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ROAD accidents is now an alarming issue in the country. According to a report by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), as many as 1489 accidents took place across the country until July 2016, when 1422 people got killed and 1289 people were injured. According to other sources, number of accidents was 2998 in which the death toll was 3412. Another 8572 people got injured. As per World Bank Statistics, annual fatality rate from road accidents was 85.6 per 10,000 vehicles. It also says that only 40 per cent of the main roads are in good shape. What we clearly see is that the number of accidents has been increasing over the years. Are we doing enough to bring the number down? No initiative is reported to have been taken to improve the 208 black spots on highways. Mobile courts should be further activated in detecting faulty vehicles and fake driving licenses. There should be at least two drivers in long distance journeys who will drive in turns. Extra precautions should be taken during festival occasions. But first of all, the affected roads should be repaired. National highways should be constructed and maintained properly. The traffic police who has a crucial role to play in identifying and penalizing reckless driving, ignoring speed limits and overloading the vehicles, should be geared up. As citizens, we also have a role to play in ensuring road safety. Owners of motor vehicles should ensure that drivers employed by them have genuine licenses and they drive responsibly. Awareness on road safety for pedestrians, especially children, by community leaders is also a good way to promote road safety. While travelling in public transports, passengers should protest and stop over-speeding and reckless driving by drivers. Last but not least, we should try to remain safe to keep others safe.
Rabeya Ahmed
South Badda, Gulshan, Dhaka-1212
[email protected]