AS unfortunate as it is, Bangladesh is no stranger to road accidents, with news on such occurrences being embarrassingly frequent. Our roads and highways have long been terribly unsafe, and subsequent injuries and deaths have reached astounding heights. Even four years after the historic student-led protests for road safety, and the Road Transport Act 2018 being drawn up, we are yet to see any real efforts to ensure safety for all citizens on the roads.
A continued negligence of fitness checks for vehicles, recklessness of public transport drivers, and the overall lack of accountability for all parties responsible are what attribute to the roads being dangerous for the common man. In August alone, 3,757 road accidents were recorded, with at least 603 people dead and 2,990 injured. It is not only a matter of concern but also a shameful scar in the history of our progress as a nation. Reportedly, over two million unlicensed drivers and a half million unfit vehicles regularly endanger lives on roads around the country.
On our Tuesday’s publication, a report of The New Nation said that nine people were killed and at least 57 injured in a head-on collision between two buses in Rangpur’s Taraganj. The collision took place at the western end of Kharubhaj Bridge of Ikarchali Union on Rangpur-Dinajpur Highway in the early hours of Monday. Five people were killed on the spot and four others died after being taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. The highway police and Taraganj Fire Service personnel immediately rushed to the spot and took part in the rescue operation amid heavy rain. According to a BRTA official, the bus had no route permit and its fitness clearance expired in May 2011.
Transport experts have said there is a trend among drivers to drive vehicles without licence or with fake one. Besides, many vehicle owners avoid fitness tests for fear of hassle at the office of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority. The BRTA was blamed for providing only a very limited number of digital licence cards to drivers over the last two years. The BRTA chairman admitting the fact said they have been suffering from a manpower crisis for long. They asked for 2,300 employees, but the authorities concerned approved only 96.
How much longer will the authorities finally take matters seriously, and solve the root causes of this problem? How many more lives must be lost in the process? The authorities must act now to implement major changes to the system, and ensure safety on the streets.
