Eid road crashes: BRTA cannot absolve itself of responsibility
In Bangladesh, every year, Eid festivities invariably get marred by fatal road crashes. This year has been no different: around the time of Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, 295 people were killed, with 405 more injured, in 254 road crashes between April 4 and April 18, per the estimates of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). These numbers mark an 18.75 percent rise from last year's death and injury tolls during the same period. The BRTA has identified 10 reasons behind this year's crashes during the Eid rush. Interestingly, nowhere has it found itself to be responsible for this preventable loss of lives.
The 10 reasons listed by the BRTA include drivers' carelessness leading to loss of control over the wheels, rash driving, pedestrians carelessly crossing the road, bikers and drivers not following traffic rules, etc. We find it fascinating that this list does not include old, dilapidated buses, minibuses and trucks running on the roads without proper fitness clearance and/or route permits, or drivers without valid and/or proper licence operating heavy vehicles. In the three major road crashes that took place last week, either the vehicles lacked fitness clearance, route permit and/or tax token, or the drivers didn't have a valid licence.
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What does the BRTA have to say about it? When asked, the BRTA chairman responded, "If you want to blame us, you can." Well, why shouldn't we, when the BRTA, and all other government agencies involved with this sector, failed to ensure safe roads for us? In May last year, the BRTA issued an order capping the economic life of buses and trucks, aiming to reduce road crashes as well as pollution. Less than four months later, the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) stayed the order to pacify transport owners. One of last week's crashes could probably be prevented had the RTHD not reverted the BRTA order, because the bus that caused the crash would not be on the road.
At this point, it may be safe to assume that road safety in this country holds zero priority to those who are entrusted with it. Nothing else explains this persistent apathy on the authorities' part towards the loss of lives in frequent road crashes. This is why the BRTA can shrug off its own accountability and that of other relevant agencies, while road crashes continue to take lives and destroy families. If this attitude doesn't change, and the authorities are not made to answer for every single oversight regarding road safety, safe roads will remain a pipe dream in Bangladesh.
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