Will anyone take responsibility for traffic deaths?
The Eid festivities in April marked a grim milestone with a record number of road traffic accidents and casualties. According to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, between April 4 and 18, there were at least 407 fatalities and 1,398 injuries from 399 road accidents. This represents an alarming increase, with crashes and deaths up by nearly 25 percent compared to last year. Even more concerning is that injuries have more than doubled, as reported by the same passenger rights group. The government, however, reported figures which were considerably lower—with an average of 19 deaths and 17 accidents per day, still higher than in previous years.
Recently, Prothom Alo reported that over six lakh vehicles across the country are operating without fitness certificates, making it illegal for them to be on the roads. Citing the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the report indicated that out of approximately 60 lakh vehicles in the country, around 44 lakh motorcycles are exempt from fitness certificates. However, of the remaining 16 lakh vehicles, about 6,18,000 lack fitness certificates.
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Before the Eid vacation this year, media outlets published numerous images of unfit commercial vehicles, predominantly buses. When asked about the issue, it drew criticism from our Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, who sarcastically quipped back, "Should I paint the vehicles?" On March 20, responding to a reporter's question, he defended the government's inaction, suggesting that journalists would criticise any action taken against these vehicles due to a lack of public transport alternatives.
While the road transport minister may have expected some appreciation for his candour in acknowledging the government's inability and inaction against the operation of unfit vehicles and the impunity of their owners, it doesn't absolve the government of its responsibility. It underscores the reality that those who flout the rules dominate our roads, with the government's explanations serving as justification.
There seems to be an affinity for outdated and dilapidated vehicles in our country. Consider the cars used for driving lessons in Dhaka; many of them appear destined for scrapyards, yet instructors equip them with extra brakes for training novice drivers. Perhaps the driving schools are pragmatic, anticipating that most trainees will eventually end up driving such unfit vehicles.
Another curious detail when it comes to driving lessons is the lack of special training for heavy duty or goods vehicles. How many commercial transport drivers, for either passenger carrying buses or goods transporting trucks, get institutional training? Most of them start their career as helpers or a driving assistant and scale up to the seat of their ustad (master). These factors, however, remain unacknowledged. Reading a report on a stakeholders' (excluding passengers) discussion on road safety organised by BRTA on April 21 certainly gives such an impression.
Participants in the meeting seemed eager to shift blame rather than accept responsibility. For example, the BRTA chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said drivers bear the main responsibility for passengers' safety. He also said, "Road accidents happen due to many reasons like illegal roadside shops and markets. Local representatives, administrations and the Roads and Highways Department cannot avoid responsibility."
On the contrary, Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation said, blaming only drivers will not fix the road accident problem. He then added that, "Out of 105 reasons for accidents, only four relate to transport workers—speeding, risky overtaking, overloading and recklessness."
It has barely been a month since Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) found in a survey that private bus companies spend Tk 1,059 crore annually in bribes. The survey said that recipients of such bribes include officials of BRTA, traffic and highway police, representatives of municipalities and city corporations, political leaders, transport owners, and workers' organisations.
Improving road safety is not only a national agenda, but also an international commitment. The United Nations, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has set a target to reduce road accidents by half by 2030. Earlier, the target date was 2020, but they were forced to revise it due to slow response from member countries. However, the current approach doesn't inspire much confidence in achieving this goal.
Although building new roads and bridges improves traffic flow and is necessary, we need to accept the fact that faulty vehicles and lack of enforcement of traffic discipline somewhat cancel out the benefit of improved infrastructure. Most countries have shifted to vehicles equipped with latest technologies such as navigational assistance, parking aid, auto locking systems which prevents vehicles' movement until doors are locked, and automated alert systems for malfunctioning parts or passengers ignoring rules like not wearing seatbelts. The government could start by restricting imports of vehicles lacking these features and phasing out old vehicles within a year or two.
European cities, including London, have successfully phased out old vehicles to improve air quality and reduce emissions. Some have implemented congestion charges and speed limits, resulting in significant reductions in traffic accidents.
While Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities may not be directly comparable to European cities, there are valuable lessons to be learned, particularly in transport management. Accountability, especially among political leaders, has unfortunately been lacking for over a decade. It's high time we address these issues and prioritise road safety for the wellbeing of all citizens.
Kamal Ahmed is an independent journalist. His X handle is @ahmedka1
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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