Editorial
No passing the buck, please
Authorities must take responsibility
Saturday's road collision on the Dhaka-Aricha highway which killed five, among them, renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud and noted broadcast journalist, Mishuk Munier, has caused public outcry, including a demand for the resignation of the Communications Minister. The minister, however, has shifted the blame to the limited budgetary allocations to roads and highways and to the failure of the previous government in this regard.
The minister's comments make light of the problem of 60-70 percent of our roads which are in dilapidated condition. They do not address the question of why 24,000 drivers should be issued licenses without testing, as has been suggested by the Shipping Minister. We are made to wonder why public awareness around road safety is created only following the deaths of prominent personalities, despite the existence of more than one relevant body under the communications ministry. Finally, these excuses cannot justify the 20,000 road accidents which cause 4,000 deaths and a quarter of a million major and minor injuries every year in our country, according to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) itself -- unofficial estimates put the number of casualties between 12,000 and 20,000 per year.
The authorities must take responsibility for their actions, or lack of it: for the construction of faulty roads, for their failure to maintain and repair those in need of it, especially the 216 "black spots" or accident-prone points identified by experts over a year ago. For the lack of adequate road signs to guide drivers. For the licensing of incompetent drivers at the request of political bigwigs. For failing to change the penalty for deaths caused by road collisions -- one to three years' imprisonment -- which is hardly proportionate to the crime of fatal negligence and recklessness.
Experts have said that following traffic rules, training of drivers and public awareness can reduce accidents by 25-35 percent. Planned construction of roads, the plying of fit vehicles and research and proper planning can bring the rates down further. This essentially makes the deaths on the road which we read about every day not "accidents" but preventable deaths. And they can and must be prevented.
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