Saving those lives on the highway

What is most regrettable here is the lowering of guard when maximum caution was needed to avoid fatal accidents. And, some of the accidents took place as a result of sheer madness on the part of drivers. The death of 20 people at Savar has been attributed to a senseless race that the driver of the bus started with another vehicle.

The highways seem to go totally unguarded during festival holidays. The newly-inducted highway police are reported to have claimed a degree of success against crimes; but what arrangements are there to monitor the vehicles and, most importantly, to check overloading and speeding? The drivers are on their own and can do whatever they like once they reach the highways. The most worrying news is that many helpers take charge of vehicles on occasions as ramshackle vehicles creep back on to handle extra load passenger loads. All this might not sound strange in a society like ours, but is there anybody to carefully weigh the grave risks that passengers are exposed to in the process? The authorities concerned seem to be content with allowing things to remain where they are. It's the lives of people that are endangered and they will perhaps wake up to the danger when some of their kith and kin will have died in such accidents.

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During the festival time, special arrangements must be made to protect passengers from accidents, many of which could be averted if the drivers complied with traffic rules. It is obviously more than a matter of thinking routinely, or letting a slack in when maximum vigil would have been the expected response.

We express condolences to the bereaved families and demand that compensation be paid to them.