It is discouraging to note that hitherto more than 4.58 lakh unfit vehicles ply the roads across the country and 1.68 lakh of them operate in the capital. These facts have been revealed by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). According to law, it is mandatory for a vehicle to go through fitness check-up every year and have its fitness certificate renewed to ply the roads legally whereas a total of 70,000 vehicles owned by individuals, non-government educational institutions and commercial organisations are running with expired fitness certificates.
Unfit vehicles and unskilled drivers are considered key reasons behind road crashes. Reportedly, a number of unscrupulous BRTA officials provide licence to the unskilled drivers and fitness certificates to the unfit vehicles without giving any test. Also many bus owners recruit drivers considering personal relationship and recommendations of known people without properly examining their driving skill. As a result, a large number of unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles get chance to ply the roads illegally.
According to law, it is mandatory
for a vehicle to go through
fitness check-up every year and
have its fitness certificate
renewed to ply the roads
As long as the practice of giving license to the unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles does not end, the grisly procession of deaths on the roads would continue unabated. There is no denying that Mobile teams from Bangladesh Roads and Transport Authority (BRTA) often conducts drive against unfit vehicles, but the sheer presence of such vehicles on the road exposes the failure of BRTA to tackle the problem effectively. It is often seen that when BRTA launches a mobile court drive, all the vehicles without fitness certificate go off the road, and then return when there is no danger of being caught. Hence BRTA should think about the effectiveness of its drive against unfit vehicles. The mobile courts should be operated against unfit vehicles on a regular basis instead of once in a while.
Every time the gravity of road safety issues gets intensified when any student dies of road accident. After every incident of road crash we hear pledges from the BRTA, police, and other transport authorities. But all fade away within the circle of time which is why the procession of deaths on the roads never stops.
When the authorities concerned cannot maintain integrity in terms of giving certificates to drivers and vehicles, it is not pragmatic to expect those drivers will maintain discipline on the roads. In this regard, a strong monitoring body equipped with modern technology and adequate manpower should be devised immediately.
