Incessant rain, dilapidated roads, presence of unauthorised vehicles and amateur drivers on highways appeared as prime abettor to random fatal accidents on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul Fitr, experts said.
Least rest for the drivers on the long-haul journeys and half-done renovation works were also cited as major causes of the highway tragedies.
Unscientific highway construction, with single-lane passage and stiff turns, and encroachments are also seen as causes of frequent mishaps that left over 200 dead and many crippled for life in last few days.
Two latest accidents occurred at Lohagara in Cox's Bazar and at Kashiani in Gopalganj Saturday, leaving nine dead and 16 injured.
The first accident took place in Gopalganj district at 11 am that left seven dead and four others injured.
A bus of Ashik-Shagar Paribahan rammed a microbus at Bhatiapara intersection of the Khulna-Dhaka highway in Kashiani Upazila of Gopalganj in a fatal accident, said Mizanur Rahman, officer (investigation) of Kashiani Thana.
All of the diseased were microbus passengers.
Another mishap occurred on Lohagara-Chakaria highway in Cox's Bazar at 2.30 pm on the day that killed two and left 10 injured.
Road accidents have become viral this Eid-ul-Fitr occasion with such fatalities of over 200 dead in last ten days, according to Jatri Kalyan Samity, a platform of passengers and Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA) that works for preventing accident.
The worst tragedies took place on July 23 and July 24 with over 29 and 23 people left dead on the two days respectively, according to NISCHA count.
Chairman of the organisation and veteran cine-actor Ilias Kanchan said most of the accidents took place for "reckless driving".
He cited amateur drivers, dilapidated roads and presence of unauthorised vehicles as the major causes behind such random accidents.
"What were the law-enforcers doing while more than 30,000 unfit vehicles were plying highways during the festival?" He posed the question.
In 2006, he said, the government took decision to ban Nasimon, Karimon and other easy bikes from the highways but "it seems to be effective from now".
Prof Dr Mohammad Mahabub Alam Talukder at the Accident Research Institute (ARI) under the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) noted that most of the accidents took place after the Eid.
"All the variables, which are positive for accidents, were present on highways after Eid, when people started returning to the capital," said the engineering professor in doing an anatomy of the road risks.
He told the FE that there was a lack of monitoring by the government law-enforcement agencies that helped rise in unfit, unauthorised vehicles and unlicensed drivers on the roads. The BUET teacher noted that District Road Safety Committee was formed but it had been totally inactive.
"The committee should be effective, which could identify both unfit vehicles and drivers at district level."
He said the ARI identified 232 places as black-spots on highways across the country in 2010. The government has taken a project to reshape those places to combat accidents, which is yet to be completed.
The transport expert also pointed out lack of rest for the drivers also as a cause of raise in mishaps.
He said the bus operators should consider drivers as humans, not robots.
Meanwhile, the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Road and Railway (NCPSRR) Saturday in a statement called for protecting people from unfit and unregistered vehicles on highways.
When asked, director (enforcement) of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Bijoy Bhushan Paul said the authority has already instructed and published advertisement to remove vehicles like Nasiman and Kariman from highways. He said the law-enforcers, including the Highway Police, local Police and RAB, will have to conduct drive against those vehicles.
Contacted, Deputy Inspector-General of Highway Police Mallick Faqrul Islam said his department had started seizure of unfit and unauthorised vehicles much before the Eid.
He singled out "reckless driving" as the key reason behind those accidents.
However, the DIG said they had made special arrangements on the country's major highways, including Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Faridpur, since July 16.
Under the arrangements, special focus was on intersections like Chandra, Kanchpur, Mograpara, Daudkandi, Mawna, Aminbazar, Savar, Nabinagar, Goalondo, Gazipur Chandana Chowrasta, Comilla Cantonment, Paduar Bazar and Bhulta to avert traffic congestion.
According to the Highway Police, 11 watch towers with binocular facility were being installed at various strategic points to monitor traffic on the highways.
However, according to NISCHA, over 2,729 accidents took place in various parts of the country in 2014 that left 6,582 people dead and 10,777 maimed.
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