Ehsanul Haque Jasim :The pedestrians across the country, particularly in Dhaka city, are not safe on the roads as they fall victims more in road crashes than passengers. As a result, the rate of pedestrians’ death is increasing day by day alarmingly. According to a study conducted recently by the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET and the police records, about 60 per cent of the road accident fatalities in the city are pedestrians. Most of these deaths occurred at the intersections and the accidents take place due to reckless driving.Experts and road safety activists blamed the reckless driving, movement of unfit vehicles, violation and poor enforcement of traffic rules and lack of foot over-bridge and grabbing of footpaths for the situation. “The road accident in the city and the death of the pedestrians are on the rising trend only for irregularities and mismanagement,” said Elias Kanchon, chief of Nirapad Sarak Chai Andolan. A driver, who was also a pedestrian, was the latest victim of the road accident in the city on Friday. He was killed as he fell under the wheels of a running bus at Motijheel Balaka Chattar in the morning. The deceased was identified as Akbar Ali, 35, a driver of a private company and resident of Matuail in Demra area. According to eyewitnesses, Akbar Ali was badly injured when a Gabtoli-bound bus crushed him after he fell on the road while getting down from the same bus. Police sent the critically injured victim to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead.Earlier on November 30, country’s senior journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury died in such way, as he was killed after he was badly injured while getting down from a bus at Karwan Bazar in the city. Meanwhile, at least three other people, including a student, were killed and eight others injured in a tragic road accident at Sadar upazila in Jessore on Friday. The victims are: Abu Hamid, a third year student of Physical Education Department of Jessore University of Science and Technology (JSTU), Anisur Rahman, 22, and Khadiza Begum, 45, hailing from Chougacha.The incident occurred when a Chougacha-bound goods-laden truck rammed a Jessore-bound Nosiman, local motorised vehicle, in Abdulpur area on Jessore-Chougacha road in the morning. Police recovered the bodies and sent to Jessore Medical College Hospital for autopsy.The angry students of the JSTU blocked the Jessore-Chougacha road and set fire on the truck in protest to the accident. As a result, chase and counter chase took place between them and police leaving at least 10 students injured. Later, the students withdrew the blockade following the intervention of the local administration. According to the data of the Police Headquarters, about 1,997 road accidents occurred across the country during the January-September period of 2014 claiming 2,132 lives and causing critical injuries to 1,743 others. “The real number of the victims is more than the police data,” said Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association told The New Nation on Friday. The Association is now collecting road accident data from media reports. According to their reports, in the six months from January to June this year, over 3,000 road accidents occurred where 3,770 persons were killed in these accidents.Mozammel Haque said that they would reveal their study report in the year-end. “Death of pedestrians in road accidents in the city is increasing day by day. It is estimated that about 60 per cent victims of the road accidents are pedestrians. Alongside with reckless driving, lack of foot over-bridge and footpaths, violation of traffic rules by pedestrians and their use of headphone during the travel are also responsible for the situation,” he said. Elias Kanchon said that the whole city is now turning into a bus station as buses stop anywhere. Even the passengers, in many cases, are forced to get down from the running buses, he added. According to a survey, about 37 per cent people in the city walk on foot. Most of the footpaths of the city are occupied illegally. Besides, motorcyclists are plying bikes on the footpath defying rules.
