Out with the old

The government's recent decision to issue a circular to scrap buses after 20 years and trucks after 25 years of being on the road is a reassuring sign. Though the move came four years after the National Road Safety Council recommended standardising a usable life of commercial vehicles to reduce road crashes and congestion, and bring discipline to the road transport sector, we commend the progress. Old rickety vehicles that are often on the roads without a licence have been cited as one of the primary causes for uncountable road accidents. Stipulating a service life will hopefully nudge vehicle owners into compliance.

However, we welcome the initiative with a grain of salt, given the fact that many rules, laws – including the Road Transport Act, 2018 – do exist. Yet, it is their lack of enforcement and implementation, and the authorities' tendency to prefer lip service over action, that cost us dearly. Just in April, 413 road accidents occurred in the country – 497 people were killed and 778 were injured – according to the Road Safety Foundation.

The BRTA must now ensure a proper system to track down illegal vehicles, because its failure to do so in the past has also failed to prevent accidents.

The scrapping policy will come into effect once a gazette is issued, and we sincerely hope there are no characteristic delays in the process. We remain conscious that the infrastructure to strictly monitor the expiration of licensed vehicles and enforcement will be integral to ensuring that the move has an impact. As per the guideline, the owner has to submit the necessary papers for the outdated vehicle to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). The BRTA must now ensure a proper system to track down illegal vehicles, because its failure to do so in the past has also failed to prevent accidents.

The Road Transport and Highways Division has also prepared a draft guideline, the Motor Vehicle Scrapping Guideline, 2023, which includes outsourcing the vehicle scrapping job to private firms enlisted with the BRTA and under the BRTA's supervision. Taking notes from other countries with viable vehicle scrapping policies for road safety, we expect this initiative to also include a solid infrastructure of scrapyards for disposal of unfit vehicles.

Guidelines to create a system to remove unfit automobiles is undoubtedly a step in the positive direction. But given the catastrophic scale of road crashes, new rules that come into effect must be sincerely actioned.