The authorities need to take steps, and they need to do it fast.
To say that road accidents have become an almost habitual part of our daily life would be an understatement.
Not a day goes by without witnessing an accident either for ourselves or reading about it in the news.
The fact that 543 people including 81 children have been killed in the month of April of this year alone should be a testament to this fact.
In failing to make its roads safe, the nation has failed in ensuring the protection and safety of its citizens.
The key reason why these accidents keep on happening can be attributed to several factors.
The many unlicensed drivers who have proliferated throughout our streets most of the drivers of buses and minibuses don’t have licenses, and many of them are underage is one of them.
There is also the poor condition of the vehicles themselves, which causes the drivers to lose control frequently.
Last but not least, our roads are dangerous in themselves with their unplanned curves and lack of speed breakers, especially on the highways.
Bangladesh is making giant leaps in terms of its GDP growth, but if that is not reflected in our infrastructure, then all of that development and growth is meaningless.
One of the most vital parts of the infrastructure is our roads and highways.
If we cannot stop the blood of citizens from being spilled on them, all our GDP growth will be for naught.
The authorities need to take steps, and they need to do it fast. Unlicensed drivers have to be brought to justice.
The bus companies that employ such people and pay no attention to maintenance must be brought to book as well.
Overall, we need to take a long hard look at our roads and figure out how we can make them safer.