Alaul Alam :
Life is more challenging in the city than in village. So to keep pace, life and livelihoods go faster in the city but that should not be devastating what we see in case of the drivers’ attitudes of city vehicles.
They go on contesting to overtake others ignoring the woes they are bringing for others. It seems more ridiculous when we see that even a rickshaw puller overlooks a big vehicle pushing both him and his passenger’s life at risk.
There are many types of vehicles to serve city people on road. But mostly the common people depend on bus service as it is cheaper than many other vehicles plying on city roads. People are subjected to enduring sufferings on public transports as in most cases, they are denied of safe travel and facing accidents has been an everyday phenomenon.
Reports say that around one-fourth accidents in Bangladesh occur on city roads. It may seem ridiculous but pertinent to say; how selfish the city drivers are! How time conscious they are! One may be surprised to see their driving skills as soon as the traffic signal goes green and allows vehicles to run again. This time they are found to run in the race using every scope to take over others.
Drivers of public transports in the city are reckless. Specially, bus drivers are mostly responsible for causing accidents on city roads. Though the route of buses is approved by the authority, it is usual that on one route many bus companies conduct their trips. We find a constant competition among the buses of different companies. Drivers of the buses are found contesting to overtake one another in abid to get more passengers at the farther stoppage that makes them more desperate causing accidents.
Interestingly, there are many places in city where the authority has instructed the drivers not to stop their vehicles there but they stop ignoring the signboard. It may be that they do not understand the instruction. How unfortunate we are! Most drivers of the buses have no education but they have been issued driving license.
Even many drivers smoke on public transport but they are hardly held for punishment. In many cases, they are found to drive while talking over mobile phone or using earphone but the law enforcing authority is indifferent to this.
Many accidents occur on city roads mostly for overtaking. A few days back, a journalist of TV Channel was hit by a bus of Victor Classic transport from behind while passing through Nadda area on his motorcycle and crushed by the wheel of the bus. The driver confessed that it happened as he was trying to overtake another vehicle.
Recently, dailies have exposed a tragic accident of a man and his wife while they were going to attend their jobs. A bus operated by Azmeri Paribahan ran over them near the Dhaka airport when it was overtaking another bus.
Not only these two incidents, every day from morning to mid-night many people are facing accidents on city roads succumbed to deaths and injuries which are really unfortunate and irreparable loss for the victims’ family.
Many drivers hardly understand digital traffic signals as they have no training. Sometimes drivers hand over the steering to their helpers which may lead to drastic accidents. Also, the presence of illegal and unfit vehicles, picking and dropping passengers in the middle of road, buses stopping beyond the designated bus stops, and continuous jaywalking are held responsible for road accident.
Truly, motorized transport has increased over the years, but in terms of fitness of buses and the quality services of the bus companies, are we satisfied with? The answer is still negative as they fail to serve the city people to the minimum level. According to the reports, the number of deaths is more than double in metropolitan areas than the casualties across the country.
Experts opine that the unhealthy competition among drivers to pick passengers, reckless driving, overloading and overtaking as the main reasons behind such accidents.
However, to stop mad race in city roads the direction of the High Court is noteworthy as it directed the authorities concerned to bring bus services in all metropolitan cities under the franchising system, which would allow one company to operate all buses on each route that will end unhealthy competition among drivers.
Besides, the law enforcing agency should be stricter against the perpetrators contesting mad race. The perpetrators must be punished exemplarily so that none dares to do so while driving. We know that laws have been modified to ensure road safety but until these are properly implemented, it is tough to ensure a safe road for all.
(Mr. Alam teaches at Prime University. Email: [email protected])
