Increasing highway fatality

The government has announced yet another measure to reduce highway accidents – banning three-wheelers from the highways. But we can hardly take comfort from the announcement, simply because none of the decisions taken so far with regard to road safety has been implemented. 

Every year the media has to carry the most painful reports of deaths in highway accidents that occur during the Eid holidays. This has been a repetitive phenomenon which the media constantly warn the authorities of well before the start of the holidays and ask them to address. Sometimes actions are taken but only in a makeshift manner and by temporary means. Unfortunately, the caravan of death continues. 

This year has been perhaps even more tragic in the way accidents have occurred causing deaths, in four days only, to more than forty unfortunate holiday-goers. And more unfortunate is the fact that a particular point near the Bangabandhu Bridge has been the most dangerous spot taking more than twenty lives in the spate of two days.  

Government inaction in effectively curbing road accidents is lamentable. Even more unacceptable is the road transport minister's lamentation that the decision cannot be implemented for various reasons. Such a woeful excuse does not wash with the public and brings little comfort to those that have lost loved ones only because of incompetence of the road transport authorities. 

The reason why decisions cannot be implemented is known to all. But no minister is worth his salt if he is stunted by political links from taking action. To allow political links to prevail over issues related to the safety of people's lives amounts to indefensible acquiescence.