Deaths on highways

Traffic accidents are a significant cause of disability, death and economic ruin for families in Bangladesh. These accidents occur throughout the year and actually, there has been an alarming rise in road accidents, significantly highway accidents, in Bangladesh over the past few years. Every day people are getting killed and maimed on our roads.

It is a given that a number of people who go out of home for different reasons do so with the knowledge that some will never return because of traffic accidents. Over the years traffic accidents have become a serious public issue, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups of road users. Road traffic injuries are a major but generally neglected health problem and require concerted efforts for effective and sustainable avoidance. Bangladesh unfortunately has one of the highest accident fatality rates in the world. It is significantly higher than most Western and even neighbouring countries.

This poor record of fatal traffic accidents is the result of bad roads, badly maintained vehicles and to a good extent reckless driving that remains unchecked by authorities. Road safety experts also warn that the real numbers of fatalities could be much higher since many cases are not even reported. There is no estimate as to how many people injured in road accidents die a few hours or days after the accident. And their deaths are then no longer linked to road traffic accidents. Whether it is urban roads or the country’s highways, road sense for most drivers is close to zero, while overspeeding and wanton disregard for traffic rules is widespread.

There was yet another horrific tragedy that shook the nation as at least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured after a bus smashed through the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway fence and plunged into a roadside ditch at Kutubpur in Madaripur’s Shibchar Upazila on Sunday morning.

As Sunday’s tragedy indicates, even a well-maintained network is not immune to hazards. The fact is that unless the authorities strictly enforce road safety regulations, such tragedies will keep happening.

We believe that the intercity bus sector needs closer scrutiny. The authorities need to investigate whether the driver involved in the Madaripur crash had enough experience and skill. If not, the bus company concerned needs to be penalized.

It should be ensured that drivers of long-distance routes get enough sleep before getting behind the wheel. Furthermore, there should be zero tolerance for overspeeding and hazardous overtaking, particularly on the highways. For the state, road accidents may not be headline news, but thousands of precious lives lost every year can be saved if better road safety measures are enforced.

Studies have found that there is an immediate need to utilise technology to deter speeding in the country but, as the example here reveals, even when evidence may be present it is either too difficult to access or knowingly suppressed by those who are sheltering powerful people.

The authorities should go for creating awareness by offering different courses in educational institutes and also distributing safety reading materials for drivers and the general public. It is relatively easy to get a driving license in Bangladesh using dubious means. Naturally, many people drive on the streets without having any right to do so. Bangladesh has one of the lowest conviction rates for errant drivers. This happens because of court delays and relatively light punishment for those held guilty. Also, as we rarely rely on forensic or scientific investigations to prove guilt, the offender often walks free.