Court passed an order scrapping an amended provision of the Penal Code that decreased punishment of the drivers from 7 years to 3 years. After the HC order, the previous sentence of 7 years has been restored. The law Minister a few days back said the law will be amended further to hike punishment of the drivers and introduce a system of compensating the victim family. But the existing provision of law is not being applied properly, let alone further amendment. A report of daily sun published on December 25 quoting experts said every 10,000 vehicles are causing 85 accidents. Accident ranges between 17,000 and 20,000 per year. It is leant from Accident Research Institute that nearly 10 accidents happen every day. Carelessness, inefficiency and violation of traffic rules on part of the drivers largely contribute to accidents. Another report of daily sun dated the December 13th, 2014 says road accidents are rising alarmingly year by year across the country, with no tangible action to tame the tide of such casualties. Over 5,000 people were killed and 7,218 injured in road accidents in 2013 and such cases are thousands in the last 11 months of 2014, reveals a report of Nirapad Sarak Chai, an organisation campaigning for road safety for decades. Meanwhile, Police Headquarters says at least 1,957 people were killed and 1,396 injured in road crashes in 2013. A report says police filed 2,029 cases against 2,057 bus staffers, including 1,972 drivers, with various police stations but they succeeded in arresting only 335 drivers and 17 others. The rest of the accused are on the run. The data further shows, some 703 buses, 657 trucks, 207 cars, 187 taxis and 371 motorcycles met the trails of road accidents in the same year. Roads and Highways Department statistics show that road accidents cost Tk 4,200 crore every year while World Health Organisation takes the figure to Tk 5,000 crore. The death of 35 people in a single road accident in Natore this year shocked the nation and shook the government authorities concerned to take an effective step against such accidents. The fatal accident happened on October 21, 2014. None of the drivers was indicted or punished. Only one driver who caused accident killing students of a Rajshahi college was held by police. Rest of the killers went scot-free. Against this backdrop, the accident has taken an epidemic turn. A data of last couple of days manifests that accident took place almost every day. Seven persons were killed in Laxipur, Pabna, Sherpur and Chuadanga on December 25, six in Chapainawabganj, Thakurgaon, Gaibandha, Sunamganj and Comilla on December 26, seven in Naogaon, Mymensingh, Feni and Chittagong on December 27, seven in Pabna, Rangpur, Benapole, Savar, Noakhali and Munshiganj on December 29 and five in Dinajpur on December 30. On the last day of the year 2014, a businessman was killed under the wheels of truck in city and 3 people including a cop were killed in road crash in Sirajganj. After the death of eminent Journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury in a road accident in the capital, the issue of uncontrolled road accident came to the fore of discussion. The lack of punishment of errant drivers and faulty traffic management system were also criticised. But the authorities concerned are unmoved. The much hyped measures against the road accidents are nothing more than lip service.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Fatal road accidents now an ‘epidemic’:Daily Sun
Court passed an order scrapping an amended provision of the Penal Code that decreased punishment of the drivers from 7 years to 3 years. After the HC order, the previous sentence of 7 years has been restored. The law Minister a few days back said the law will be amended further to hike punishment of the drivers and introduce a system of compensating the victim family. But the existing provision of law is not being applied properly, let alone further amendment. A report of daily sun published on December 25 quoting experts said every 10,000 vehicles are causing 85 accidents. Accident ranges between 17,000 and 20,000 per year. It is leant from Accident Research Institute that nearly 10 accidents happen every day. Carelessness, inefficiency and violation of traffic rules on part of the drivers largely contribute to accidents. Another report of daily sun dated the December 13th, 2014 says road accidents are rising alarmingly year by year across the country, with no tangible action to tame the tide of such casualties. Over 5,000 people were killed and 7,218 injured in road accidents in 2013 and such cases are thousands in the last 11 months of 2014, reveals a report of Nirapad Sarak Chai, an organisation campaigning for road safety for decades. Meanwhile, Police Headquarters says at least 1,957 people were killed and 1,396 injured in road crashes in 2013. A report says police filed 2,029 cases against 2,057 bus staffers, including 1,972 drivers, with various police stations but they succeeded in arresting only 335 drivers and 17 others. The rest of the accused are on the run. The data further shows, some 703 buses, 657 trucks, 207 cars, 187 taxis and 371 motorcycles met the trails of road accidents in the same year. Roads and Highways Department statistics show that road accidents cost Tk 4,200 crore every year while World Health Organisation takes the figure to Tk 5,000 crore. The death of 35 people in a single road accident in Natore this year shocked the nation and shook the government authorities concerned to take an effective step against such accidents. The fatal accident happened on October 21, 2014. None of the drivers was indicted or punished. Only one driver who caused accident killing students of a Rajshahi college was held by police. Rest of the killers went scot-free. Against this backdrop, the accident has taken an epidemic turn. A data of last couple of days manifests that accident took place almost every day. Seven persons were killed in Laxipur, Pabna, Sherpur and Chuadanga on December 25, six in Chapainawabganj, Thakurgaon, Gaibandha, Sunamganj and Comilla on December 26, seven in Naogaon, Mymensingh, Feni and Chittagong on December 27, seven in Pabna, Rangpur, Benapole, Savar, Noakhali and Munshiganj on December 29 and five in Dinajpur on December 30. On the last day of the year 2014, a businessman was killed under the wheels of truck in city and 3 people including a cop were killed in road crash in Sirajganj. After the death of eminent Journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury in a road accident in the capital, the issue of uncontrolled road accident came to the fore of discussion. The lack of punishment of errant drivers and faulty traffic management system were also criticised. But the authorities concerned are unmoved. The much hyped measures against the road accidents are nothing more than lip service.
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