Ensuring road safety
The age of
a driver of a vehicle must be at least 20 and his helper 18. But this rule is not being followed
Hazardous transportation is a major threat to public health in Bangladesh, so emphasis should be given to adopting effective measures in this regard. Speakers at a discussion in Rajshahi rightly said that ensuring a proper measurement of transport is vital for maintaining safety of both life and property as scores of citizens suffer from transport hazards every year.
Mismanagement of public transport in the capital city and other places in the country has become unbearable in recent times. The commuters are bearing the brunt of it.
Vehicles without fitness certificates, drivers without licence, weak traffic management, realization of excess fare from passengers, misbehaviour with passengers by drivers and conductors of buses, stoppage of vehicles here and there without rhyme or reason, cheating in the name of sitting service, occupation of female seats by males are some of the causes that have bedeviled the public transport system. Frequent traffic congestion has aggravated the sufferings of the commuters.
The population of the country is increasing day by day, and with this the number of public transports is also swelling but the services rendered to the commuters are far from satisfactory. Movement of vehicles without fitness certificates is punishable according to law but many vehicles are in operation without fitness certificates under the nose of the members of the law enforcement agencies. Besides, there are drivers with fake driving license. As a result, accidents are occurring frequently, resulting in the loss of lives and injuries. Mobile courts are held at times to punish the errant drivers. But once the mobile court is over things revert to their previous state.
The age of a driver of a vehicle must be at least 20 and his helper 18. But this rule is not being followed. In most cases, underage persons are discharging the responsibilities of drivers and helpers. Most of the buses that ply the city roads are overloaded with passengers. There are pushing and jostling in most of the buses. As a result, sufferings of passengers, particularly female passengers, know no bounds. Besides, conductors of buses wrangle with passengers over the issue of fare. This some times lead to untoward incidents. There are some wayward drivers who are accustomed to rash driving, triggering panic among the passengers. Anarchy in the public transport system cannot go on like this. The relevant authorities should formulate a clear cut policy in this regard to ease the sufferings of the commuters. The sooner it is done, the better.
