One single measure can reduce 80 per cent road accident deaths

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Newspaper reports reveal that every day, on an average, at least half a dozen people/passengers are being killed by reckless bus/truck drivers on the highways and city roads in different parts of the country. Road accidents are occurring unabated and as a result, the loss of lives is increasing almost every day. The government and the agencies concerned under the relevant ministries are regularly arranging seminars, symposiums, workshops, road-shows and so on where scholars, high officials, police officers, non-government organization (NGO) leaders and film actors are giving their valuable 'sermons' and holistic advice spontaneously. Police authorities are also observing lavish traffic weeks at regular intervals. But the people are observing with frustrations that all these endeavours could not make any break-through in reducing road accident-related deaths, rather the loss of valuable lives is mounting everyday. A news (among many other news) was published in a national daily in June last year, captioned "Killer drivers stay out of reach" which reported that at least 30 people died in road crashes last month (May 10), and only three drivers were caught, that too, by the passers-by. The other culprits (drivers) had managed to escape arrest, as law enforcers seemed less keen on tracking them down. The reporter said he had talked to the police officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on road accident issues. The officials reportedly told him that the police had to be occupied with maintaining law and order. It hinders them from going after the guilty drivers. The related DMP Joint Commissioner said 98 per cent of the road accidents happen due to rough driving, while nearly 80 per cent drivers do not have valid driving licences. Another DMP high official said many cases of road accidents are settled out of court without notifying the police, the reporter added. From the first day of 2011, road accidents and resultant deaths are being published every day and during the last forty-five days (till February 14, 2011) as many as (at least) 180 people of different ages and professions lost their lives in road accidents, mostly in head-on collisions. And hardly 10 per cent of the killer-drivers could be brought to book. The reasons for the failure of the law enforcement agencies, to bring the alleged criminal drivers to justice, are not being told or focused specifically, by anybody or government agencies. This is an unfortunate and unacceptable situation. According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) statistics, the number of the three heavy categories of vehicles is given bellow: Number of year-wise registered motor vehicles in Bangladesh: Bus, minibus and trucks: The number of registered buses, minibuses and trucks in Bangladesh in 2010 is under preparation. However, the registration records of the above three categories of vehicles in Dhaka Metropolis, as of 2010, are as follows: 1101 buses, 142 mini buses and 4543 trucks. Interestingly, as record shows, there were 27510 registered buses in the country until December 1994 and during the period, starting from 1995 to 2004 (10 years), only 3964 buses, mostly re-conditioned, were added to the "bus-fleet" in Bangladesh. And during these 10 years, Dhaka city's share (registered in Dhaka) was 3124 buses. Similarly, during the same period 9979 minibuses (about 90 per cent reconditioned) were registered in the country of which 5819 were registered in Dhaka. Of the registered buses in operation in Dhaka city and the country, now being operated by more than one thousand owners, mostly are 20 to 30 years old, and many of them are responsible for environmental pollution, road accidents, road blockades and so on. I worked in the Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Local Government for about six years (1995-2001) and I took the opportunity to go into details of various facets of transport, traffic and accident issues meticulously as far as possible with my limited expertise and wrote dozens of articles on various transport/traffic related issues, published in a number of natioal dailies (both English and Bengali) of the country during the last one and a half decade, and suggested a number of measures, which can be implemented to mitigate different complications of this vital sector. Incidentally, the least of attention was given or almost no action was initiated, to examine those suggestions by the authorities concerned. A city-based senior journalist who usually writes on traffic hazards and transport-related issues says that untrained instructors teach driving to thousands of learners, while the regulatory bodies sit idle. He says for thousands of aspiring drivers of motor vehicles, the country has only 10 registered motor driving learners' schools and five 'qualified instructors,' according to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). In the capital, hundreds of unregistered driving schools are sprouting up every day and individuals with little or no knowledge about traffic rules are working there as instructors. Business of these illegal driving schools is booming, as their course fees are much lower than those of the registered schools. While a registered school charges Tk 8,000 per package, an unregistered one demands one-third of the rate for the same package, attracting youths from all over the country, he added. The entire sector is gripped with problems resulting from years of negligence and indifference of the relevant authority. At present, the number of 'genuine' drivers' -- licence holders of all types of motorised vehicles -- is less than a million, according to BRTA officials. But lack of proper training even of the genuine licence-holders is causing accidents as well as mayhem on the city streets, the officials admitted. Road accidents and resultant untimely deaths of dozens of people every month -which have been creating colossal havoc to families - both in man and materials- are apparently going unnoticed by the authorities concerned, and the killer-drivers are going scot-free in about 90 per cent of the cases. The law and order authorities particularly the police personnel are busy in different preoccupations with public meetings of ruling and opposition political parties, tackling processions of different groups-- political, semi political, cultural plus English and Bengali new-year days, Tablig Jamaat, cricket and football games -both national and international and security of ministers and dignitaries of different categories. Recently, the share market-related doldrums and resultant processions have kept the police department engaged round-the-clock. In addition, hundreds of police personnel are performing regular duties to keep rival students' groups from clashing over trifling matters. I have examined road accident issues with my limited expertise and have come up with a single suggestion which is given below: At present there are about 38,000 buses, 40,000 minibus and 73,000 trucks registered all over the country (including Dhaka). I understand, at least 95 per cent of the drivers do not possess appointment letters from the vehicle owners and as a result, after road accidents, the errant drivers mostly remain untraced, unless caught by the mob. If issuance of appointment letters to these three categories of drivers, to start with, where all relevant information will be recorded in details, are compulsorily issued and copies of each appointment letter is preserved in relevant district office of the BRTA, the drivers will act responsibly while driving vehicles. Then these drivers will know that in case of any accident, they may be traced out, caught and put on trial for punishment. This single compliance, I believe will bring down the number of road accidents to at least two-thirds within the first six months. To implement the above single prescription promptly, efficiently and effectively, the ministry of communications will require to increase the technical strength of BRTA at least five-fold immediately. The total manpower of BRTA was 288 from 1995 to 2009. The number of posts of Assistant Directors (Engineering) increased from 23 to 77 of which after recruitment the present strength stands at 47. The number of inspectors was 56, which has now been increased to 64 only. But to tackle different complicated traffic, transport, route and issuance of driving licences, vehicle fitness certificates and insurance, among others, the revised manpower strength is absolutely insufficient and as such, the ministry of communications may arrange on deputation around one hundred technical personnel from Roads and Highways Department, LGED and other organisations on a priority basis, until regular appointments are completed which may take more than six months or so. Similarly, the strength of the Traffic and Highway Police Department needs to be increased five-fold which is possible to complete within two to three months, if the police authority at the top level, so wants seriously without any fear, favour or political consideration. In addition one hundred twenty Trial Magistrates with appropriate logistics -- along with four -- wheeler vehicles may be deputed on different roads, regional and highway points to initiate and complete trial of drivers for rush driving, non-possession of valid driving licences, appointment letters etc. Some 200 motorised vehicles of LGED and an equal number of four wheelers of various organisations are being misused by powerful quarters for years, burning government fuel freely. Some 120 jeeps in good condition can easily be made available for the mobile court magistrates. The writer is a Former Secretary & Vice President of Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, and can be reached at e-mail : Karar.hassan@gmail.com