At this point, talking about road safety in Bangladesh feels like beating a dead horse. Barely two weeks after Bangladesh observed National Road Safety Day and there appears to be no dearth of road accidents still taking lives.
In two major accidents just this week, at least four people were killed and 15 were injured after a bus hit a pickup van in Mymensingh and at least seven people were killed and several others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Chittagong.
This has become the norm for Bangladesh, to report one accident after the other, with one life after the other lost, often to nothing more than recklessness, disregard, and a blatant culture of impunity that sees repeated offenders get away with little to no consequences for their actions.
There is often a clear pattern when analyzing most road accidents in the country -- unfit vehicles driven by personnel who are themselves not fit to be behind the wheel. Yet, time and time again, we see the same issues resulting in the loss of lives of Bangladeshis.
To this, the question must be asked: Is this the norm we have to accept for a nation that wants to become “smart?” Would it be a Smart Bangladesh if people are callously killed on the roads every day?
The alarming statistics of road accidents in Bangladesh cannot be ignored by any higher authorities. Reducing the loss of Bangladeshi lives and ensuring that everyone can navigate our streets without fear is a prerequisite for any nation.
We have a major problem on our roads, and the sooner we unite to make our roads safer for all, the sooner we truly get on the path to development.
In two major accidents just this week, at least four people were killed and 15 were injured after a bus hit a pickup van in Mymensingh and at least seven people were killed and several others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Chittagong.
This has become the norm for Bangladesh, to report one accident after the other, with one life after the other lost, often to nothing more than recklessness, disregard, and a blatant culture of impunity that sees repeated offenders get away with little to no consequences for their actions.
There is often a clear pattern when analyzing most road accidents in the country -- unfit vehicles driven by personnel who are themselves not fit to be behind the wheel. Yet, time and time again, we see the same issues resulting in the loss of lives of Bangladeshis.
To this, the question must be asked: Is this the norm we have to accept for a nation that wants to become “smart?” Would it be a Smart Bangladesh if people are callously killed on the roads every day?
The alarming statistics of road accidents in Bangladesh cannot be ignored by any higher authorities. Reducing the loss of Bangladeshi lives and ensuring that everyone can navigate our streets without fear is a prerequisite for any nation.
We have a major problem on our roads, and the sooner we unite to make our roads safer for all, the sooner we truly get on the path to development.