Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
At present there are around 35 lakh motor vehicles registered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in the country.
As per a recent BRTA data, around 24 lakh drivers are registered license holders while more than 11 lakh unlicensed (Dare Devils) drivers also steering vehicles, taking a heavy toll in fatal road accidents due mainly to reckless driving.
The BRTA issues two types of licences-professional and non-professional. It issues professional license for three categories of vehicles such as heavy, medium and light vehicles.
A recent study by Accident Research Institute (ARI) at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) revealed that road accidents on an average claim lives of 12,000 people annually and injured over 35,000 others.
The ARI also blames that at least 80 per cent of the road accidents occur due to reckless driving.
In the latest road mishap, at least 57 people were reportedly killed in road accidents across the country on a single day (on June 23).
Besides, around 91 per cent accidents have taken place on the roads and highways due to reckless steering, mainly over speed and over taking tendency, that cause head-on collisions and in cases pedestrians being run over, ARI official sources said.
They have drawn up a data-base from police reports on accidents and also on-the-spot reports in several cases.
The police only record data if there is a first information report (FIR) or if a case is filed. Other than that, there are no official records of accidents, they mentioned.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in cabinet meeting on Monday issued a series of directives, including appointment of reserve drivers for long-distance vehicles, in an effort to curb road accidents.
She had given the directives in the light of rising road accidents in recent times, said Cabinet Secretary Shafiul Alam. The PM’s directives are reserve drivers on long routes, training for drivers and helpers, service centres or restrooms on highways with specific distance, to stop jaywalking, to ensure that everyone follows traffic signals and use zebra crossings.
The directives also include ensuring both drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts.
Contacted, Kazi Md Shifun Newaz, an Assistant Professor at ARI, told the New Nation on Monday, “BRTA has no control over the training centres. Consequently, there is a lack of monitoring on important issues of the transport sector. The absence of sincerity in ensuring passengers’ safety is also noticeable.”
Because every commercial vehicle has an additional driver, the number of such unauthorised drivers is likely to be even higher, Newaz observed.
“Many of these drivers do not even know the importance of obtaining a valid licence. This is why their number is on the rise,” he added.
In addition to the registered drivers, Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA) Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury also claimed there are at least 15 lakh unskilled drivers who are still steering cars illegally.
“There are complaints that the drivers are declared qualified in BRTA’s licence tests in exchange for money, a portion of which is shared by others,” he added.
“If the trend continues, skilled drivers would not be created, which will result in more road accidents.”
Mozammel urged the government to ensure fairness and transparency in the tests and reform the transport sector in order to purge it of illegal drivers.
Mahbub-E-Rabbani, Director (road safety) of the BRTA, said, “The primary reason for this is the number of illegal vehicles and unskilled drivers that lack even the basic training. They are running vehicles without heavy vehicles license.
“Even many drivers do not have any license, and the number of such drivers is not decreasing. Their negligence is leading to road accidents.”
Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association Chairman Faruk Talukder Sohel said, “About 80 per cent drivers do not have appropriate licences. Many of them are driving heavy vehicles either with their licences of light and medium vehicles, or without any licence.”
Atiqul Islam, Additional Inspector General of Highway Police, told the media that that the highway police have equipment in all places to detect over-speeding. Every day they are filing cases against those violating the speed limit.
Speaking to a number of drivers, it was learnt that most of the bus and truck drivers do not receive a monthly salary. The owner of the vehicle pays them according to the number of trips they make. That is why they speed on the highways, competing for the highest number of trips. This is how the accidents occur.
A 28-year old driver Abdul Goni said, he has been driving a bus for a private company for the past seven years as a contractual employee. His duty starts at 6:00am and continues till 11:00pm almost every day.
