Poor road safety is a national crisis.
Road accidents kill an estimated 12,000 people in Bangladesh and injure many times more each year.
BUET studies indicate fatality rates are over 85 deaths per 10,000 vehicles, one of the highest in the world.
Safety experts are right to criticise the draft road transport act for omitting recommendations for tougher fines and punishment for dangerous driving.
However, the biggest factor which exacerbates the careless driving which bedevils our roads is the lack of effective enforcement of existing laws. It is bad driving habits more than poor traffic management and poor road conditions, which causes so many preventable accidents.
If existing rules were properly applied, accident rates would not be so high and the BRTA’s stance that road accident cases have always been tried under the penal code would not seem so complacent.
Full enforcement of traffic rules and punishment for reckless driving is imperative to make a difference. The BRTA has to end the impunity which allows drivers and vehicle owners to get away with careless and reckless driving. There needs to be zero tolerance for careless driving habits.
Many of the draft act’s provisions, such as a points system to penalise drivers for offences and more stringent licensing requirements are steps in the right direction. Fines and jail terms are certainly needed to deter offences such as speeding, not using a seat-belt, or driving while using cell phones or while intoxicated.
Authorities need to apply lessons learned from countries where better civic education and use of technology such as speed cameras have played a big part in cutting accident rates and making roads safer.
Effective enforcement of traffic laws is key to improve driving standards and to stop preventable accidents on our nation’s roads.
