Highways become death traps

Crashes kill around 500 in 6 months
The highways across the country have virtually become death traps as there are apparently no authorities to control reckless driving.
The country witnessed deaths of around 500 people and injuries to many others in road accidents on the stretch of about 12,000-kilometre highways in the first half of 2010.
Deaths of a secretary and an additional secretary on Saturday added to the long list of casualties. They were killed in a crash in Manikganj on their official trip to Gopalganj.
The drivers in general hardly follow traffic rules, especially speed limit, on highways causing fatal accidents, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Most of the times the culprit drivers go unpunished thanks to lack of law enforcement.
In most cases vehicle owners or drivers strike a deal with the victims’ families, while families of the poor victims don’t opt to file a case as it ultimately becomes a burden on them.
“Hardly any case is filed following an accident. In most cases victims’ families don’t go for legal action as they reach an agreement with vehicle owners,” Manikganj Superintendent of Police Md Masud Karim told The Daily Star yesterday.
According to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1983, maximum speed for light vehicles like cars and motorcycles is 113 kilometres per hour (kmph), for buses and minibuses 56 kmph, for heavy vehicles like trucks 40 kmph, and for fire brigade vehicles 48 kmph. But almost all drivers disobey this speed limit and even don’t reduce speed near bridges or curves, the SP said.
The highways police are the custodian of enforcing traffic rules on the highways. But they are poorly manned and operating under serious dearth of logistics. Highways police sources say they have only 34 speed detectors to monitor speed limit of vehicles across the country.
There is also almost no arrangement to provide emergency treatment to accident victims, resulting in deaths of many injured, who could otherwise be saved.
Director of the Accident Research Institute of Buet Prof Md Shamsul Hoque visited the accident place in Uthuli in Manikganj yesterday. He said it seemed from witnesses’ accounts that had the two government officials received emergency treatment immediately, they might have survived.
“They were first taken to Uthuli Upazila Health complex, but no doctor was available there. Later they were taken to Manikganj Sadar Hospital which took around an hour,” he told The Daily Star.
Earlier on March 26, one of Saturday’s accident victims Siddiqur Rahman’s daughters Sayma Siddika Shikha and Sadia Siddika Tuni were killed when a recklessly driven bus rammed into their car on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Daulatpur in Comilla. His wife Parveen Siddika was also in the car and is still undergoing treatment.
“My youngest daughter Tuni might have survived if she was given oxygen at nearby Gauripur Hospital. She was taken to Dhaka on an ambulance without oxygen that caused her death,” Parveen said.
Asked about the case filed in connection with that accident, she said, “I do not follow the updates of the case as flawed laws regarding road accidents will eventually let the killer escape punishment.”
The BRTA has identified a long list of reasons for accidents including issuing fake driving licences, faulty road designs, and violation of traffic rules.
Tapan Kumar Sarker, director (enforcement) of BRTA, said he issued letters to the deputy commissioners of all districts who are also presidents of Road Safety Committees yesterday reminding them to take safety measures on the highways in their respective jurisdiction.
“We have issued such letters earlier. Today I reminded them again,” he said.
Of the total 11,806-kilometre highways — 7,641km national and 4,165km regional — a good number of spots on Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Chittagong and Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highways appear to be the most accident-prone.
Only on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, 141 people were killed and 176 injured in 251 accidents in the first half of this year. The number deaths and injuries is 35 and 24 in 50 crashes on Dhaka-Aricha Highway.
A good number of fatal accidents also occurred on the 80km stretch between Tangail and Bangabandhu Bridge.
Accidents often take place in Daudkandi, Shahidnagar, Hasanpur, Papiarmur, Iliasganj, Gumta, Raipur, Mathail, Chandina, Soagati, Amangandha, Peuri, Lemua Bridge, Fagirpur, Mithachar, Sonapahar and Kumira on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, in Muljan, Golora Nayadingi, Uthuly, Baniajhuri, Pakuria and Joka on Dhaka-Aricha Highway, and in Charpara, Kodin Dhalla, Shavulla, Pakulla, Karatipara, Baiyakhola and Ghaninda Bypass from Mirzapur to Bangabandhu Bridge.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mohammad Sohrab Hossain told The Daily Star the standard jurisdiction for a highways police station is 60km, but many such stations or outposts have around 160km-long stretch.
Besides, those stations and outposts badly suffer from manpower and logistics crises, he added.

Courtesy of The Daily Star