We are deeply shocked and saddened at the tragic deaths of five people including four of a family in a collision between a truck and a CNG autorickshaw in Puthia upazila of Rajshahi on Saturday. This tragic incident sent a shock wave across the Rajshahi.
The ill-fated Insab Ali, 75, his son Ayub Ali, 38, his sister Parvin, 35, Parveen’s daughter Sharmin, 17 and autorickshaw driver Mokhles Ali, 45 met the tragic end of their lives. They were going to Rajshahi city from Kantapur village in Gurdaspur upazila of Natore for the treatment.
Country’s most highways and roads have become death traps for the travellers with deadly accidents occurring almost on a regular basis. The trend in road crash death is becoming alarming across the country. Reckless driving, poor traffic management, movement of unfit and slow pace vehicles on highways, semiskilled drivers and lack of their physical and mental fitness, undetermined working hours, lack of capability of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, lack of awareness on traffic rules, extortion in the transport sector are contributing to occur road accidents in the country.
Therefore, whatever we do to stop the road crash, the fact is that there is no minimum improvement in the country’s road safety prospects till date. People, who travel from one place to another by road or highway, feel they are not safe.
Road crash still
remains as a
reason for big worry
Fifty two years have already elapsed since the independence of Bangladesh but roads are still not safe for people. We continue witnessing countless people dying on the roads and highways every day as there is almost no effective measure to prevent accidents. People do not want to hear the news of such tragic accidents every day. Such death is causing an irreparable loss to every family of the victims.
Country’s many families were ruined due to road crash. The government took several measures to enhance the vigilance on the roads and highways by utilising the modern information technology to prevent the road accidents. We are holding discussions, seminars, workshops and symposium alongside observing national road safety day that how and in what way such deadly road accidents can be reduced. Besides, national dailies are running stories, editorials and columns in this regard. But the road crash still remains as a reason for big worry. Therefore, the government and other stakeholders must rethink the issue seriously as there is no alternative to prevent road crash immediately.