it, so they hope that the online driving test can be revised to comply with Nikhil’s Law in that time. The printed driver’s manual might take longer to change, they said.
Aside from Nikhil’s Law, Sangeeta and Sunil Badlani said they wish to promote the pending Michelle’s Law, a bill that, if passed, would require drivers involved with a traffic fatality to submit to a blood test. The couple will also continue the work of the Nikhil Badlani Foundation, the nonprofit organization they started in the wake of their son’s death that promotes traffic safety awareness, awards academic scholarships and hosts a music program meant to carry on Nikhil’s love of music. The fifth annual STOP for Nikhil 5k Run/Walk, the foundation’s signature USATF-certified fundraising event, will be held Sept. 20.
For now, the Badlanis are simply happy that Nikhil’s Law has finally become a reality. Sunil Badlani said that he thinks his son would be proud knowing the measure is being put into effect, though he just wished Nikhil were alive to see it happen. And although he is no longer with them, Sangeeta Badlani said her son’s good-heartedness will live on through the law and the many lives it will save.
“I made a promise to him that his loss would not be in vain, and I also promised that we would change things,” Sangeeta Badlani said. “No parent should ever feel what we have felt and experienced. And, of course, he would have made a mark in this world if he was here. But since he’s not here, we have to make sure that he’s remembered for everything that he stood for.”
To learn more about the Nikhil Badlani Foundation or to take the STOP for Nikhil pledge, visit www.nikhilbadlanifoundation.org.