What is driving? Literally, drive means to operate a vehicle so that it goes in particular direction. Normally, driving means driving vehicle particularly an automobile viz. two wheeler, three wheeler, four wheeler or more. Driving is based on wheel though it is very difficult to determine when wheel was discovered but it is clear that with the discovery of wheel a revolution occurred in human civilization. Along with the invention of automobile transport and communication sector leaped into mechanical age and speed became part of life. At the same time speed has brought danger also which is commonly known as accident.
Literally, accident means an unpleasant event, particularly in a vehicle, that happens unexpectedly and causes injury or damage. Death on road is an outcome of accident which is normally known as road accident.
Not only in our country but death from road accident occurs everywhere in the world. The first recorded death from road accident occurred on 31 August 1869 in the city of Birr in Ireland. Irish scientist Mary Ward, with her husband Captain Ward and two others, was travelling on her cousin's steam car but at the time of turning she skidded from the car and was run over which caused her death. The first pedestrian death from road accident occurred in England on 17 August 1896. Mrs. Driscoll, 44 year old, was struck by a car in London and fell to death. The first car accident in America occurred in Ohio city in 1981. Engineer James Lambert, with another passenger, was driving an early gasoline powered vehicle but due to a little trouble he lost control and it hit a tree There was no death but both of them suffered minor injuries.
There is no authentic record of first death from road accident in this sub continent but statistics says that the number is around 8000 every year i.e. almost 22 a day which is 28 times higher than that of European and American countries. From newspaper report it is known that during 13 days of Eid-ul-Fitr journey in this year 339 persons died from 277 road accidents. During journey of Eid-ul-Azha (16th - 28th August, 2018) 259 persons died from 237 road accidents. What is the reason? There is no denying the fact that reckless driving is the main cause. Experts say that there are many reasons which can be classified under two major heads like human, material, legal, mechanical psychological etc.. Different researches reveal that unskilled driver, unfit of defective vehicle, bad condition and defective design of road, tendency to overtake, risky works on road, target to carry more passengers for earning more money, plying of multi speed vehicles on same road, weak or no enforcement of law, lack of adequate punitive measure everything is responsible for death on roads but the most important reason is reckless driving. From an inquiry report it is known that reckless driving was the reason for 8 deaths in Rangpur on 2nd September of this year.
From a report of Asian Development Bank it is known 96 per cent of roads in Bangladesh have two lanes but there is no divider which is a main reason of head on collision. Many measures have been taken to reduce accident and to bring the discipline of road, but nothing brought any effective result. Different organizations are demanding safe road, but situation on the road has not been changed. Due to the recent death of two college students in Dhaka and massive student movement on this issue the government has decided to activate Road Transport Act. Though it was drafted two years ago it could not be passed due to strong opposition from bus truck owners and transport labours, different initiatives are being taken by government which include construction of road divider at certain points, fixation of minimum educational qualification and limiting driving hour up to not more than 5 hours at a stretch for drivers of public transport, provision for alternative driver, ban on plying of defective vehicles, restriction on slow speed vehicles on road, detection of unfit vehicles etc. but there are problems also to implement these decisions.
Almost all schools, colleges, markets and hospitals in our rural area are situated beside highways. Thousands of students go to schools and colleges using small and slow speed vehicles, mainly three wheelers. If those are banned without any alternative how students will go to schools and colleges. How patients will be taken to hospitals? Government has framed Road Transport Act but it is alleged from different corners that influential persons are barriers to enforce law properly. There is no record of conviction of any driver or helper of public transport on charge of running over and killing pedestrians or passengers. Even whenever any driver is arrested others stop driving their vehicles at the instigation of influential's. In many cases law enforcing agencies are compelled to release the arrested persons under pressure and considering inconvenience of common people. Recently government has taken strong stand in this matter. As a result of it, driver and owner killer vehicles have been arrested and they are facing trial. Murder case has been lodged by police against driver and owner of a killer bus in Kushtia.
To bring discipline back on road sergeants are now using video cameras. Members of Rover Scout, Girl Guides are also helping police. Decision has been taken not to supply fuel oil to motorcycles without helmets. All these efforts are effective but experience says that the tempo is temporary. Amid such efforts drivers and helpers are continuing their past practice in some places. The main problem is tendency to violate law. Recently, as a consequence of not granting bail to a master of a launch and sending him to jail in a case filed by BIWTA, all launches were taken away from jetty to middle of the river at Sadarghat, Dhaka.
From newspaper report (The Bangladesh Pratidin, 07-9-2018) it is known that a unique system known as 'case slip' has been introduced by Chittagong police for uninterrupted plying of illegal and defective vehicles. It is written in case slip that relevant papers of a particular vehicle are deposited to police. Using that slip any vehicle can play everywhere in the city. As per tat report, drivers say that police never disturbs case slip holders whereas vehicles and drivers having valid papers are harassed. Using this opportunity many drivers feel uninterested to update or regularise papers.
It is alleged from the side of drivers and experts that pedestrians are not aware of the system of using road. They walk on wrong (left) side, cross highways anywhere, talk over mobile phone while walking. These arguments are realistic but it is also correct that drivers also use mobile phone while driving and become unmindful towards road.
Weak or no application of law for killing in road accident is a main reason. It is widely spread among owners and labours of vehicles that Tk. 20,000/- is sufficient to settle the case of death resulting from accident. It means that if anybody dies due to reckless driving, owners of the killer vehicle pay Tk. 20,000/- to the family of the dead person and the matter ends there. In case of injury Tk. 5,000/- is sufficient but is the matter so simple in other countries? From record it is known that Paris Hilton, Hollywood actress and TV personality, had to stay 45 days in a jail of Los Angeles in 2007 due to reckless driving. In 2012 Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was jailed for 18 days because his jeep ran over a person. At the time of driving he was drunk. Once he was acquitted of the case but it is again under trial. It proves that nobody is beyond law but it should be practised here also.
Driving after consuming alcohol or spirit is another important reason of reckless driving all over the world. It is known that America and other European countries are land of cars. There are many jokes in American society regarding car and driver. The first one is -' the car is safe if the road is dry, the road is safe if the driver is dry'. The meaning is very much clear.
System of issuing driving license is also a factor. One powerful person of government once said that capacity to identify cattle on road is sufficient for getting a driving licence but this situation must be changed. A minimum educational qualification is a basic requirement for it. To reduce death on road all initiatives are to be taken to restrict reckless driving which is a national demand.
