Mobile Phone, or Death Trap

Just imagine this scene: A man talking on his mobile phone while walking on the rail track. Don’t you think that such carelessness may lead to a fatal accident? Well, that is exactly what happened. After noticing the ‘dent care’ attitude of this man, passers-by had tried to save him from a probable accident by warning him of the approaching danger. But their steps went in vain as he continued to be careless, and then what was waiting to happen, happened.

In the morning of October 16, three boys were crushed under the wheels of a train while taking pictures on their mobile phones at Bhadughar rail crossing in Brahmanbaria town. The children, aged 10 to 15, were apparently shooting video footage of an incoming express train from an adjacent rail track when a local train hit them from behind, sources at Government Railway Police said. 
Recently, a 52-year-old lawyer from Chandpur was rammed by a train near Malibagh level crossing in the capital. It was not clear immediately how the victim was killed _  whether he was using  mobile phone or just crossing the track without looking.  
Similarly, another middle-aged man was killed by a running train at Maghbazar not long ago. Family sources said the deceased, a trader at a local kitchen market, was hit by the train as he was walking across the rail tracks _ talking on his mobile phone.
All the above were the latest victims of using mobile phones carelessly, without paying any heed to their surroundings. 
If you go through the internet, you will find many such tragic stories, where people were hit by trains or cars while walking and talking on their mobile phones. 
According to media reports, at least 230 bodies were found along rail lines from Narayanganj to Bangabandhu Bridge in the first nine months of this year. Of them, 106 were killed while talking over mobile phones when walking on the rail tracks.
On the other hand, one must be careful when going anywhere by public bus. That is because most drivers tend to talk over mobile phones while driving. They don’t seem to care about the safety or well-being of their passengers. Your request will go in vain if you ask the driver not to talk on the phone while driving. Using mobile phones, even with hands-free options like speakers or headphones, when driving is widely considered dangerous as it can distract the driver and cause fatal accidents.
Also, nowadays many bike riders can be seen using mobile phones while riding, and this correspondent has witnessed so many accidents due to that.
In Bangladesh, it is banned to talk over mobile phones while driving vehicles, as per  Provision 115 (B) of the Motor Vehicles Act 2007 (Amendment). It is even prohibited for drivers to use earphones while driving. Violation of the law is  punishable with a fine of Tk 500 and/ or imprisonment. But the law is mostly ignored, as it is common to see drivers talking on their phones when driving, while traffic police seem to be oblivious to it all.
Visiting anywhere at any time, whether it be an office or campus, bus or rail station, a park, a restaurant or shopping mall, you will find many people passing busy hours bent over their smartphones or tablets, or glued to their PCs or laptops. What are they doing? And the only answer you will probably get it they are browsing or surfing the internet. This is a regular trend among many young Bangladeshis these days.
No one is against using social media like Facebook (or other sites like Viber, Whatsapp, Skype or Twitter) as it is one place where people can share their news and views, interact with family and friends, etc.
But sometimes, social media can take its toll. People seem to spend too much time in the virtual world, without considering bad side effects like losing touch with real people and things that matter most.
But of course, excess of anything is bad, and as the above cases show, very hazardous, too.
Life is more precious than anything else in this world. And you have to be careful when using mobile phones, because careless use of it can end your life. 

Photos: Internet

Mobile Phone, or Death Trap

Just imagine this scene: A man talking on his mobile phone while walking on the rail track. Dont you think that such carelessness may lead to a fatal accident? Well, that is exactly what happened. After noticing the dent care attitude of this man, passers-by had tried to save him from a probable accident by warning him of the approaching danger. But their steps went in vain as he continued to be careless, and then what was waiting to happen, happened. In the morning of October 16, three boys were crushed under the wheels of a train while taking pictures on their mobile phones at Bhadughar rail crossing in Brahmanbaria town. The children, aged 10 to 15, were apparently shooting video footage of an incoming express train from an adjacent rail track when a local train hit them from behind, sources at Government Railway Police said. Recently, a 52-year-old lawyer from Chandpur was rammed by a train near Malibagh level crossing in the capital. It was not clear immediately how the victim was killed _ whether he was using mobile phone or just crossing the track without looking. Similarly, another middle-aged man was killed by a running train at Maghbazar not long ago. Family sources said the deceased, a trader at a local kitchen market, was hit by the train as he was walking across the rail tracks _ talking on his mobile phone. All the above were the latest victims of using mobile phones carelessly, without paying any heed to their surroundings. If you go through the internet, you will find many such tragic stories, where people were hit by trains or cars while walking and talking on their mobile phones. According to media reports, at least 230 bodies were found along rail lines from Narayanganj to Bangabandhu Bridge in the first nine months of this year. Of them, 106 were killed while talking over mobile phones when walking on the rail tracks. On the other hand, one must be careful when going anywhere by public bus. That is because most drivers tend to talk over mobile phones while driving. They dont seem to care about the safety or well-being of their passengers. Your request will go in vain if you ask the driver not to talk on the phone while driving. Using mobile phones, even with hands-free options like speakers or headphones, when driving is widely considered dangerous as it can distract the driver and cause fatal accidents. Also, nowadays many bike riders can be seen using mobile phones while riding, and this correspondent has witnessed so many accidents due to that. In Bangladesh, it is banned to talk over mobile phones while driving vehicles, as per Provision 115 (B) of the Motor Vehicles Act 2007 (Amendment). It is even prohibited for drivers to use earphones while driving. Violation of the law is punishable with a fine of Tk 500 and/ or imprisonment. But the law is mostly ignored, as it is common to see drivers talking on their phones when driving, while traffic police seem to be oblivious to it all. Visiting anywhere at any time, whether it be an office or campus, bus or rail station, a park, a restaurant or shopping mall, you will find many people passing busy hours bent over their smartphones or tablets, or glued to their PCs or laptops. What are they doing? And the only answer you will probably get it they are browsing or surfing the internet. This is a regular trend among many young Bangladeshis these days. No one is against using social media like Facebook (or other sites like Viber, Whatsapp, Skype or Twitter) as it is one place where people can share their news and views, interact with family and friends, etc. But sometimes, social media can take its toll. People seem to spend too much time in the virtual world, without considering bad side effects like losing touch with real people and things that matter most. But of course, excess of anything is bad, and as the above cases show, very hazardous, too. Life is more precious than anything else in this world. And you have to be careful when using mobile phones, because careless use of it can end your life. Photos: Internet