Road accidents

By A Mahasen, Dhaka
20 April 2004, 18:00 PM
The government is beating about the bush regarding the alarming rate of road accidents in Bangladesh. The accident rate can be brought down immediately by following two inexpensive steps:

1. Do not allow drivers with fake or no license to operate. Catch them and prosecute them legally (their number is pretty high).

2. Do not allow unfit vehicles to ply the roads (thousands of vehicles involved, including rickshaws). The owners should be fined heavily say, four times the cost of repairs. Recast BRTA and BRTC (similar to BTTB and Rajuk).

Bad drivers can kill and injure others. Who gave them this license? Our highways mostly have two lanes, without a third passing or overtaking lane, the untrained drivers have a poor sense of judgement which can be fatal when they overtake other vehicles. The second factor is the poor technical condition of the vehicle--it cannot accelerate fast enough to avoid collision.

There are too many head-on collisions.

The authorities are ignoring the 'human effects' in the transport system. All holders of driving license must be educated to a certain level, to be able to read training book (let)s independently. The government may open driving schools in each divisional headquarters, and strictly supervise the private training institutions. Out inspection system is weak and corrupt as is our political philosophy.

The solutions are there, but the regime is not interested in routine operation and maintenance. Too much self and party publicity; the civil service is spoiled and is no longer neutral. The same deplorable management conditions exist in regard to port security, and in the academia. The traffic accidents are a part of the body of this diseased society. We are apparently unable to govern ourselves!.