Combating road accident fatalities

Accidents on the highways have become a regular menace in the   country of late. Hardly a day passes without a road accident. Passengers and their near and dear ones bear the brunt of such accidents. Sharp rise in the number of road accidents in recent days speaks volumes about the blatant disregard of transport owners, drivers and of the administration for the safety and security of the passengers or of others who have to use the roads. Our heads reel to think that 52 people were killed and about 150 injured in a day alone, on June 23.

Perishing of hundreds of people due to accidents on roads and highways every year has become a chronic problem in the country. A number of reasons behind the highway accidents have been identified. Though many of the accidents could be averted by taking the remedial measures there were dearth of efforts for the same. Over the past few years many recommendations aimed at reducing road accidents remained unimplemented. There are some dangerous road turns where drivers need to be extra cautious but in reality drivers drive as usually at those places disregarding traffic rules.   Many sleep deprived drivers are seen at the steering wheels. This is another cause of accident.  In Palashbari of Gaibandha district where 18 people were killed in a single accident the driver of the bus felt sleepy thus causing the accident.

 Extra safety measures should have been taken for the return journey as had been taken before the start of the Eid holidays.  Rush of Eid holidaymakers, shortage of transports, inclement weather and the propensity of the owners and drivers to make as many round trips as possible contributed to the tragedies. One of the prime causes of the deaths on highways is the long hours that drivers have to be at the wheel without any relief or rest. It taxes on their nerves and hampers their ability to concentrate on the road. Such accidents could be easily prevented by changing the driver after three to four hours of driving on the highway.

The anarchy that rules the roost in the transport sector in the country must be reined in. The relatives of the dead due to the road accidents must be adequately compensated and the injured should be treated properly. Trauma centres should be set up near the highways for rendering emergency services.    The process of issuing driving license must be made foolproof to ensure that only the properly skilled drivers can have it.

 

Combating road accident fatalities

Accidents on the highways have become a regular menace in the country of late. Hardly a day passes without a road accident. Passengers and their near and dear ones bear the brunt of such accidents. Sharp rise in the number of road accidents in recent days speaks volumes about the blatant disregard of transport owners, drivers and of the administration for the safety and security of the passengers or of others who have to use the roads. Our heads reel to think that 52 people were killed and about 150 injured in a day alone, on June 23. Perishing of hundreds of people due to accidents on roads and highways every year has become a chronic problem in the country. A number of reasons behind the highway accidents have been identified. Though many of the accidents could be averted by taking the remedial measures there were dearth of efforts for the same. Over the past few years many recommendations aimed at reducing road accidents remained unimplemented. There are some dangerous road turns where drivers need to be extra cautious but in reality drivers drive as usually at those places disregarding traffic rules. Many sleep deprived drivers are seen at the steering wheels. This is another cause of accident. In Palashbari of Gaibandha district where 18 people were killed in a single accident the driver of the bus felt sleepy thus causing the accident. Extra safety measures should have been taken for the return journey as had been taken before the start of the Eid holidays. Rush of Eid holidaymakers, shortage of transports, inclement weather and the propensity of the owners and drivers to make as many round trips as possible contributed to the tragedies. One of the prime causes of the deaths on highways is the long hours that drivers have to be at the wheel without any relief or rest. It taxes on their nerves and hampers their ability to concentrate on the road. Such accidents could be easily prevented by changing the driver after three to four hours of driving on the highway. The anarchy that rules the roost in the transport sector in the country must be reined in. The relatives of the dead due to the road accidents must be adequately compensated and the injured should be treated properly. Trauma centres should be set up near the highways for rendering emergency services. The process of issuing driving license must be made foolproof to ensure that only the properly skilled drivers can have it.