AT least 23 people were killed and nine others injured in crashes in the seven districts including Dhaka on Thursday. The government, though passed law provisioning tough punishment for different crimes, but bowed down before a minister-run transport workers syndicate. Despite prevailing law, the absence of rules of law, sheer negligence to citizens, and law enforcers and lawbreakers meddling, commuters are unsafe in the country. We defeat several diseases, overcome many social taboos and economic hardship, but we are shackled to the wish of a vested quarter of “wishful killers”, in other words, politically-backed transport workers. Every life killed by accident had their own dream and story and potential to contribute to the nation. Road crashes are not accidental now, rather caused by negligence and impunity.
The number of road crashes and deaths saw an “alarming rise” in 2019 compared to the previous year. Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa) said at least 5,227 people were killed while 6,953 injured in 4,702 road accidents across the country in 2019. At least 198 people were killed and 347 injured in 162 rail-related accidents in 2019. Besides, 64 people were killed while 157 inured and 110 went missing in 30 waterways accidents last year. In 2018, a total of 3,103 road accidents killed 4,439 people and injured 7,425 others. In January this year, 445 people were killed and 834 others injured in 340 road accidents across the country.
The students showed that change is possible, and even the unruly traffic of Dhaka can be made to follow the laws. We have institutes and experts who have suggestions, from implementing the late DNCC mayor’s plan of bringing buses under five-six franchises, to establishing training centres, auditing road safety, and implementing bans on three-wheelers and slow-moving vehicles on national highways. The government took a big first step when it acknowledged the grievances and demands of the protesting students last month. Now it must translate that into a holistic plan to reform road transport in the country and bring safety to our roads.
