We often blame the unskilled and uneducated drivers for the violation of public rules. But it is needless to say that educated people including passersby and jaywalkers also violate the traffic rules.
Jaywalking accounts for numerous causalities though it is a very common and aberrant practice among the pedestrians in Dhaka and other big cities in the country. In Dhaka, despite having many adequately designed footbridges within reach, pedestrians are often found crossing roads jumping over the dividers.
We often blame the government for the road-mishaps, violation of traffic rules. But as citizens, maintaining discipline on the roads also falls on the shoulders of its users. We talk about road safety and how transport drivers drive recklessly on the roads. We write on jaywalking and how it increases the likelihood of accidents. But what we now need is to create a concrete awareness about the violation of traffic rules amongst pedestrians and drivers. We must obey traffic rules and maintain discipline while crossing roads. As long as awareness is concerned, drivers also must be aware of not using mobile phone while driving their vehicles.
We must obey traffic rules
and maintain discipline while
crossing roads
Authorities concerned should execute stiff penalties for jaywalkers who put both themselves and the speeding vehicles in jeopardy. Not only traffic policemen who are responsible for maintaining discipline on the roads, but also each and every one of us is responsible for it.
We need to build a concrete social movement to make people aware about road safety and violation of traffic rules. In this regard, media should play a significant role in the way it contributed in carrying messages on family planning and use of birth control methods. Traffic education should be a regular feature on print, electronic and social media.
However, the culture of obeying rules must be learned and practiced from an early age. Hence, the authorities concerned should take necessary steps to include lessons on road safety in the primary school’s syllabus.