Photo : Messenger
Almost daily, lives are being lost in road accidents. Road accidents are a major concern these days. Unexpected traffic accidents have emptied the arms of thousands of moms. The news is rife with images of roadside bodies every day. These reports hurt a lot. No one save the sufferer, can truly comprehend the anguish of a loved one's death. There are a lot of problems on the road, including drivers who aren't fit to drive, intoxicated drivers, unsafe vehicles, poor traffic management, excessive competition to pass without following the rules, buses that stop all over the place to pick up and drop off passengers, buses that stop too soon to avoid being passed, potholes, and too many vehicles.
Violating speed limits is a leading cause of fatal road accidents. The primary cause of this, according to accident observation, is the driver's lack of attentiveness. Their propensity to defy authority is substantial. Also, careless drivers often injure pedestrians. This brings to light the fact that on July 29, 2017, at the MES bus terminus on the capital's airport route, a bus carrying Jabale Noor Paribahan murdered Dia Khanom Meem and Shaheed Ramizuddin Cantonment College student Abdul Karim Rajib. Among the injured were fifteen pupils. Protests by students across the nation froze the government after the event. Regular students were entrusted with the responsibility of managing the country's traffic control for three days in a row. For one week in a row, the country's transportation management system was down. After hearing promises of several programmes to improve traffic safety, the students went back to their homes. At the time, government agencies declared that the students had become more aware. To get the roads back in shape, many programmes and activities are implemented.
Though it is painful, the march of death continues on the path even after one opens their eyes. A few UN members committed to lowering traffic fatalities by 2020 by keeping the nation and the state in mind. Bangladesh supported this promise as well. The country's road accidents are rising daily. Was it an empty promise? No government action has been taken to reduce this accident. This is more evidence of our national carelessness.
Why offer life this way? Who's accountable? When does the death march end? The public has thousands of such inquiries. How to avoid it? In the last five years, Yatri Kalyan Samity has reported 15,296 traffic accidents nationwide. In 2016, 2 thousand 566 road accidents killed 2,463 and injured 2,134. 2,562 road incidents in 2017 killed 2,513 and wounded 1,898. In 2018, 2,609 road accidents killed 2,635 and injured 1,920. In 2019, 4,147 road accidents killed 4,138 and wounded 4,411. In 2020, 3,412 traffic accidents killed 3,219 and injured 3,184. Officers say excessive speed causes 86.33 percent of traffic accidents nationwide, followed by incorrect overtaking at 4.36 percent and other causes at 8.9 percent. Road accident rates by area show that the National Highway has the highest at 66.70 percent. 18.4% of road accidents occur on regional roads, 5.4 percent on rural roads, 4.2 percent on feeder roads, and 1.5 percent on city roads. The accident site's traffic control system shows that 59.2% of road accidents occur in uncontrolled regions. 13.8% in traffic police-controlled locations, 8.2% in road divider-controlled areas, 2.3% in pedestrian crossings, and 1% in police-and-traffic light-controlled regions. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) reports forty two lakhs forty three thousand nine hundred and two people have driving licenses and two lakhs fifty thousand five hundred and eighteen vehicles have no valid driver. About one lakh five thousand seven hundred and forty-seven of the two lakh sixty-four thousand three hundred and forty-four registered heavy vehicles are licensed. Thus, one lakh fifty-eight thousand five hundred and ninety-eight cars are driven by licensed drivers of various types.
Thirty lakhs sixty-two thousand five hundred and thirty-four motorcycles are registered but sixteen lakhs ninety-five thousand four hundred and six are licensed. The remaining thirteen lakhs sixty-seven thousand one hundred and twenty-eight motorcycles are unlicensed. These figures are dismal and distressing. Drivers must be vigilant to avoid accidents. There is currently no modern road management system in Bangladesh that is well-planned, secure, dependable, and accommodating to the general public. This means that the road to death is unstoppable. Tragedies involving vehicles on the road continue to be reported in the media. However, the accidents persist.
Road policing is a common issue. But that cannot be done year after year. Basically, due to the transport owner-labor cycle, orders cannot be restored on the roads. The government has been hostage to this cycle for a long time. Those who are controlling the road transport sector are raising fares as per their wishes, driving recklessly, and depriving people of facilities. The number of drivers is also very low. Until action is taken against this gang, order will not return to the roads. If order is not restored, road accidents will continue to happen. Taking everything into account, the whole transportation industry needs to be organized. Paying attention to this matter by the government will be beneficial for the country as a whole. The issuance of driver's licenses must be free of corruption at all costs. All drivers must use caution and adhere to traffic laws.
Instability in traffic management must be addressed by punishing those responsible. Stopping unsafe vehicles is just as important as employing competent drivers when it comes to accident prevention. It is not right to single out the blame for road accidents. Here, the drivers certainly have a big responsibility, but can the responsibility of the highway police be avoided? In this case, the mentality of obeying the traffic signal should be created among the drivers. Traffic laws must be obeyed. Along with that, the traffic signal system needs to be improved. Highway police should be more proactive in discharging their duties. The manpower and capacity of highway police should be increased. Additionally, every road must have a pedestrian system. Every road fatality should be tried and punished exemplary. This sector should prioritise public welfare by avoiding all abnormalities for a safe road system.
The writer is a Columnist.
Messenger/Fameema
