Reducing road accidents
The authorities
concerned should find out the causes of road accidents and act accordingly
Six people, including two women, were killed and another was injured as a truck hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna district early Monday, according to a report of this newspaper Tuesday. In fact, road accident has become a formidable national problem recently. Hardly a day passes without a road accident in the country. Road accidents are claiming scores of lives in the country every year. According to sources at least 8,642 people were killed and 21,855 others injured in around 6,581 road accidents that occurred across the country in 2015. That shows on average 25/26 people were killed in road mishaps every day.
In the past, celebrated personalities like Mishuk Munir, Tarek Masud and Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury lost their lives in road accidents. Plying of unfit buses, overloading of buses, unskilled drivers in the steering wheels, reckless driving, violation of traffic rules and pitiable conditions of roads and highways are some of the causes of road accidents in the country. There are some dangerous turns where road mishaps usually take place. Drivers cannot control vehicles on those turns and accidents occur. If drivers become alert they can avert many an accident.
There are drivers without driving license; they show scant respect for traffic rules. In some cases, helpers of buses sit on the steering wheels and drive buses. Traffic jam is also responsible for road accidents. There are drivers who become impatient after being caught in traffic jam. For covering the distance within the limited time they resort to rash driving. This often causes accidents. All these are occurring under the nose of the members of the law enforcement agencies, particularly the highway police.
Though it is difficult to stop road accidents totally, it is possible to reduce them. The authorities concerned should find out the causes of road accidents and act accordingly. Concerted efforts of all can help minimize road accidents. The drivers of busses and other vehicles should undergo adequate training. The errant drivers should be brought under discipline. Once an accident takes place, the driver of the vehicle escapes unhurt. If he is arrested, he soon gets released on bail.
A few years ago, death sentence was promulgated for drivers responsible for killing people. But under the pressure of the trade union leaders the order was withdrawn. It is high time for the relevant authorities to rein in the errant drivers. The highway police should also play their due role in minimizing road accidents.
