It's one hundred per cent true that the men on the driving seats of vehicles alone can avert crashes or accidents on roads. They have the acumen and IQ to know how they could do it even in unfit vehicles or on shabby roads. The recent High Court verdict on road accident that killed Cannes filmmaker Tareque Masud also testifies to this. Now-a-days one could see newcomers joining the driving profession after having three or six months' training in rural technical institutes. Studies show that roads account for more than 10,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries annually.
Once the Chairman of the Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners' Association regretted that road safety as a paramount importance had never been taken into consideration. After more than 40 years of independence we have 50,000 km of roads unfriendly for pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), there are 2.2 million registered vehicles but only 1.5 million licensed drivers which means there are at least 7,00,000 unlicensed drivers. It is a reality that the BRTA, with its limited manpower and resources, cannot fix this problem even in the next 50 years. To have able drivers on the streets we must tackle the issue of unlicensed drivers which is increasing by the day. We don't even have a system in place that records the number of accidents each driver has caused. No matter the number of seminars we hold, no real change can be made until the root causes are addressed. "We strongly believe that the BRTA needs to work in partnership with the private sector and the passport system's success is burning proof that collaboration with the private sector can work wonders", said an expert.
Payment of 46.2 million taka as compensation to the family of renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud by the High Court in a case filed over his death in a road accident is indeed a welcome decision by the apex court. The driver has been ordered to pay three million taka, the insurance company concerned 80,000 taka and while rest amount has to be paid by the transport owner. The court asked them to pay the compensation money within next three months. Catherine Masud, wife of Tareque Masud, in her case sought compensation for the loss of care, protection, nursing and affection of Tareque Masud and his family members, loss of dependency suffered by the family members, losses of income, future advancement, estate, medical expenses of claimant, funeral expenses and damage of property (microbus).
Needless to say, reckless driving is one of the leading causes of road accidents in Bangladesh. In fact, most of the accidents in our roads occur due to hasty and irresponsible driving by unskilled drivers. However, road accidents have increased at an alarming rate resulting in deaths and injuries of a huge number of people every year, experts point out. Additionally, driving without a license has been reported to be a common practice in our country due to lack of enforcement of traffic laws and impunity enjoyed by drivers. Lack of enforcing law and impunity, in many respects inspire reckless driving. Another apparent reason is granting driving licenses illegally or without following the exact course of action.
