A rare verdict
The families of Tareque Masud, Mishuk Munier and three others killed in a fatal car crash in 2011 have finally found some measure of vindication as the driver of the bus that hit the microbus carrying them was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Manikganj court. We welcome the rare verdict and hope it will send a signal that those responsible for such reckless killing on the roads will not go unpunished.
But will penalising one errant driver stop the terror on our roads? In this case the driver, was reportedly driving without a licence. He was also sleep deprived as he had driven all night without taking rest. Now why would a driver operate a heavy vehicle on one of the busiest highways of the country without a valid driver's licence? And more importantly, how did he get away with it? Was the owner of the bus not aware of this fact? What is the role of the highway police? And what impels someone to drive all night? Is it not because the monthly income of the commercial driver comes not from a monthly salary but the number of trips he can make and how fast he can make it? Other than the drivers, there a few more who are responsible for the deaths on the roads. And they must also be held to account.
According to a leading Bangla paper, 143 people were killed in road crashes in the past 13 days across the country. Therefore, unless the many other factors behind such a high number of road causalities -- unfit vehicles, condition of the roads and lax attitude of authorities -- are addressed, the situation is unlikely to improve.
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