Today Sunday is National Safe Roads Day 2023. The day will be celebrated in the country through various programs. The program includes discussion meetings, rallies and road awareness activities. In continuation of the movement to make roads safer, ‘National Road Safety Day’ is celebrated every year on 22nd October. National Safe Road Day is celebrated every year on October 22 since 2017 in continuation of the movement to make roads safer. This year’s theme of the day is to follow the law and build a smart Bangladesh.
Accidents happen on the roads every day. Accidental deaths are now a daily news headline. When you watch the news on television or open the pages of a newspaper, you can’t help but feel depressed when you see the news of road accidents. People of the mechanical age are moving at a mechanical speed. He has to give his life again by falling under that mechanical vehicle. The rush of busy people is getting stuck on the roads, the inventors have to die by being crushed by the wheels of the machine monster. This is a strange paradox in human civilization. Ensuring road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that ensuring road safety is not only the responsibility of the government or drivers, but the responsibility of all the people of the country. It is the responsibility of all citizens starting from pedestrians. Everyone should do their duty. It is the duty of all of us to give the gift of safe roads.
Recently, it is known from the road accident report of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Last September, 454 road accidents occurred across the country. 410 people died in these accidents. At the same time 609 people were injuredRecently, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman Noor Mohammad Majumdar signed the road accident report. It also said that the statistics of road accidents across the country have been collected through the divisional office of BRTAOut of these, 83 people were killed and 87 injured in 83 accidents in Dhaka Division.Besides, 69 people were killed and 199 people were injured in 87 accidents in Chittagong Division; 67 killed and 56 injured in 76 accidents in Rajshahi Division; 66 killed and 62 injured in 66 accidents in Khulna Division; 25 killed and 95 injured in 30 accidents in Barisal division; 20 killed and 64 injured in 21 accidents in Sylhet divisionhas been; 47 killed and 36 injured in 58 accidents in Rangpur division and 33 killed and 10 injured in 33 accidents in Mymensingh divisionA total of 678 vehicles including 19 motorcars, 84 buses, 31 pickups, 41 autorickshaws, 136 trucks, 150 motorcycles, 52 battery-operated rickshaws, 7 easybikes, 7 tractors, 5 ambulances, 15 vans, 12 microbuses and 119 other vehicles were involved in road accidents in September. Among these, 12 people were killed in motorcar accidents, 25 in bus accidents, 10 in pickup van accidents, 36 in autorickshaw accidents, 34 in truck accidents, 130 in motorcycle accidents, 26 in battery-powered rickshaw accidents, 20 in easybike accidents, 3 in tractor accidents, 2 in ambulance accidents, 6 in van accidents, 6 in microbus accidents. A total of 410 people were killed in the accident, including 3 and 103 in other vehicle accidents.Most of whom were killed in motorcycle accidents. Reckless speed of vehicles and reckless riding of motorcycles by teenagers and youths and non-compliance with the law are among the causes of death in the published report..Meanwhile, on August 5, at Faujdarhat in Sitakunda, Chittagong, at around 10:30 am, a trailer leaving the port fell under the weight of a 40-ton container, and the car overturned, but the 4 passengers inside survived. The accident happened when it overturned and fell on a private car in front of Cadet College, Faujdarhant. . Miraculously alive 2 children look in amazement. All those in that car are alive by the power of Allah.
As of September, the number of vehicles registered across the country is 58 lakh 64 thousand 536. Among them, the number of motorcycles is 42 lakh 40 thousand 755. As such, more than 72 percent of the total vehicles are motorcycles. In the last five years, these two-wheelers have increased by at least 1 million in the capital. In terms of the number of victims, motorcycle accidents have come first in a short period of time. More than 50 percent of deaths on the road are now caused by these vehicles. And a large part of the victims of these deaths are young people. Apart from this, there are at least 6 million illegal vehicles roaming the country’s roads and highways. Meanwhile, according to the government’s calculations, 3 thousand 829 people have lost their lives in road accidents in the last 9 months. The average number of deaths per day is more than 14. This information has come out by analyzing BRTA’s monthly report. According to the state transport regulatory body BRTA, 410 people died in road accidents last September, 378 in August, 533 in July, 504 in June,
394 died in May, 459 in April, 511 in March, 303 in February and 33 in January.
It is undeniable that along with the economic development of Bangladesh, the development of transportation system has been achieved. Highways are four lane and widening of district and upazila roads. New roads are also being built. All in all, the country’s roads and highways are becoming beautiful. But the sad fact is that even then the procession of deaths due to road accidents is not decreasing. The fear of death haunts people’s minds when they go out on the streets. The law enforcement forces are struggling to prevent loss of life on the roads. Many of them are also losing their lives in road accidents. Accidents are constantly happening on the roads and the procession of the dead is getting longer and longer. The various factors and causes of road accidents are not isolated, but interrelated. As it is a grim picture of urban civilization, accidents involve civic problems. The main cause of road accidents is recklessness of motorists. They become kings when they take the steering wheel. Even if there is a certain speed limit, they don’t want to obey it. Some people drive even under the influence of alcohol. As a result, it is not possible for them to control the vehicle immediately in an emergency. Again, many accidents happen for competitive driving. The tendency to go ahead by overtaking is no less responsible for road accidents.
Lack of respect for the law is another reason for road accidents. Even if there is a law, neither the pedestrian nor the driver wants to follow the law. Road accidents occur due to various reasons including parking, parking, driving in the middle of the road, chatting on the roadside, stalls or shops on the roadside. Again, a helper is also seen sitting in the driver’s seat. If such unskilled people drive the car, who will prevent the accident?
According to a data, 35 percent of the total road accidents in the country occur due to reckless movement of motorcycles. Where the drivers have no driving license. Again, in the licensing agency BRTA, we see that unqualified, inefficient drivers are often given licenses in exchange of some money through various broker circles. These license holders cause accidents on the roads. And there has been a lot of progress in infrastructure on our roads and it is visible, but we are lagging behind in terms of good governance.’ So we can reduce road deaths by ensuring proper enforcement of laws from licensing to all areas on the road.
Let’s come next, on the issue of ‘syndicate trade in transportation’. We occasionally get to know through the media, the issue of banning battery-powered auto-rickshaws, dangerous nasimans; The reason for this is that these are identified as hotbeds of road accidents. But the question is, if they are to be banned, then why is it not prohibited to market them while selling them by hanging the license in the market? None of us know the answer! But if the marketing of these is prohibited, the drivers will not be able to bring it from Mars and take it out on the road! In fact powerful syndicates are behind it. Again, most of the city’s bus-trucks, auto-rickshaws, including CNG, are run on rent. The owners give their car to the driver for a whole day for a fixed amount of money. In this case, the car goes into the hands of anyone who is unskilled, unlicensed, drug addict, minor. This puts a pressure on the driver’s head. Earning for yourself after earning the owner’s money. For this naturally they become reckless in speed. This powerful syndicate is also responsible for this.
Apart from this, lakhs of rupees are being snatched every day in various parts of the country in the name of municipal development fee, road development fee, labor development fee. For this, if a car is taken out on the road, the matter of income is pressed on the driver’s head. As a result, they speed recklessly and the death toll on the roads continues to grow, for which the road infrastructure is not responsible. In 2018, the students showed the shaky areas of our roads by conducting ‘safe road movement’. According to a BUET statistic, 25,000 people died in road accidents from July 2015-2018. Where 53 percent of accidents are due to excessive speed of vehicles, 37 percent due to reckless attitude of drivers and 10 percent due to vehicle defects and environmental and infrastructure problems. Even though there are overbridges at many busy and important places in the country, we risk crossing the road without using them. Although there are many places where it is not there but what is there is not being used properly. If we citizens don’t leave the car without specific stops including the passenger compartment, which acts as a catalyst to cause accidents.
So if we can solve the three issues, we are infrastructural that 10 percent death; We can prevent what happens naturally in every country or we can tolerate this road death. But despite that, our population is constantly increasing, the number of vehicles is also increasing, so the problems of our infrastructure are visible with time; They also need to be resolved quickly. But if every citizen of the country follows the traffic laws and moves on the road consciously.
It is noted that besides the National Safe Road Day, the 28th death anniversary of Jahanara Kanchan will also be observed on this day. 28 years ago, wife Jahanara Kanchan was killed in a tragic road accident at Chandnaish, Chittagong, on her way to her actor husband Elias Kanchan in Bandarban. Left behind two children, Jay and Ima.
Elias Kanchan was staying in Bandarban for the shooting of the movie at that time. Ilyas Kanchan came down the road with two unintelligent children in his arms due to the untimely death of his wife. With the slogan that the path should be peace, not death, a social movement was formed, ‘We want safe roads’ (Nischa).
As a result of the Nischar movement, October 22 was declared as the National Safe Road Day in a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 5, 2017. National Safe Road Day has been celebrated in Bangladesh since that year.
> One of the causes of road accidents – 1. Defective and unfit vehicles, 2. Using mobile phones while driving, 3. Additional passenger and goods transportation, 4. Disobey traffic laws, 5. Negligence of the concerned, 6. Reckless attitude, inefficiency and carelessness of drivers 7. Unprotected railway line, 8. Excessive speed and reckless overtaking 9. Not having road dividers, 10. Incompetence and lack of proper training of drivers, 11. Unawareness of passengers crossing the road, 12. Where to transfer passengers, 13. Broken road, 14. and driver and passenger distrust of traffic laws. In this way, road accidents are increasing due to various reasons. The nation wants to get rid of this accident.
Any death is sad. If the death is untimely and sudden, it is more difficult to accept.
Finally, to reduce the pressure on the roads; Road accidents will be greatly reduced if ‘Road Transport Act-2018’ is implemented smoothly along with formulation and implementation of sustainable transport strategiesAnd in recent times, it has been seen that most of the accidents have occurred in collisions between motorcycles and cargo vehicles. Goods trucks, pickup vans, covered vans and motorcycles, which were originally on the road, have now become messengers of death. However, no effective and sustainable plan of the concerned authorities to control the issue is visible so far. And follow the traffic laws, be respectful of the law, enforce the proper enforcement of the traffic laws, ensure that law violators are punished and wear helmets. Stop talking on mobile phones and listen to music with headphones. Besides, competition, overtaking and driving in the middle of the road should be avoided. Campaign should be conducted to create public awareness. Many do not even know how to walk or cross the road. It should be reported. Don’t think of yourself as a king while driving a car or bike on the road. It should also be remembered that the loved ones are waiting at home. It is necessary to keep everyone’s attention so that tragic deaths in road accidents do not happen. That is why we need awareness. Therefore, coordinated initiatives are needed to prevent road accidents. Government, drivers, owners, workers and passengers should all be alert and aware – remember, life is more valuable than time. Only then will roads be safe. The procession of deaths will decrease. However, the death rate on the road will decrease through the specific steps of the government and the awareness of the drivers and the general public, it is expected by all.
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