No let-up in road crashes

It is worrying to note that accidents on the roads and highways have become a regular menace in the country of late. Hardly a day passes without a road accident. Sharp rise in the number of road accidents in recent days speaks volumes about the blatant disregard for the safety and security of the transport passengers.

A fatal road crash killed at least 10 people Friday, including five members of a family, after a bus collided with a microbus on the Dhaka-Mawa highway at Sholghar in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj. The accident took place within weeks of enforcement of a new transport act to bring discipline on roads and highways.

The Friday’s accident caused by the reckless driving is proof enough that the new transport act is very necessary. But a strike was called by the owners of transports and transport workers demanding removal of some clauses of the transport law exposing passengers to a lot of sufferings. Harassment of commuters also followed. It is very unfortunate.

It is disturbing to note that thousands of vehicles are plying the roads and highways without valid fitness certificates. Plying of such faulty vehicles is one of the reasons for road crashes. The student-led protests for safe roads seem to have failed to drive home the point, as road accidents are showing no sign of abatement in the country. Over the past few years many recommendations aimed at reducing road accidents remained unimplemented.

There is no point in succumbing to the illogical pressure by the owners and workers in the transport sector. The anarchy that rules the roost in the transport sector in the country must be reined in. The process of issuing driving license must be made foolproof to ensure that only the properly skilled drivers can have it.

It is imperative for both the government and law enforcers to take a tough stance against the corrupt vehicle owners and dishonest BRTA officials. Otherwise unfit vehicles will continue to run on the roads making it impossible to reduce the number of deaths from road accidents. There is no alternative to strictly implement the new road transport law aiming at bringing back discipline on the roads and highways.

 

No let-up in road crashes

It is worrying to note that accidents on the roads and highways have become a regular menace in the country of late. Hardly a day passes without a road accident. Sharp rise in the number of road accidents in recent days speaks volumes about the blatant disregard for the safety and security of the transport passengers. A fatal road crash killed at least 10 people Friday, including five members of a family, after a bus collided with a microbus on the Dhaka-Mawa highway at Sholghar in Sreenagar upazila of Munshiganj. The accident took place within weeks of enforcement of a new transport act to bring discipline on roads and highways. The Fridays accident caused by the reckless driving is proof enough that the new transport act is very necessary. But a strike was called by the owners of transports and transport workers demanding removal of some clauses of the transport law exposing passengers to a lot of sufferings. Harassment of commuters also followed. It is very unfortunate. It is disturbing to note that thousands of vehicles are plying the roads and highways without valid fitness certificates. Plying of such faulty vehicles is one of the reasons for road crashes. The student-led protests for safe roads seem to have failed to drive home the point, as road accidents are showing no sign of abatement in the country. Over the past few years many recommendations aimed at reducing road accidents remained unimplemented. There is no point in succumbing to the illogical pressure by the owners and workers in the transport sector. The anarchy that rules the roost in the transport sector in the country must be reined in. The process of issuing driving license must be made foolproof to ensure that only the properly skilled drivers can have it. It is imperative for both the government and law enforcers to take a tough stance against the corrupt vehicle owners and dishonest BRTA officials. Otherwise unfit vehicles will continue to run on the roads making it impossible to reduce the number of deaths from road accidents. There is no alternative to strictly implement the new road transport law aiming at bringing back discipline on the roads and highways.