It is disconcerting to note that thousands of unfit buses, human haulers, CNG-run auto-rickshaws are illegally plying the roads in the capital. Reportedly, more than four lakh unfit vehicles ply the roads across the country and 1.5 lakh of them operate in the capital alone. The only plausible reason for such a situation may be that the road safety rules are either violated or ignored more often than not.
According to law, it is mandatory for a vehicle to go through a rigorous annual fitness check-up every year and have its fitness certificate renewed to ply the roads legally whereas thousands of vehicles are running with expired certificates in Dhaka.
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 taking any test. Also, in most cases, owners of the vehicles recruit drivers considering personal relationship and recommendations from known circle without properly testing their driving skill. As a result, a large number of unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles get chance to ply freely the roads illegally.
It is mandatory for a vehicle to go through
fitness check-up every year and have
its fitness certificate renewed to ply the roads
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 utter 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 immediately often the drive is over to avert the danger of being caught. Hence BRTA should think about the effectiveness of its drive against unfit and longevity expired vehicles. The mobile courts should go after unfit vehicles on a regular basis instead of once in a blue moon.
As long as the practice of giving licence to the unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles is not stopped, the grisly procession of deaths on the roads would continue unabated. Therefore, in order to reinforce road safety, transport owners must rigidly scrutinize the driving skill of the drivers before recruiting. Authorities concerned should take immediate measures to improve the current road safety issues, such as examining driver’s skill and fitness of vehicle, discouraging reckless driving, improving the traffic police control system and ensuring more cooperation between the drivers and owners.