Deaths from road accidents during Eid
Death news of scores of people is coming from highways of the country in these Eid days and this proves that drivers on the highways are still not behaving responsibly. This is also indicative of the fact that highway police on the countrys different highways are failing to control rash driving.
In Bangladesh the first major cause of death of people is road accidents followed by heart disease and cancer. On every normal day, news of death in road accidents is common but during the Eid vacation, the tragedy on highways becomes more intense with greater number of deaths and the same pattern is seen every year.
When death toll on highways is heavier during Eid, the governments relevant authorities seem to be more focused on easing jams on highways rather than preventing road accidents. But ensuring safe journey should be given greater emphasis rather than smooth journey and it is precisely here the governments efforts seem to be lacking.
Whenever the highways during the Eid days become jam free, drivers become very rash and pull their vehicles very speedily and that causes fatal road mishaps. The joy of Eid for the victim and his family becomes an occasion for tragic mourning.
Eids apart, it has become almost acceptable in our national psyche that none can be held accountable for the unnecessary deaths on the roads and highways. We have a communications minister; we have law enforcers on the roads and highways; we have driving licensing authorities, we have people to give clearance certificate for the fitness of vehicle; but none of these people give us an explanation why so many people die on the roads every day. But unless you hold someone or some entity accountable we would not see any improvement on the roads.
The Eid return journey will begin today and the relevant authorities including highway police must be cautious enough so that unnecessary deaths just because of rash driving do not take place on the highways. At the same time, people also need to become aware of their risky undertaking to go home or return to their workplaces. Life is precious than anything.
