Road Crash has become an epidemic all over Bangladesh. It is a national disaster. Not only people are dying but also the families of the victims are mourning. They are speechless after losing their relatives. Many people are constantly dying in road accidents. Thousands are being injured. Slow-moving vehicles have been banned on the highway. Dividers have been installed. Many bends in the highway have been straightened but there is no way to prevent road crash. There have been new laws. But even after that the road crashes did not stop. Five members of the same family were killed by a pickup vehicle while crossing the road on February 8 in Malumghat area of Chakaria upazila in Cox`s Bazar. Locals say the main reason for the crash was that the dviverot the pickup van cold not control its speed. Despite taking various measures, road crashes are happening every day across the country. The biggest limitation of drivers in our country is not having the required educational qualifications. Many of them are unable to understand modern road directions. As a result, crashes often happen. There are many crashes on the roads and highways of the sighs which are not called crash but murders. There is no reason to continue to claim that the loss of precious life in a road crash is just an accident. Many crashes happen by the drivers.
Many drivers drive day and night. Excessive fatigue and falling asleep while driving also cause many crashes. Again, many irregularities took place on the road, including driving by competition, talking on mobile phones while driving. Experts say that not driving at the right speed is also one of the causes of road crashes. Pedestrian deaths are highest on highways. According to an ARI study, 84 percent of all road accidents are caused by speeding. Accidents occur 67% on straight roads, the rest on the bends of the road. The speed of the vehicle on the straight path is also high. The study found that if a 30-kilometer vehicle pushes a person, it has a 95 percent chance of survival. If this speed is 40km, the probability of survival is 45 percent. And if the speed of the vehicle is 50 kilometers, the person who is hit has only 5 percent chance of survival. It is very important to control the speed of vehicles to prevent road crashes. Because when a vehicle goes at excessive speed, it loses control and gets into a terrible crash. Reckless speed is a major cause of road crashes. The speed limit of vehicles should be controlled by law to prevent road accidents. When everyone knows the causes of road crashes, why is it late to take action? If proper measures are taken, it will be possible to reduce crashes and save lives.

Author: Tarikul Islam, Advocacy Officer (Communication) Road Safety Project, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
E-mail: tarikul@amic.org.bd