The New Nation - Internet Edition

FARZANA Hossain Silvia, a third year honours student of Dhaka City College, met with the tragic end of her life under the wheels of a speeding covered van at Mouchak crossing in the city Friday last while her classmate Liza was critically injured. In another accident at CR Dutta Road near Hatirpool, a 30-year-old garment worker Hasina Begum was killed by another covered van. In yet another road accident a passenger bus ran over Apurba, a 4-year-old child and killed him on the spot at Kamalapur in Dhaka.

Lack of safety on the roads was responsible for the premature death of a promising student who could contribute to her family and the society. A number of factors have made the roads in Bangladesh unsafe. Irresponsible and reckless driving was the immediate cause of so many deaths in a single day. It is probably the main cause of accidents on roads and highways. Most of the drivers do not have adequate training on driving. They are neither skilled in driving nor do they care about the safety of the people. They do not have any sense of responsibility that may deter them from reckless driving. With utter negligence to traffic laws, drivers are often found vying for overtaking each other. Unfit and worn out vehicles are also responsible for accidents.

Plying of cargo traffic during daytime has been prohibited in the city to facilitate easy movement of passenger traffic. This ban, it now appears, should be equally applicable to covered vans. Many road crossings, especially that at Mouchak Market, are usually crowded and busy. Drivers are supposed to know that this jam-packed crossing may take some time to pass. Yet the van driver was in a haste to drive recklessly leading to the loss of life of a brilliant student at such a tender age. A proper investigation will reveal how and why the accident took place. The immediate cause of the accident must first be ascertained. It must be investigated whether the driver was trained and experienced. Irrespective of who drove the van, the culprit must be brought to book and given exemplary punishment.

The number of road accidents and death toll is very high in Bangladesh. To avoid or at least bring down the number of accidents, necessary steps must be taken as early as possible. To ensure safety, driving of unfit vehicles as well as services of unskilled drivers must be stopped. Speed limit of vehicles should be strictly enforced. None should be allowed to violate traffic laws. Traffic control and signaling system must also be upgraded. Highway patrolling needs to be strengthened. The number of vehicles in developed countries is far greater than in Bangladesh. But due to adoption of appropriate measures, road accidents and casualties in those countries have decreased. Such measures taken in right earnest would help establish discipline in the traffic system and bring down number of accidents.