Editorial
Reckless driving schools
They need disciplining
THE report that there has been a mushrooming of illegally run driving schools in the city is indeed a cause for concern. Traffic discipline is sadly missing in the streets of Dhaka and there is reason to believe that poorly trained drivers are responsible to a great extent for the chaotic traffic situation.
With more than 50,000 new vehicles taking to the street every year, there is a huge demand for drivers. And the driving schools are performing the valuable job of training the aspiring drivers. But the whole business has to be run within the framework of certain rules. The need for having such rules is being felt all the more acutely as the number of road accidents is increasing day by day. Of course, well-trained drivers having an adequate knowledge of traffic rules can play a vital role in reducing the number of accidents. But the truth of the matter is that there are only 10 registered driving schools in the city and they have very few qualified instructors. The result is that the learners can get the driving licence without knowing the traffic rules. The hazards associated with allowing people to drive without learning the basics are too obvious.
The driving schools usually use dilapidated vehicles while training the learners. So, they start with vehicles having no road-worthiness and this itself poses a risk to life and limbs aside from obstructing the learning process. This is happening despite the business being a booming one.
Apparently, there is nobody to oversee what is happening inside the driving schools. The BRTA is supposed to be the government agency in charge of framing and enforcing the rules to make sure that the drivers are trained properly. But its role has so far been rather ineffective--a point made clear by the rapid growth of illegally run driving schools.
It has been reported that the BRTA has chalked out a guideline for the driving schools, but the ground reality is that the guideline has few followers. So, non-enforcement of the rules is a major problem here. But the question is how could the violators of the rules go unpunished, particularly when the issue has a direct bearing on road safety? Callous indifference to such an important matter is inexplicable, to say the least. The BRTA has to ensure compliance with its rules on a priority basis. Road safety will ever remain an elusive goal unless things improve appreciably in this area.
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