Road accidents are on the rise in the country, and experts believe that authorities' lax enforcement of traffic laws is part of the problem.
Many drivers ignore traffic rules, driving recklessly and at high speeds, resulting in recurring accidents that result in fatalities. Road accidents can be reduced by enforcing laws and rules with an iron hand, according to experts.
Of these accidents, 15.79 percent were due to losing control over wheels, with most happening because of over speeding. Vehicles fell into ditches after losing control. Besides, 21.61 percent accidents occurred due to collisions, 52.55 percent for vehicle crushing, 8.63 percent for miscellaneous reasons, 0.40 percent for wheeled veil, and 0.99 percent for train-vehicle collisions.
On Sunday, a tragic accident on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway at Kutubpur in Shibchar of Madaripur left 19 passengers dead. The Highway Police suspect that the over speeding of the bus of Emad Paribahan might have been one of the reasons behind the accident.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) said the fitness clearance of the vehicle, Dhaka Metro Ba-15-3348, expired in January this year. Communication Expert Kazi Saifunnewaz, also an assistant professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said that he heard that a wheel of the bus falling into a ditch in Madaripur got punctured.
“The wheels may puncture if those are not maintained regularly. Overpressure may also puncture wheels,” he said. “The losing control over stairs may happen due to over speeding and competition to pass one another to go fast,” he said.
Momin Mahadi, founder senior vice president of Save the Road, blamed the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Highway Police for their negligence to check unfit vehicles and overspeed and reckless driving. He said the maximum speed on the expressway is 80 km per hour, but it seems that the speed of the bus was more.
Experts believe that implementing road safety laws and rules with an iron hand may control road accidents.
