Majhar Mannan :
Seeing the horrible form of road accidents in the country, it seems that human life has no value. Death processions are constantly going on in the highways of the country and nobody knows where it ends. A road accident shatters a family’s dream and it brings irreparable damage to the family, society and the state. But no effective steps have been taken yet to ensure road discipline.
About 34,000 people have died in road accidents in the last five years. According to the statistics of Passenger Welfare Association, in 2015, there were 6581 road accidents in which 8642 people were killed and 21850 people were injured. In 2016, a total of 4312 road accidents took place in which 6055 people were killed and 15914 were injured. In 2017, the number of road accidents was 4979 and 7397 people lost their lives and 16193 people were injured. 3103 road accidents occurred in 2018 and 4580 people were killed and 7425 were injured. In 2019, there were 4702 road accidents in which 7855 people were killed and 13330 people were injured.
The financial loss due to road accidents is around 40,000 crore taka per year and the country is losing 2/3 % of GDP per year. According to the statistics of Passenger Welfare Association and ARI, BUET, 37% of accidents occur due to reckless attitude of drivers. 53% of road accidents occur due to excessive speed of vehicles and 10% of road accidents occur due to other reasons. 72 percent of the people killed in road accidents in the capital are pedestrians. On an average, 18 to 20 people die every day in road accidents across the country.
According to road transport experts, there is currently no alternative to implementing the Road Transport Act 2018 to control road accidents. Experts also say that proper enforcement of the law and proper coordination between government agencies on highways can reduce the number of accidents. Experts have repeatedly called for the safety of highways, but little progress has been made. Road safety investments need to be increased to save people’s precious lives and boost economic growth.
Accurate information needed to prevent road accidents but unfortunately often accurate information on road accidents is not available.
A master plan and the goodwill of the authorities are needed to control road accidents. The concerned authorities have to increase strict surveillance so that untrained drivers cannot drive in any way. Manpower needs to be increased to monitor vehicles on highways and banned vehicles will not be allowed on the roads under any circumstances. Corruption is considered as one of the reasons behind road accidents. Corrupt officials often take bribes and issue car fitness certificates and driver’s licenses.
An integrated initiative is definitely needed to restore order on the roads. Strict supervision should be increased so that drivers can not drive recklessly. Unplanned and illegal hats and bazaars on both sides of the highway must be removed. Separate lanes for same speedy vehicles should be provided as mixed vehicles are one of the leading causes of road accidents. Sometimes drivers drive while intoxicated which is one of the leading causes of road accidents.
Drivers sometimes talk over mobile phones while driving and they must refrain from that. Drivers and passengers need to ensure seatbelt barriers that can reduce road accidents. Supervise the speed limit of the vehicle and ensure that the driver is compelled to drive at a certain speed. The tendency of drivers to obey traffic laws in our country is very low and this tendency must be increased at any cost. Surveys show that AC vehicles have a little accident because they have efficient drivers and well-controlled speed. If the highways are not made safe then this kind of road accident will continue which is not desirable at all. A driver drives a car for a long time which must be stopped. If a driver has the training skills and drives with a cool head and obeys the traffic laws then the road accident must be controlled.
(Mr. Mannan is Assistant Professor, B A F Shaheen College Kurmitola, Dhaka Cantonment).
