Law Campaign
Proper enforcement of law needed to check road accidents
Krishna Bagchi
“Hi dad, bhaia is OK. My exam is going to begin next month and I'm coming home right after that. I just can't wait to see you and mom,” Shammi Akhter Happy, a student of Dhaka University's Psychology Department, was telling her father over phone. Indeed, she returned home much earlier, but only as a corpse. On May 28, 2005, Happy, a girl from the country's northern region, died in a horrific road accident at Dhaka City's Shahbagh intersection. A recklessly driven bus killed the promising girl.
Happy is not alone on the traffic fatality list of the Dhaka University. According to press reports, as many as six talented students of the university have lost their lives in the last five years in road accidents while some 11,000 died across the country in the last three years. The traffic fatality rate in Bangladesh is 25-30 percent higher compared to that of the developed nations. This rate is 8-10 percent higher than that of the South Asian countries.
A survey conducted by the Accident Research Centre of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2004 shows some 4,000 people die each year in road accidents and 52,000 get seriously injured. The survey reveals that the financial loss caused by road accidents amounts Tk 4,000 crore, which is about 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) as a handsome amount of money is spent on the disabled caused by road accidents. Besides, when one dies his contribution to national revenue also comes to an end.
In 2002, former Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda in a workshop titled 'Road Accidents and Health Awareness of Transport Workers and Drivers' said, “Drivers holding fake licenses and the tendency of driving recklessly are responsible for 80 percent of the accidents.” Bangladesh tops the world when it comes to road accidents. The causes of road accidents in Bangladesh as mentioned in a World Bank report (2004) include poor traffic management, incompetence of the drivers, faulty vehicles, shabby roads, falling unconscious while driving and becoming drivers from helpers before learning the job properly.
Manik Hawlader, driver of the bus that killed Happy, confessed to the Rapid Action Battalion that he was actually a helper of that bus. He could not keep control over the steering as he was driving recklessly. Encouraged by his fellowmen in the bus, he overtook two buses before hitting a motorcycle and then running over Happy. Manik did this only to reach the destination ahead of others.
Asked whether their licenses are checked regularly, some drivers said: One hardly needs to have a license for driving in Bangladesh. If a driver is stopped for driving recklessly or for his license, Tk 50 or 100 does the trick to go away. Putting the money into their pocket, police simply let the driver go away.
Talking about this allegation, sources at the Traffic Police department frankly admit there are some dishonest police personnel who do this. Subject to the nature of complaints, actions are taken against the responsible individuals, they claim. There is a provision of on-the-spot fine for driving offences. The fine varies from Tk 15 to 100. For example, Tk 50 is fined for violating traffic signals, Tk 30 for driving on the wrong side, Tk 100 for overtaking where prohibited and Tk 50 for failing to show documents like license, fitness certificate, insurance certificate and registration certificate. Taking advantage of the law, some dishonest police personnel regularly take bribe from the drivers.
What measures are being taken to prevent accidents?
Police say a new department named 'Highway Police' has been recently included in the police force for ensuring safe transportation and traffic discipline. The task of the highway police is to take measures against reckless driving, carrying excessive passengers and goods, plying unfit vehicles and having unauthorised licenses. With a view to preventing accidents, highway police posts have been set up in 72 important points of the country. Besides, five trauma centres have been set up at five important points of the national highway network for providing quick treatment to the injured.
In most cases, according to a World Bank report, drivers are responsible for road accidents as incompetent drivers and their helpers are allowed to drive vehicles.
A transport worker, wishing anonymity, says it's wrong only to blame drivers for any road accidents. “Corruption by owners of vehicles and officials at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) are equally responsible. Some dishonest BRTA officials help the owners obtain licenses illegally. Sans training, many are getting licenses by simply bribing the BRTA officials. Unskilled people are out there on the streets, causing frequent traffic accidents. Despite a ban, 20-year-old vehicles, including buses and minibuses, are still plying the streets of Dhaka city because of corruption by a section of officials. “Accidents have become a regular feature due to plying of unfit vehicles on the roads,” says another source wising anonymity.
The Ministry of Comm-unications imposed the ban on plying of 20-year-old buses and minibuses in Dhaka metropolitan area. Now the ministry itself admits that the 20-year-old vehicles are still plying the streets. He goes on: “An obnoxious clique is making crores of taka by providing fake registrations and false documents in connivance with some BRTA officials. Fake registrations are provided for unfit old vehicles.” He says bodies and chassis of buses-minibuses are smuggled in from a neighbouring country. Old vehicles are given a facelift in random so they look new.
Sources at the BUET Accident Research Centre say the country has got 23,000 kilometres of main roads and accidents do not take place at all the places. There are some places where accidents take place frequently because of technical troubles, pedestrians' behaviour and disorder on the roads.
Experts say pedestrians' disregard for traffic rules is a big problem, while pedestrians say they are forced to walk along the streets, as there is no room to walk on footpaths in many areas of the city. Besides, the number of footbridges is too inadequate. Even there is no footbridge in many vulnerable places like Motijheel, Shahbagh and Bangla Motor intersections. Many people are not even aware of traffic rules. People do need proper education in this regard. So, kids should be taught about traffic rules in their schools first.
Source:- News Network.
