Road accidents go unabated

A man dies a day before his marriage. A father dies on his way home after seeing his son off to a distant place. An expat dies on the road on his way home to see his ailing mother. Such tragic deaths in road accidents have become a regular phenomenon in Bangladesh. As many as 8,000 people die in road accidents every year. We can fight natural disasters, but why cannot we stop such deaths caused by us humans?
Commuters' welfare association data say as many as 7,855 people were killed in road accidents last year, recording an 8.07 per cent increase. And it looks like the number will go up in 2020 as well. This is Bangladesh's new reality -- deaths in road accidents. Years after years road accidents go unabated, as if they were inevitable. And the government hardly bats an eye.
In August 2018, students took to the street protesting the death of a fellow student. Their movement rocked the whole nation, but the authorities were indifferent. The Road Transport Act 2018 is not enough to restore order on the roads. It won't be wrong to say that we are hostage at the hands of the transports workers and owners.
The drivers and their assistants are a part of the poor system, too. They have no other alternative than to obey their owners and put everyone's lives in danger. The owners always want more from them. They want the drivers to drive long hours, carry more passengers and operate business even when the vehicles are not fit.
According to data made available by the commuters' welfare association, truck, covered van and motorcycle are responsible for 50 per cent of the accidents while bus accidents cause 19 per cent of the mishaps. They identified lack of fitness of the vehicles and error on the driver's part key reasons for the accidents. The government and the owners are supposed to address these issues.
If the government plays its part and ensures that the owners and the transport workers abide by the rules, we would have seen a different scenario. But it looks like both the government and the workers are held hostage at the hand of the owners. Corruption in BRTA and greed of the influential political leaders have pushed us to the edge.
It is sad that the government is powerless in front of the transport leaders and owners. They were supposed to be accountable to the people of the country, but they really do not care. This is very frustrating, and cruel.