Another avoidable death

We are saddened by the untimely death of a young man riding a motorcycle which was hit by a police-requisitioned vehicle in the Kakoli area of the capital on February 23. The police vehicle, driving on the wrong side of the road, was making a u-turn and apparently hit the motorcycle to avoid a speeding covered van, which happened to be travelling on the right side of the road. It is not enough that the minibus hit the motorcycle and knocked over the occupants, it literally ran over the victim in a bid to get away. And yes, the incident at Kakoli is not the first of its kind.

Our heart goes out to the young man of 25 who has had to pay with his life in an accident that could have been avoided. It is even more pathetic to see that the errant vehicle belonged to the police who are supposed to be upholders of the law. Driving on the wrong side of the road has become routine on the streets of Dhaka, with official vehicles, escorted or otherwise, using the wrong side to beat the incessant traffic gridlock to get to their destinations. 

We want that the vehicle driver be brought to book for the accident and wilful flouting of rules. The police must stop errant drivers from operating their vehicles in an illegal manner. But the police can hardly expect people to follow traffic rules if they are seen to violate the rules themselves.