Editorial
Picnic ends in tragedy
Safety on road still a low priority!
We express our deepest condolence at the death of 14 people in a road accident on their way to attend a picnic party at Cox's Bazar. The tragedy to occur while the workers were out to enjoy a holiday on the occasion of International Mother Language Day is heartrending indeed. The accident took place when the bus carrying about 50 garment workers from Chittagong met with a head on collision with a truck and hit a roadside electric pole. The live wire fell on the bus and set it on fire.
The accident once again points fingers at the relevant authorities that remain quite unconcerned at the recurrence of such incidences and loss of lives. There is hardly any vigilance, especially at night and early morning, to monitor speed limit, vehicle fitness and fitness of drivers who drive heavy vehicles on the highways. Reports of untrained young men driving recklessly and causing fatal accidents on roads and highways abound in the media but we see very little effort on the part of the authorities to address the situation with the required clout. Except for some occasional drives or observance of road safety weeks, there is hardly any result-oriented round-the-clock monitoring.
It needs to be mentioned that thousands of people in this country receive grievous injuries in road accidents and turn un-productive for life. They ultimately become emotional and economic liability on the family and thereby on society.
We hope the authorities concerned will launch an investigation to find out how the fatal accident happened on the important Cox's Bazar road and take immediate measures to bring the culprits before the court of law. We must not forget that millions of people travel by road on a daily basis therefore keeping the roads and journey safe for them should be the top priority for the relevant authorities. Give full effort to round up unfit drivers and vehicles to bring discipline and order on our roads and highways.
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