Editor's Pick

The murderous transports

6 February 2010, 18:00 PM
EDITORIAL
Syed Fattahul Alim
DEATHS due to road mishaps are on the rise. Reports on such fatal mishaps, taking a human toll, appear routinely in print and electronic media. Each death is a tragedy and, if given a closer and deeper look, has a moving human side to it. But all those deaths are not lucky to get wide media coverage and draw the general public's attention. Only a few of these sad incidents, that get extensive public attention thanks to the media, make the public aware and the authorities concerned to a new level. The death of a five-year old child, a kindergarten student of the city's Kakrail area, is one such incident that has plunged the nation into the reality of roads becoming a death trap for pedestrians. Who is responsible for the untimely death of Hamim Sheikh? On the face of it, it is the bus that ran over him. There is no doubt about that. Reckless driving, the illegal habit of picking passengers from undesignated spots, unqualified drivers, of whom few have genuine driving licences, and so on, are increasingly to blame for these road accidents. Most buses are ramshackle and without indicator lights or side-view mirrors. In the case of the particular bus that killed Hamim Sheikh, the driver had complained that his bus had no side-view mirror. As a result, he had to depend solely on his assistant, called 'helper,' to guide him through the city's messy traffic. So, it is hardly surprising that he was unaware of what happened in front of his vehicle, until he sensed the impact of something being crushed under the wheels. How did he react when he realised there was something wrong? As in most such cases, his instant urge was to flee. The helper, primarily to avoid public wrath, signalled him to speed away. Even some of the passengers, too concerned to waste any time before they reached their destination, prodded the driver to leave as soon as possible. Members of the traffic police on duty were not far from where the tragedy took place, but they were perhaps too busy to notice what happened. All this provided the driver with excuses to remain 'nonchalant,' as a reporter noted when interviewing him. Therefore, it is not hard to understand why drivers like Shamsur Rahman are growing in numbers, since the entire system is seems to supporting them in carrying on with their murderous trips everyday. According to Prof. Shasul Haque, director of the Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), some 380 such road accident-related deaths occur every year in Dhaka. Of all vehicles plying our roads, the minibuses are particularly to blame for these accidents. As for the victims, 75% are pedestrians. In other words, most deaths occur during road crossings. Occasionally, reckless drivers, in a competition to overtake other buses, mow down unsuspecting bystanders. To avoid traffic jams, small vehicles like motorcycles and rickshaws, often use pavements, to the dismay of the pedestrians. So, all issues leading to a single accident has to be looked into when discussing road accidents and looking for ways to ensure road safety. First, and foremost, the road transport authority must ensure that inexperienced people cannot get driving licences. The police, on the other hand, will have to bust the rackets that issue fake driving licences. In this connection, we would like to see the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner succeed in meeting his deadline of March 31, issued to the owners of fake driving licences. Minibuses are notorious for delinquent movement on the roads. They are also largely behind the road tragedies. We know the reasons. The drivers of these vehicles, in the majority of cases, are promoted from erstwhile helpers. These irresponsible vehicles need be replaced with bigger buses. This is also necessary for road space economy. Besides checking for the faking of drivers' licences and removing delinquency-prone vehicles from city roads, authorities need to focus on the discipline of the traffic system. Police patrol on the roads has to increase so that vehicles do not escape easily after mishaps. However, in this connection, passengers, and particularly, the crowds on the roads, have to become more aware. This is because, in most cases, the driver who caused the accident is more fearful of the mindless mob than the police. In such a situation, he often runs over other pedestrians or crashes into other vehicles while fleeing the scene. A comprehensive approach to ensure road safety will be necessary. The killer driver, who faces the music, is only the fault line of the entire systemic mess in the traffic administration.
Syed Fattahul Alim is a Senior Journalist.

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