It is a case of either driving with caution or having one’s driving license permanently confiscated with the new draft law that the government has unveiled expected to come down hard on reckless drivers.
With added compensation clauses and a point cut system, the draft Road Transport Act has already been posted on the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority’s (BRTA) web site.
The draft law lays out a point-scoring system that penalises offenders with each recorded offence. When a licence holder’s points are drawn down to zero, the license will be permanently confiscated.
According to the draft legislation, licensees must compensate each accident victim if damages are claimed.
Punishments for road traffic offences will remain the same as they are in the current Motor Vehicles Act, 1983.
Since 2010, the government has taken the initiative to upgrade the act because the existing laws have not been able to bring discipline to the road transport sector.
Although a draft was ready in 2011, it was cancelled under pressure from transport owners and workers.
Four years later, the draft law on road transportation has been completed by the Road Transport and Highways Division.
The BRTA has publicised the act on its website to get public feedback. After collecting public opinion, the draft law will be submitted to cabinet and then a bill will be put in parliament.
According to the draft act, drivers causing a death in a motor vehicle accident will be sentenced to 3 to 7 years in prison. They will also be fined between Tk15,000 and Tk150,000.
The punishment under the new law is the same as it is now.
The draft law adds a provision for compensatory payment in the event of a death resulting from a road accident and a debit from the proposed point system, as well as three years’ suspension of the licence.
In the event of an injury arising from a motor vehicle accident, the offending driver can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison and Tk75,000 in fines.
These provisions are unchanged from the old law.
A Tk1 lakh compensation clause, three years’ licence suspension and a debit from the licence point system have been added.
BRTA Secretary Shawkat Ali told the Dhaka Tribune: “The draft law is on the website to garner public opinion. After taking public responses and the suggestions of stake holders, cabinet will approve the act.”
He said: “The draft may be changed. If there are strong suggestions to change punishments, those can be accommodated.”
According to the BRTA, The Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1983 is almost the same as the Motor Act, 1939.
But these laws have no provision for the country’s transport sector problems. Donor groups have pressured the government to change the act and the World Bank has financed the work that produced the draft Road Transport Act.
In 2011, the draft Road Transport and Movement Act was readied, but transport owners did not accept the law.
After decreasing the severity of punishments, the new draft is ready. The 2011 draft had 25 paragraphs and 372 clauses, the current draft has just 15 paragraphs and 242 clauses.
The new draft says driving without a license is not allowed, but there is no change in the punishment.
Punishments have been listed for driving while using cell phones, head phones, in a drunken state, without a seat belt, for breaking the speed limit, highway codes, signs or signals.
The draft allows government to fix the amount of vehicles moving in a district, city or any selected area. As well government also right to fix the number of cars for organisation, offices, family units and individuals.