No let-up in holiday season road crashes

The student-led protests for safe roads seem to have failed to drive home the point, as this year’s Eid-ul-Azha holidays have seen a sharp rise in both the number of accidents and casualties.

Unofficial figures gleaned from media reports show that at least 113 people were killed in 52 separate accidents in the last eight days, which included the vacation.

The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA), which keeps track of road accidents, said it would monitor the situation on road till August 27 and would release its official data after that.

BPWA secretary-general Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury told The Independent, “There seems to be no end in sight to road accidents. The drivers are still driving recklessly without paying any heed to passengers’ concerns.”

Of the 113 deceased passengers, 72 were riding on human haulers, CNG auto-rickshaws and motorbikes. Experts have long termed these vehicles as “very dangerous” for the highways.

Mozammel Chowdhury said, “We have been long demanding the creation of separate service lanes on highways for these small vehicles because it is very dangerous to have these ply with high-speed large buses and trucks.”

Prof. Dr Shamsul Haque, former Director of the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told The Independent that during the three days of Eid holidays, various dangers lurk on the roads and highways. “As the roads lie empty, all the drivers drive at unusually high speeds.”

Meanwhile, during the beginning and end of the Eid holidays, the roads and highways usually have the largest number of vehicles.“This makes the roads crowded with more than a usual number of vehicles, forming gridlocks at various points. So, the drivers speed up when they find a relatively empty road to make up for lost time. This speeding creates the scope for fatalities.”

Prof. Haque said the drivers usually work for long hours during this time, “So, they also have the tendency to complete a trip in the shortest possible time.”

A survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies (BILS), conducted on long-distance transport workers, revealed that around 46 per cent of them worked for more than 15 hours a day, while 40 per cent worked for more than 13 hours a day. Besides, around 20 per cent of the workers worked without taking any day off in a month.

More than 90 per cent of the workers do not have any weekly or government holidays. BILS executive director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed told The Independent that transport workers must be helped so that they can gain a better grasp of their rights relating to workplace safety.

“Employers have a vital role to play and need to be fully aware of their obligations. Workplace safety should be a top priority for them,” Ahmed said, adding that transport workers should be given proper rest, better pay and well-maintained vehicles.

“Besides, such long working hours also force them to stay away from their families for extended periods. This causes added psychological and sociological stress in them,” he added.

 

 

 

 

No let-up in holiday season road crashes

The student-led protests for safe roads seem to have failed to drive home the point, as this years Eid-ul-Azha holidays have seen a sharp rise in both the number of accidents and casualties. Unofficial figures gleaned from media reports show that at least 113 people were killed in 52 separate accidents in the last eight days, which included the vacation. The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA), which keeps track of road accidents, said it would monitor the situation on road till August 27 and would release its official data after that. BPWA secretary-general Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury told The Independent, There seems to be no end in sight to road accidents. The drivers are still driving recklessly without paying any heed to passengers concerns. Of the 113 deceased passengers, 72 were riding on human haulers, CNG auto-rickshaws and motorbikes. Experts have long termed these vehicles as very dangerous for the highways. Mozammel Chowdhury said, We have been long demanding the creation of separate service lanes on highways for these small vehicles because it is very dangerous to have these ply with high-speed large buses and trucks. Prof. Dr Shamsul Haque, former Director of the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told The Independent that during the three days of Eid holidays, various dangers lurk on the roads and highways. As the roads lie empty, all the drivers drive at unusually high speeds. Meanwhile, during the beginning and end of the Eid holidays, the roads and highways usually have the largest number of vehicles.This makes the roads crowded with more than a usual number of vehicles, forming gridlocks at various points. So, the drivers speed up when they find a relatively empty road to make up for lost time. This speeding creates the scope for fatalities. Prof. Haque said the drivers usually work for long hours during this time, So, they also have the tendency to complete a trip in the shortest possible time. A survey by the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies (BILS), conducted on long-distance transport workers, revealed that around 46 per cent of them worked for more than 15 hours a day, while 40 per cent worked for more than 13 hours a day. Besides, around 20 per cent of the workers worked without taking any day off in a month. More than 90 per cent of the workers do not have any weekly or government holidays. BILS executive director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed told The Independent that transport workers must be helped so that they can gain a better grasp of their rights relating to workplace safety. Employers have a vital role to play and need to be fully aware of their obligations. Workplace safety should be a top priority for them, Ahmed said, adding that transport workers should be given proper rest, better pay and well-maintained vehicles. Besides, such long working hours also force them to stay away from their families for extended periods. This causes added psychological and sociological stress in them, he added.