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Bangladesh, with an area of 144,000 sq. km, has a population of about 140 million. Within this densely populated area we have a road network of 1,40,000 km (including rural roads), which includes 99 national highways (length 3723 km), 135 regional highways(length 4832 km) and 592 district roads (length 13823 km), i.e. total 826 roads having a length of 22378 km under the Roads and Highways Department. In recent years a good number of roads have been constructed to ensure quick transportation of passengers, livestock and essential and perishable commodities. With the increase in population the number of vehicles has also increased and as of 31 December 2004 the number of category wise registered vehicles in the country were:
   1) Motor car-1,21,606; 2) Jeep/Station Wagon/ Microbus-5,1,074; 3) Taxi-11,472;
   4) Bus- 31,474; 5) Mini Bus- 33986; 6) Truck- 53958; 7) Auto-rickshaw/Tempo-107453; 8) Human Haller-1252; 9) Covered Van-581; 10) Motor Cycle-3,46283 and Others-26654 i.e total-785793.
   At the same time the category wise registered motor vehicles in Dhaka city up to 31st December, 2004 were: 1) Motor Car-92,600; 2) Jeep/St. Wagon/Microbus-34505; 3) Taxi-9892; 4) Bus-3393; 5) Minibus-7828; 6) Truck-21779; 7) Auto-rickshaw/ Auto Tempo-39460; 8) Human Haller-809; 9) Covered Van-527; 10) Motor-Cycle-127171 and others-13814 i.e total-351778.
   Almost every day, as we come to know from the media reports, road accidents are causing deaths and permanent disability to many people in Bangladesh. But, it seems that only a few are thinking about the issue and trying to find ways how effectively it can be addressed. Ironically, our shock absorber seems to be malfunctioning when it comes to addressing the issue of road accidents.
   One study shows that the yearly figures of crime related deaths and that of road accidents are almost equal. On the other hand, some of the grievously injured accident victims admitted to hospitals also die eventually. In most of these cases, the authorities, especially the police, do not update the statistics in their reports and as such sometimes the figures of annual road accident victims are higher than those of annual crime related cases.
   It is a common understanding that all the families of accident victims are affected by the loss of lives or sufferings sustained through injuries. If the victim is the head of the family or its main earning member, the whole family is ruined. In our system most road accident victims are deprived of insurance benefits that should accrue from the parties that caused the accidents. According to a research report of the UK Traffic Research Laboratory (TRL) on road accidents in Bangladesh, our annual loss in 2001-2002 was Tk. 4000 crore, which is equivalent to 1.5% of our GDP. It is obvious that no one can bring a dead person back to life. But only the investigator can find out the cause of an accident or the person or persons responsible for the offence. It is the first and foremost duty of the officer investigating a traffic accident.
   But, it has been observed that proper attention is not given by our investigators to unearth the different perspectives of road accidents. For example, in our existing system and procedure of Criminal Procedure Code (156 Cr. P.C) each and every murder case must be supervised by the officer-in-charge of the police station (if he is not I.O of the case), circle ASP and Additional SP/SP of the district/ unit. Even in some instances if the murder is political or otherwise important in nature, these cases are supervised by the Additional DIG, DIG, Additional IGP or IGP himself. But as a consultant of a road safety project (SRNDP, Southwest Road Network Development Project) my recent survey on some of the fatal road accident cases of the country including urban and rural police stations, it revealed that none of the above noted senior officers supervised a single fatal road accident case or submitted supervision note etc. providing guideline to the I.O of the road accident cases. Besides, during my survey it also transpired that the I.O investigated road accident cases in a very superficial way. Sometimes they failed to unearth the real clue or cause of the accident or they failed to secure the arrest of the driver of the vehicle responsible for causing road accident.
   Causes of Road Accidents
   Generally road accidents take place in our country for the following reasons. Accidents by single vehicle-a) loss of control, b) overturn due to loss of control for over loading or excessive speed, c) Hit a stationary vehicle on or off road, d) Hit a stationary vehicle and /or pedestrian(s) outside road, e) Hit an island and/or a sign post on the road, f) Hit an obstacle on or at the road.
   Accident by hitting the pedestrian-a) Pedestrian walking along the road in the direction of the traffic, b) Pedestrian walking along the road in opposite direction of the traffic, c) pedestrian crossing the road, d) Pedestrian(s) standing on/at the road, e) Pedestrian(s)/children(s) playing on or at the road, f) Hit and run.
   Accidents by hitting other users of the road-a) Bicycle accident, b) Accident with animal drawn carts, e) Falling passenger, f) With others.
   Accidents of the vehicle(s) plying in same direction-a) Side collision at the time of overtaking, b) Side swipe/collision at the time of lane change, c) Side-swipe at wrong lane usage, d) Nose-to-tail for not keeping prescribe distance, e) Nose-to-tail at the time of turning to the right or left, f) Side collision at the time of U-turn.
   Accidents at the time of proceeding the vehicle(s) towards junction-a) Both crossing, b) One vehicle turning from minor road, c) One vehicle turning from major road, d) Both vehicles turning.
   Accident for vehicle(s) coming from opposite direction-a) Head-on collision, b) head-on collision at the time of overtaking, c) Head-on collision during tuning, d) Head-on collision at U-turn, e) Side collision between vehicles in opposite directions.
   Besides the above, there are other causes of road accidents in our country, which are:— i) Driving vehicle(s) by less educated or totally uneducated driver or by using fake driving license, ii) Driving the vehicle(s) beyond the speed limit, iii) Defective road or roads which are not properly maintained or repaired, iv) Illegal traveling of passengers on bus-top or on loaded truck, v) Excessive or limitless load, vi) Defective vehicle(s) which are unfit to ply on road, vii) Lack of knowledge of all types of road users, viii) Lack of knowledge on road safety, ix) Plying vehicle(s) by violating the traffic rules, x) Poor enforcement of traffic rules or poor performance of the traffic police, xi) Lengthy procedure of investigation /trail system etc.
   For all the above points, RHD, BRTA, Police and other concerned agencies can play a vital role for reduction of accidents on the roads. But, practically, it is seen in our country that there is a big gap of co-ordination between these departments, though the Government have formed high powered committees, namely “National Road Safety Council (NRSC), “District Road Safety Committee” and “Metropolitan Road Safety Committee”, in which senior administrators of the country have been involved.
   It is known to all that police is the principal law enforcement agency of the country. Specially, the traffic police are responsible and at the same time they are responsible for better traffic management as well as enforcement of traffic laws and rules in both urban and rural areas of the country. But it is true that they perform below the desired level, as they are not properly trained and they are not equipped with minimum modern logistic or equipment. Road traffic accident investigation plays a big role on better traffic management. A successful road traffic accident investigator will be able to:-a) protect the accident scene and will examine it for physical evidences, b) identify different types of tyre marks and the source of score marks, c) prepare an accurate record of these marks and other salient features of the accident before the evidence disappears, d) prepare/produce a clear and accurate scale plan showing all important permanent details of the road layout , e) conduct test skids, f) interview/examine fresh witnesses as early as possible and should know when to seek other specialist help, g) fill-up prescribed accident report form, h) secure the arrest of driver in fault and i) submit final investigation report as quickly as possible.
   But unfortunately in our country very few I.Os are following these principle. Recently I surveyed a good number fatal road accident cases in both urban and rural police stations of the country. My observation revealed that most of the cases were investigated superficially or investigated without going in to the depth of the problem. A sometimes much time has been consumed by the I.O for completion of the investigation having minimum or no output.
   Foreign Concept
   It has been observed that some of the developed countries have upgraded their investigation system of traffic accident cases. In those countries several teams have been formed consisting one police officer (head of the team), vehicle specialist, physician, road specialist and physiologist. Sometimes they are allowed to co-opt any member for helping the investigation. After getting information of the occurrence of the accident, the team rushes to the accident spot as quickly as possible(sometimes in less than five minutes) and start their individual investigation work and submit report as quickly as possible mentioning factors involved, picture(s) of accident scene/victim(s)/damaged vehicle, statement of the witnesses, recommendation etc. In some of the developed countries they have modern technique and mechanism for measuring and detecting initial speed of the vehicle(s), friction, skid distance etc and accordingly person(s) or factor(s) responsible for the accidents are reflected in the report.
   The fatality rates of Japan, UK and U.S.A were much higher about 50/60 years ago.
   But, they were able to reduce their fatal
   accident rate through effective national planning, by improving the standard of their investigation etc.
   In the present context, I do not find any justification for following the old and outdated method of accident investigation in which the I.O is to write one hundred (sometimes more) pages of case diaries for one case, getting postmortem report of the victim after a considerable delay, spending unnecessary and excessive time for the completion of the investigation etc.
   We should not seat idle any more. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Nordic Development Fund, Finnroad Ltd. etc have already come in and invested funds and now Police, BRTA, RHD, NRSC, including our Government should take positive steps to reduce accidents and thus make our roads safer.
   The writer is retired deputy police adviser, DPKO, United Nations

A news item in the papers has grievously pained me. Well, being a common citizen of Bangladesh my pain should not amount to too much significance, especially as I do not belong to any group that has accumulated enormous wealth through questionable means and presently feign a respectable facade, nor have I access to power and influence through dubious measures. I am as common as a cucumber but as I have access to a newspaper column, courtesy of a good friend, why should not I tyrannise your patience, my captive readers? Otherwise I would not do justice to the sophisticated social practice of being exploitative and indecorous just because I am in a position to do so! Remember the doorkeepers of Dhaka Medical College Hospital? While you observed every Tomiz, Dick and Hari entering the premises with abandon, when out of propriety you asked for permission from the doorkeeper to enter the hallowed portals he somnolently guards, the answer would be an emphatic No! In fact, if he did not confront you with questions that bordered on issues of national security breaches, you might consider yourself lucky. However, there was nothing to be alarmed about — it was only the doorkeeper engaged in his tested income generating activities which Tomiz, Dick and Hari had justifiably employed; while you the child of an honest and educated upbringing failed to come to terms to, the highly effective and convenient practice of greasing palms on the plea of compromising ones ethics and values!
   So what is this grave news that troubles me and allows me to burden you with stories of the doing of doorkeepers and decency with oblique references to moral decrepitude on a higher plane?
   Is it the wholesale simultaneous bombing of the entire country and the grave consequences that will follow? I wish it was, but unfortunately it is not. I have somehow consoled myself that like tens of millions of my fellow countrymen, I am destined to live under the shadow of deadly bombs as long as ministers and the ruling elite remain secure with enhanced police escort paid by the taxpayers, and the opposition can afford expensive bulletproof cars. The mutual blame-game of the two ruling parties will continue till the memory and scars of victims and the people fade. Bombs have been blasted before and so far nothing has happened. To add farce to a national tragedy, you will find ministers and ruling party members organising public meetings and demanding the apprehension of the culprits responsible for the bombing. Are not these the same people entrusted with the responsibility to do it? Surely they do not expect the poor peanut vendor or the confused slum-dweller, who has no clue as to what is going on, to apprehend the culprits? On the other hand, you will find an opposition ready to blame the government at a moment’s notice. One is tempted to surmise that probably these people anxiously wait for such incidents so that they can blame the government. The opposition has every right to accuse the government of incompetence in handling the investigation of numerous unsolved murders; and even in certain high profile murder cases accuse it of complicacy as witnessed by the whole nation, but irresponsibly pointing accusing fingers prematurely trivializes their assigned role in governance. The opposition should act more judiciously.
   So, does the news concern the World Bank President’s recent visit to Dhaka? President Wolfowitz, as the international media informs us, was one of the architects of the American invasion of Baghdad and with all the blood that has been spilled on Iraqi soil, innocent or tainted, Iraqi or American, red warm blood of ordinary people with ordinary dreams, it is quite expected that the last thing the people of Bangladesh should expect from him is a compassionate understanding of their problems. However, I must confess that I surprised myself by grudgingly agreeing with what he had to say to our Honourable Finance Minister. He pinpointed corruption in governance and implied imposing compliance of measures to curb corruption as a conditionality for future funding. As far as I know, he is an educated and able administrator and surely understands that in countries like ours most people live in poverty while those who manage their funds prosper on poverty. Probably diplomatic norms prohibit it, but a hard nosed no-nonsense person like Dr. Wolfowitz must have been fuming inside when he met nattily dressed third world leaders brandishing designer outfits and expensive accessories while in reality they are nothing more than well dressed beggars devoid of any self respect. Otherwise, with such resilient hard-working people, a country of which every inch can be productively cultivated, with natural resources yet to be exploited and a resourceful enterprising populace who comprise a growing market, Bangladesh deserves not to remain impoverished. Badly monitored aid money that allows corrupt regimes to flourish harms and impedes the emergence of true democracy.
   In his previous role as Deputy Defence Secretary of the United States, Dr.Wolfowitz justified his actions in Baghdad in the name of restoration of democracy in Iraq. In his present role he has the tools and clout to expedite the process of democratisation in a host of countries like ours. He has rightfully identified the major impediment to development and hopefully he will judiciously pursue his present goal as the head of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. If he wavers or compromises like most of his predecessors, then he will simply be forgotten as most of his predecessors have been and only be remembered as the person responsible for bringing back young Americans home in body bags and brought death and destruction to the innocent women, children and men of Iraq. President Kennedy and President Johnson’s Defence Secretary Robert McNamara as President of the World Bank had the opportunity to redeem himself for his blunders in Vietnam, and it is a sad testimony of history that despite his personal brilliance he squandered his chance. Hopefully, Dr. Wolfowitz, an equally brilliant person, proves that he is a true champion of democracy as he claims, and will be able to balance American interests within the World Bank with the greater good of developing economies.
   So is this the much-vaunted news? I hope it was but I am afraid there is nothing novel about this news, just our everyday tale of governance, as it exists. The World Bank gives us aid, our government takes it, spends it and the finance minister stakes his efficiency and pride on his capacity to garner more aid, notwithstanding the irony that real efficiency on his part would result in our need to take lesser aid, an irony quite lost on our ruling polity. News on financial indiscretion is plain vanilla administrative news and I have stopped paining on it.
   The news that pains me is the heartless deprivation of the women members of Parliament (reserved seats). A report in a Bangla daily informs us that these MPs will not be eligible for duty-free cars during this tenure due to an order issued by the ministry of finance.
   On television I have personally witnessed the trials and tribulations, the jostling and shoving these women have endured in their frenzy to draw their nomination papers. I have heard how passionate and eager they are to serve the nation, if nominated by their respective parties. The papers have painstakingly traced the footsteps of some of the leading aspirants from their mufassil homes to the centre of power, their hours of waiting in ante-chambers of party mandarins, and their heart-wrenching appeals to ministers and party leaders to allow them to serve this nation, which they believe is in dire need of their services. Their plight has redefined altruism and given patriotism a new dimension. Even Oscar Wilde would have given a second thought when he coined the epigram, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel”, if he had met these earnest people so eager to assume public responsibility!
   So far I have taken the liberty to lead my respectful readers into sharing my cynicism on the deprivation of the reserved seat MPs and I believe I owe them an explanation. When I said this news pains me, despite my sarcasm I really meant it. Whether these ladies are worthy or not to be our lawmakers is irrelevant to me personally, however the pertinent issue arising from this news item has enormous administrative and governance implications. A Member of Parliament is a Member of Parliament irrespective of how they become one or whether they deserve to be one, especially in Bangladesh. If Members of Parliament are eligible for duty-free cars then there should not be any discrimination by inserting discriminatory clauses in official circulars. A common standard should govern an administrative principle and it should not be obfuscated by arbitrary measures. Good governance warrants simple, easily understandable and non-discriminatory stipulations. The more opaque and confusing an official order is, the avenue for mischief, manipulation and corruption is wider. Have you noticed that most official circulars issued by government departments are layered with so much confusion and open-ended stipulations that it is convenient to bribe an official than to be exposed to a process that can be harassing and hard to fathom? Have you noticed that most government duties or levies or for that matter simple outpatient tickets at government hospitals are fixed at such a rate, where you need changes that are neither available at the counter nor with you or in certain cases out of circulation? These measures are meant to legitimise and institutionalise corruption - and you don’t have to be the World Bank chief to understand it.
   I believe that the quality of governance of Bangladesh can be vastly improved by initiating simple citizen-friendly administrative measures without even jeopardizing the hopes, aspirations and insatiable appetite for wealth of our ruling class. Though morally it sounds compromising, it is prudent to factor in the existing reality. The ruling elite in Bangladesh operate under the misguided principle of a zero-sum game, where if the common man benefits they lose. Myopic political leadership coupled with a mediocre sycophantic administrative apparatus, which neither has the patience or management know-how to address issues of routine governance, has led us to such a state of affairs. Depriving the reserved seat members of Parliament duty free cars is just one of the myriad manifestations of a corpulent, inefficient administration in action which makes this news grievous and painful, not only for me but for all of us.
   E-mail: mhossain62@hotmail.com