Road safety directives need to be enforced

EDITORIAL

At least 13 brick-kiln workers died and two became injured when a truck carrying coal overturned, crushing a labour shed in Cumilla where they were asleep on Friday. The driver who was driving the 10-tonne truck had a medium driving licence although a heavy driving licence is mandatory in the case. Because of lack of traffic law enforcement most of traffic-related directives have remained unheeded for years, causing this kind of accidents. Road safety directives given at different times by the High Court, the administration and the law enforcement agencies have hardly seen any implementation. Regular traffic offences, conducted by almost each and everyone, from very important persons to ordinary people, are what have become commonplace. Unfit, modified and old rickety buses and minibuses still dominate the traffic although the High Court on August 3, 2015 asked the authorities to keep all unfit motorised vehicles off roads. Wrong-way driving, illegal parking and motorcycle driving on footpaths without registration are still going on flouting traffic rules and directives.

At least 7,221 people died and 15,466 became injured in 5,514 accidents in 2018, as a report compiled by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh says. The report mentions the culture of not going by the law as a major reason for such accidents and concomitant deaths. It says that 1,252 transport workers, 880 students, 487 children, 231 law enforcers, 192 political activists, 106 teachers, 34 journalists and 33 physicians were victims of road accidents in 2018. The same year, 41.53 per cent accidents involved hitting the victims, 29.7 per cent head-on collisions and 16.1 per cent vehicles heading off the road. Of the accidents, 28.6 per cent involved trucks and covered vans, 25.3 per cent motorcycles, 18.9 per cent buses, 9.6 per cent auto-rickshaws, 7.9 per cent cars, jeeps and microbuses, 5.8 per cent modified utility vehicles and 3.7 per cent battery-run rickshaws. In June, the highest 615 people were killed in road accidents. Reckless driving, overtaking, engineering faults on roads, movement of unfit vehicles, flouting traffic rules by road users and using head phones and mobiles during driving were identified as major reasons behind road accidents. Because of the evil manipulation by some transport sector leaders, a nexus has developed among government officials and transport operators allowing the movement of unfit vehicles by reckless and unskilled drivers with a culture of impunity.

Authorities need to realise that enforcement of rules is a prime requisite for bringing order in traffic movement and, thus, ensuring safety of passengers and pedestrians alike. Such enforcement entails demonstrative punishment for the offenders. The government also needs to take expeditious steps to hold public awareness programmes about traffic rules so that drivers and pedestrians alike would follow them.

Courtesy: New Age Jan 27, 2019