A back page photo on this newspaper yesterday shows a woman pedestrian jumping over the divider carrying an infant in her lap ignoring the nearby foot over-bridge at the capital’s Matuail area. It is really demoralizing to notice such negligence to one’s own safety. We often blame the government for the road-mishaps, violation of traffic rules. But as citizens, maintaining discipline on the roads also falls on our shoulder. We talk about road safety and how transport drivers drive recklessly on the roads. We have written about jaywalking and how they increase the likelihood of accidents. But what we now need are stiff penalties for jaywalkers who put both themselves and the speeding vehicles in jeopardy.
Jaywalking accounts for numerous causalities but it is a very common aberrant behaviour among pedestrians in Dhaka. In this teeming mega city, in spite of having many adequately designed footbridges within reach, pedestrians are often found crossing roads jumping over the dividers putting both themselves and the speeding vehicles in jeopardy. A footbridge is built to avoid accidents but the citizens seem quite disinclined to use the facilities. The consequence is that most of the victims of road accidents in the capital are pedestrians.
The practice of obeying traffic rules
must begin at the kindergarten level
and in this regard, including
lessons on road safety in the
primary school’s syllabus will be pertinent
Taking all into consideration, we feel it is high time to strictly penalise lawbreakers with adequate fines and imprisonment. Also there is the strong need for a social movement to make people aware about the necessity of using footbridges. In this regard, media and educational institutions should play important roles. Educational institutions should teach students about the necessity of using footbridges and spread the knowledge among the peers and family members. The practice of obeying traffic rules must begin at the kindergarten level and in this regard, including lessons on road safety in the primary school’s syllabus will be pertinent.
