Road accidents are happening every day in different places in the country for not following the traffic rules. Experts said the cause is there is no penalty for disobeying the traffic rules and accidents. On the other hand, there are lots of excuses have come from changing the 70-year-old law about an accident. Charges, the matters of the approval of the draft of the law are buried on the pressure of Transport owners and workers association and some special groups.
It is known after a search that, in a trial, the responsible drivers in the accident are not charged with section 302. So it is claimed from several corridors to reconnect the law to the road accident and add a special clause. Yearly physical and psychological test of professional drivers should be mandatory, after an accident if prosecuted, convicted, he should have imprisoned for at least seven years and if an accident happens for taking drugs of the driver, he should have kept in jail for a lifetime. The responsibility of amendment to the draft of the law is on Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). Over the past few years, many officers have worked on it, but there is no progress in this matter.
According to law enforcement agencies, the grand alliance government takes a step to enact new traffic law increasing the penalties for the responsible drivers for the accident named ‘Road Transport and Traffic Law – 2012.' However, some corridors proposed death penalty of the responsible driver for the accident. But by ignoring the proposal, they decided to amend the act by giving provision of the highest five-year jail. Put on the pressure of several communities, correction factors are buried.
After the outbreak of deadly road accidents in the past on behalf of citizens and civil society, it’s demanded a death penalty as strict punishment for the responsible driver. However, in enacting new laws of automotive, draft ordinance in 1983 did not reflect the demands. After the pressure of a special group, the draft law is buried.
It’s known from the BRTA sources, on the draft, it is proposed for maximum five-year jail for the driver responsible for the accidental death of people. Compensation to the heirs of a person also killed has been referred. There is also a penalty for reckless driving, defective transport driving. If an accident happens for driving in an insane or abnormal condition or if the driver has a fake driving license, then he has to face severe punishment. However, the term of the punishment was three years at old law. And the fine is in the limitation of 10 thousand to one lakh taka.
Ministry of Communication provided the draft copy of the law of 301 pages to know public comment. They also sent copies to Transport owners and workers association and other related officials to receive feedback. After collecting feedback, they will do Addition – Deletion and send the final law to the cabinet for approval. But the initiative is still on paper.
On the condition of anonymity, a BRTA official said, there are one thousand and 434 sections in the draft. Of them, 198 are on different terms of punishment for the irregularities using the road. Not only motor-driven vehicles, but rickshaw or bicycles will also be punished by this law.
If no one dies in an accident, and serious injury occurs the driver will be punished by three-year jail or a minimum fine of taking five thousand to maximum 50 thousand. If anyone doesn’t get harmed or no area property gets damaged, then the driver will charge one-year jail and have to give a minimum two thousand to maximum 20 thousand taka fine. If an accident doesn’t happen, the law enforcement agencies can punish the driver by giving fine of maximum 10 thousand taka's for violation of the speed limit and dangerously reckless driving to that maximum one-year jail is also recommended.
For transporting, extra weight law enforcement agencies can find the maximum of 10 thousand taka's and can suspend the driving license and a vehicle route permit for a specific term. The draft of the Road Transport Act will be submitted to the cabinet for approval very soon, said BRTA Director Enforcement Md. Motiur Rahman. He said we are working including our Chairman on it for a long time. By abbreviating many issues that have brought into a stage.
A representative of this project and sub-manager (engineer) of BRTA said on condition of anonymity, “Road Transport and Traffic Law- 2012 drafts could be given much earlier for approval. But there was the pressure of Transport owner and the workers' association for some sections.
Seen on a spot at different points of the city, the city’s traffic system breaks down. Running vehicles are not complying the automatic traffic signal. Although the most point’s signal lights are effective traffic police controlling vehicles by hitting with the hand. And that’s why it takes longer than a few hours to cross 10-minute way. To prevent road accident the Ministry of Communication has stressed to make ‘Accident Law’ realistic and timely. The Communication Minister Obaidul Quader said the old law of punishment is being changed for the accident. Without ‘Field Test’ high-ranking officials will not be able to take a driving license.
In the context of approval of the draft of “Road Transport and Traffic Act- 2012” Nirapad Sarak Chai movement's founder, chairman Ilias Kanchan said, it has been hanging for a long time by saying that the law is being corrected. Now no one knows in which shelve the file is in the ministry. He said we had given several attachments from NISACHA when they sought the opinion to amend the law on online.
