Non-enforcement of traffic rules, graft blamed for increased road accidents

Kamrun Nahar | Published: February 14, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Negligence on the part of the authorities concerned to enforce traffic rules, failure of the government to establish discipline in the transport sector, unplanned urbanisation and absence of public awareness are behind the increased number of road accidents, experts say.
Despite increased numbers of accidents and demand from various sections of the society to enforce traffic rules, appoint skilled and trained drivers, eradicate corruption in the concerned departments dealing with transport sector, curb political influence, little progress has been made towards adopting any effective measures to ensure safe roads for all, they added.
The experts accused the concerned authority of not ensuring road safety and streamlining Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). They also held politically influential persons responsible for making the transport sector as the most chaotic one in Bangladesh.
They stressed the need for implementing traffic rules, proper infrastructure development, streamlining transport sector and ensuring fitness of vehicles with skilled drivers to curb road accidents.
Creating mass awareness among the people against running unfit vehicles and reckless driving is also necessary, they added.
"An overall anarchic situation has been prevailing in the transport sector as the government has failed to establish good governance here. There are many good policies and rules in black and white but with no enforcement," former adviser to the caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman told the FE Tuesday.
He said there is no specialisation in traffic management for the enforcers. Anyone working in police department can be transferred to traffic authority without specialisation.
"I see the future of transport sector as quite bleak due to unplanned urbanization, lack of public awareness, mismanagement and criminalisation of the sector and negligence to develop a proper public transportation system," he added.
Ilias Kanchan, Chairman of 'Nirapad Sharak Chai (We Demand Safe Road)', a social movement for safe road, told the FE that a hide and seek game is being played between the activists and the authority.
"We are fighting for realizing our 14-point demand including tests for providing driving licence and building road dividers since 2011 without any result," he said.
He informed that a total of 0.18 million driving licences were given to the members of labour union without any test since 2011. Another 25,433 applications have been submitted to the BRTA for licence.
"When those 0.18 million licencees came for renewal of their licence, the provision for test was relaxed by issuing a circular which we stopped by going to the court. How long can we stand like this?" he asked.
Mr Kanchan suggested ensuring punishment to the culprit drivers or violators of laws, using CCTV at various points and drivers' training.
Surprisingly, all the indiscipline happens under the very nose of the traffic administration. Traffic police are found reluctant to take action against various irregularities on roads starting from picking up and dropping passengers frequently without bothering to stop at any designated point and illegal parking creating traffic congestion.
There are also allegations that a section of officials of BRTA and traffic police is engaged in corruption and extortion from drivers and vehicle owners.
Denying the allegation, deputy commissioner (Traffic, North) Ikramul Islam said about 2500-3000 traffic related cases are filed every month.
Regarding the reckless driving, he blamed the excessive traffic volume and rush on road for which the drivers want to reach destination at an abnormal speed by violating traffic rules. He also said there is no negligence in enforcing rules as they regularly collect fine from the traffic rules violators and it is rather the responsibility of public to abide by the laws.
With regard to traffic signal, he said the signals do not work properly and they are not the concerned authority for the maintenance of the signalling system. The traffic department time to time works with the transport owners and drivers at terminals and other places to create awareness and send resource persons to the training programmes conducted by BRTA.