Eid journey and the need for safer roads

Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival for Muslims across the world, is just around the corner. Preparations have begun across Bangladesh to welcome this grand celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. For many, however, Eid is not just a grand celebration but also an occasion of going back to the ancestral homes and visiting parents, relatives and childhood friends.

In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, this annual movement is massive on scale. It is estimated that over 15 million people, most of them living in Dhaka and its adjacent neighbourhood for jobs or studies, will leave the capital during the Eid holidays. Eid journey begins days before main festival day and continues even after Eid as people return to work and studies from across the country. The movement of people puts Bangladesh's transportation system under severe stress on account of heavy rush.

However, beneath this celebration there is a sad and all-too-familiar fact. Scores of lives are lost on the highways and roads during Eid rush. According to passenger rights platform Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, at least 322 people were killed in 315 road accidents across the country while travelling during the Eid-ul-Fitr festival last year. For those who lost their near or dear ones in Eid journey, celebrations turned into mourning.

We all know this story too well. Congested roads, reckless driving, poorly maintained vehicles, driver fatigue-all these together or separately are a recipe for road mishaps.

Recognising these risks, the Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has made some suggestions to curb road accidents and minimise the trouble of road travellers. One of the important suggestions is that drivers of inter-district vehicles should not drive for more than four or five hours at a stretch in a day. It is because driving for long hours seriously affects their concentration and driving ability.

The commissioner has requested the owners of buses to appoint more drivers so that no one has to drive for more than the recommended time. This will undoubtedly reduce the number of accidents caused by driver fatigue. The commissioner has also suggested that no dilapidated buses be on the highway during the Eid rush.

The suggestions are both timely and important. We all know that during Eid rush drivers are pushed to their limits, driving for countless hours without adequate break. The drive to make as much money as possible during this travel season puts safety at the bottom of their priority list. The fatigue they suffer from driving long hours can cause them to react too slowly and make poor judgments. A mistake at highway speeds can be fatal.

Another trend we see during travel is the use of poorly maintained and often old buses. During Eid travel, some bus owners try to make as much money as they can by using their old and often unused buses. These are often not maintained properly and can break down during long trips. If a bus goes out of order on the road, it not only causes inconvenience but can also cause accidents.

Addressing these concerns is not only the responsibility of drivers. Regulatory agencies, transport owners, and travellers all have an important role to play to ensure that passengers are safe. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and police should conduct drives to keep unfit vehicles off the road and control speed of those on the street. Bus owners should give more importance to human lives than profit. They should take vehicle maintenance and driver scheduling very seriously. The awareness of the travellers is also crucial. They should choose safe transport, avoid crowded transport and speak up against reckless driving.

The Eid-ul-Fitr festival is about happiness and togetherness. No family deserves to lose its loved ones en route the festival.

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