The roads and highways in our country are already fraught with dangers due to structural and infrastructural inadequacies, not to mention the rampant corruption that lies within our traffic law enforcement.
However, while such problems are indeed at the heart of our malignant levels of traffic and horrendously frequent road accidents, it is worth reminding ourselves that we, the average citizen, also have an important part to play here. Case in point, the death of a traffic sergeant who was hit by a speeding private car in Chittagong's Halishahar area on Monday.
While a disproportionate amount of road accidents can be chalked up to bus drivers who themselves are victims of a work culture that compels them to compete with each other, regular motorists can also become perpetrators of such tragedies when the rules of the road are not followed down to the letter.
We all want safe, orderly, and congestion-free roads, but for that pipe dream to become a reality for all of us who call Bangladesh home -- especially the capital city -- the strict enforcement of traffic rules by the book is an important first step in this daunting challenge.
Indeed, “enforcement” is the keyword here. Whether through sheer negligence or corruption, our traffic law enforcers play it incredibly fast and loose when it comes to doing their job. But, then again, when our nation's leaders themselves set a terrible precedent by having entire roads and highways be cleared for their convenience, the status quo starts to make a lot of sense.
Needless to say, we need to break the cycle of impunity, corruption, and devastation which leads to all this. Our traffic law enforcers need to be empowered enough to hold repeat offenders accountable, and that includes everyone, from the average citizen to high ranking public officials.
We cannot afford to be stuck in this cycle for a moment longer.
