Fatal road crashes continue
According to the count of a leading Bangla daily, so far 5,354 lives have been lost to road crashes this year which comes to about 601 people dying every day. And this is excluding the number of people killed yesterday or today. This is an unacceptable, horrific number of deaths due to violation of basic traffic rules. It is especially disillusioning in the backdrop of the passionate movement for road safety by students followed by special drives from the government side to enforce traffic laws.
Does this mean that all these endeavours have done nothing to make sure reckless drivers, underage drivers, drivers without valid licenses, unfit vehicles are kept off the roads? Does this mean that as soon as the traffic week is over it is business as usual?
The Road Transport Act-2018 passed this September, has provisions of five years' imprisonment for causing death by reckless driving, a punishment deemed lenient by road safety campaigners who think this will not be a strong enough deterrent. Judging from the unabated incidence of deaths on the road because of violation of traffic rules, it seems the Act has made little dent in this horrendous situation. Unfortunately transport owners and workers have strongly opposed more stringent punishments, manifested by transport strikes that threaten to paralyse the cities and towns.
Despite the heart-breaking deaths of two school children that led to a nationwide movement by students demanding safer roads, there have been instances of vehicles crashing into school students and killing them. Meanwhile, in the main highways death follows every trip because of reckless driving (such as random overtaking) and unfit vehicles.
We appeal to the authorities to enforce traffic rules with greater commitment. This will entail more stringent action against traffic violators despite the pressure from transport owners and transport workers to avoid accountability of those who cause death and injury to people.
Comments