Around 3.5 million motorised vehicles ply the roads in Bangladesh today. But there are only 1.7 million drivers who have genuine licences. A handful of government driving schools cannot train adequate number of drivers while there is a serious lack of such facilities in the private sector. This says why hundreds of road accidents take place killing and injuring people. Road crashes cause devastating impact on families of the victims who include drivers and their assistants.
None would disagree that road accidents could be reduced to large extent if well-trained drivers are hired. We have no alternative to training thousands of drives through formal schools. As youth from mostly poor families choose driving profession in Bangladesh, there is hardly any business interest in launching driving schools across the country. So, the government has to come forward to address the challenge and provide formal training to drivers.
In driving schools, authorities may think about including courses such as motorised vehicle driving, basic automobile techniques, relevant laws, collateral damage for accidents and language skills. It may be a five-month course that can help man drivers to secure overseas jobs. The government should set up and operate at least one driving school in each district and more in metropolitan cities. Allocation of budgetary money for setting up such schools will be rewarding for all concerned.
Md Ashraf Hossain
Central Bashabo, Dhaka
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