ON Thursday, at least 13 people, including seven women, were killed in road accidents in six districts. The unending road accidents so far have taken away 5671 lives in 644 days, meaning the utter failure of the authorities concerned. Despite the massive student protest for safe roads and subsequent assurances made by the government and some initiatives taken for ensuring road safety, the number of deaths and injuries on roads and highways is ever increasing, indicates that nothing has, in fact, changed.
As per news media, in Sirajganj, seven people died in two different accidents. Five women, three from the same family, were killed and twenty others injured in a three-way collision involving two buses and a truck near Bangabandhu Bridge of the district. In another incident, two trucks collided head-on leaving one of the truck drivers and his helper dead on the spot and four others injured. In Munshiganj, a septuagenarian was killed and his daughter injured in a collision between an ambulance and a lorry. In Pabna, a mother and her eight-year-old daughter died when two engine-run three-wheelers collided. In Faridpur, a 54-year-old man died on the spot as a Dhaka-bound bus run over him. In Tangail, a college student was killed on the spot when an unidentified vehicle crushed his motorcycle on Dhaka-Tangail Highway. In Manikganj, a three-wheeler driver died in a head-on collision between his vehicle and a private car on Dhaka-Aricha Highway.
The recurring accidents that take off lives every day are tragic, even though the authorities concerned publicly assured to take punitive action against the offenders. Lack of enforcement of the most basic rules and regulations on highways is the prime cause of road crash, costing the nation dearly. And although probe committees have been set up after many of the major accidents to investigate the causes of accidents, which too have been well established, most of their recommendations still remain largely ignored. What is the point of having such probe committees if their recommendations are not honoured?
Every year, we see countless lives being needlessly lost because of such apathy from the authorities concerned. According to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, 7,397 people were killed and 16,193 injured in road crashes last year. How many more precious lives have to be lost before we see major action being taken? Why is it so hard to enforce the existing rules and regulations and punish the violators?
As per news media, in Sirajganj, seven people died in two different accidents. Five women, three from the same family, were killed and twenty others injured in a three-way collision involving two buses and a truck near Bangabandhu Bridge of the district. In another incident, two trucks collided head-on leaving one of the truck drivers and his helper dead on the spot and four others injured. In Munshiganj, a septuagenarian was killed and his daughter injured in a collision between an ambulance and a lorry. In Pabna, a mother and her eight-year-old daughter died when two engine-run three-wheelers collided. In Faridpur, a 54-year-old man died on the spot as a Dhaka-bound bus run over him. In Tangail, a college student was killed on the spot when an unidentified vehicle crushed his motorcycle on Dhaka-Tangail Highway. In Manikganj, a three-wheeler driver died in a head-on collision between his vehicle and a private car on Dhaka-Aricha Highway.
The recurring accidents that take off lives every day are tragic, even though the authorities concerned publicly assured to take punitive action against the offenders. Lack of enforcement of the most basic rules and regulations on highways is the prime cause of road crash, costing the nation dearly. And although probe committees have been set up after many of the major accidents to investigate the causes of accidents, which too have been well established, most of their recommendations still remain largely ignored. What is the point of having such probe committees if their recommendations are not honoured?
Every year, we see countless lives being needlessly lost because of such apathy from the authorities concerned. According to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, 7,397 people were killed and 16,193 injured in road crashes last year. How many more precious lives have to be lost before we see major action being taken? Why is it so hard to enforce the existing rules and regulations and punish the violators?
