Publish : 04 Jan 2022, 01:43 AMUpdate : 04 Jan 2022, 01:43 AM
It is unfortunate that students had to yet again take to the streets following the spate of tragic road accidents that claimed many lives last year, and yet it has become one of the defining events of the past year.
With 413 deaths in November and 418 deaths in December caused by unscrupulous motorists, it is hardly surprising.
Road accidents have become so ubiquitous that they have become almost part and parcel of our public transport system. Just as it is accepted wisdom that our average lifespan has been shortened drastically due to environmental factors, so too have we seemingly accepted that road accidents are simply yet another factor claiming our lives.
We cannot let this be the status quo.
The Road Transport Act 2018, the fact that a law drafted almost four years ago, has seen little to no efforts towards enactment, is telling. The authorities are, simply put, far too apathetic when it comes to the issue of road accidents. The proper enactment and enforcement of road safety laws isn’t just a matter of human rights either.
With Bangladesh looking to elevate itself into middle income status, this is a circumstance that cannot be accepted any longer. The economic and cultural growth of any country depends on how good its infrastructure is -- and as long as we keep skirting the issue of road accidents, it will continue to become a hindrance for our future as a country, as a people.
The government has to take the steps necessary and enact new laws, and enforce existing ones, in a way that not only eradicates the issue of road accidents but punishes offenders to the fullest extent of the law – not limited to the motorists themselves but the unscrupulous bus owners who encourage such behaviour as well.
With our nation recently celebrating 50 years of sovereignty, it is disappointing that we still need to worry about a right as fundamental as road safety. Let us hope the new year we can finally shed this shameful legacy.
A shameful legacy
It is unfortunate that students had to yet again take to the streets following the spate of tragic road accidents that claimed many lives last year, and yet it has become one of the defining events of the past year.
With 413 deaths in November and 418 deaths in December caused by unscrupulous motorists, it is hardly surprising.
Road accidents have become so ubiquitous that they have become almost part and parcel of our public transport system. Just as it is accepted wisdom that our average lifespan has been shortened drastically due to environmental factors, so too have we seemingly accepted that road accidents are simply yet another factor claiming our lives.
We cannot let this be the status quo.
The Road Transport Act 2018, the fact that a law drafted almost four years ago, has seen little to no efforts towards enactment, is telling. The authorities are, simply put, far too apathetic when it comes to the issue of road accidents. The proper enactment and enforcement of road safety laws isn’t just a matter of human rights either.
With Bangladesh looking to elevate itself into middle income status, this is a circumstance that cannot be accepted any longer. The economic and cultural growth of any country depends on how good its infrastructure is -- and as long as we keep skirting the issue of road accidents, it will continue to become a hindrance for our future as a country, as a people.
The government has to take the steps necessary and enact new laws, and enforce existing ones, in a way that not only eradicates the issue of road accidents but punishes offenders to the fullest extent of the law – not limited to the motorists themselves but the unscrupulous bus owners who encourage such behaviour as well.
With our nation recently celebrating 50 years of sovereignty, it is disappointing that we still need to worry about a right as fundamental as road safety. Let us hope the new year we can finally shed this shameful legacy.