Averting avoidable deaths on roads

"Sir, you just give me Tk 2,000. You don't need to bring in your car nor even produce TIN certificate for fitness", a vendor was overheard telling a car owner at the Mirpur office of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) not long ago. This is the place where hundreds of cars are seen crowding daily for tax token, fitness certificates, route permits and drivers' licences.
The vendor, in his 20s,  is one of several dozens usually seen loitering on the premises of the BRTA office.
The 'breeding grounds' of abject corruption and irregularities in official registration of cars and vehicles and also in obtaining driving licences from the authorities concerned at Mirpur and elsewhere in Bangladesh in fact explain why accidents on roads and highways really occur so frequently.
Everything in the BRTA office can be done with money. There is a crude joke that one can even make the sun rise in the west with bucks!
And the road accidents that cost thousands of precious human lives across Bangladesh could singularly be attributed to what is happening in the BRTC offices. Reports in the media usually compel the minister concerned to undertake surprise visits to such offices but ironically only for getting coverage prominently by the TV channels.
Things remain where these are once the minister returns to his office chamber: money is minted there with human lives left to the mercy of the Almighty.
But who is to see that one's car does not get crushed following a collision with another vehicle coming from the opposite side? It is one hundred per cent the person in the driving seat, not anybody else.
And as long as the drivers-professionals or owners-are not made skilled with average intelligence quotient (IQ), nothing can stem the rot in traffic accidents. They have to be extremely cautious in driving cars, micro-buses, buses and trucks to avert accidents.
Years ago, this writer  almost got crushed under the weight of a medium-size bus when it turned turtle at Asad Gate. The driver driving the bus at break-neck speed, coming as it did from Gabtoli, suddenly turned his vehicle towards Farm Gate through the bend at the same speed. As a result, the bus overturned. This scribe still does not know how his life was spared. When he stood up somehow coming out of the bus with bruises, he had lost consciousness for nearly ten minutes before he boarded a rickshaw for home. He got his memory back slowly.    
A skilled driver knows at what speed he should drive his car or bus and where to stop at the inter-section and when and where to follow the traffic rules. He has to be patient: patience is at the core of road safety either for professional drivers or owners. He must have the IQ to keep his vehicle at a distance from another car moving in front of him. A skilled driver will never drive an unfit car or bus because any accident might cost his job or might kill a passer-by.
That is why there is a popular slogan for drivers in the USA pasted on vehicles: "Be patient. The man you kill might be your own father or mother or brother or son." The message is psychologically electrifying for drivers -be they professional drivers or owners. And mostly the cars that meet with accidents are found to be driven by professionals. The owners do not drive unless they are skilled enough, according to a recent survey.
As a reckless driver often goes scot-free after he causes an accident, the authorities may consider imposing penalty first on its owner and then on him for such mishaps. As a result, no vehicle owner will ever employ an unskilled driver as he knows he might be grilled for the crash. Just Taka 100 or Taka 200 bribe to a dishonest traffic policeman is enough for a delinquent driver to get away.
Vigilance of traffic police and sergeants over movement of cars and vehicles is yet another vital point to be considered in tackling road accidents.
The other day, when the Matsya Bhaban-Shahbagh road was jammed alarmingly with hundreds of buses, trucks and vehicles remaining stranded, this scribe saw a few buses taking a wrong route by the right-hand side. A police patrol caught the unruly drivers. It was thought that they would be heavily punished. But no, they were allowed to move on. "Only Tk 100," was the answer when a helper of such a bus allowed to move in the wrong direction up to the Dhaka Club bypass was asked by curious passengers of another stuck-up bus on the left side.   
 Even a former BRTA Chairman agrees: "Imagine what happens when drivers without proper knowledge of driving and traffic rules, often underaged or overworked, are randomly speeding and overtaking with overloaded vehicles on the highways that have many engineering flaws" He termed it a perfect condition for disaster, which turns deadlier with lack of policing. As a natural consequence, total disregard for traffic laws and norms by both drivers and pedestrians results in a lot of accidents.
May be it's the result of lack of awareness and illiteracy, but it's really difficult when everyone disobeys every single rule, said the former BRTA chief. He also observed that the current law is too weak to punish the offenders. "Under the current law, punishment for road accidents or fine for violating traffic rules is too little…. There's no provision for punishing bus owners who employ drivers with fake driving licences or operate unfit vehicles."
arjayster@gmail.com