Fatal failure of road safety enforcement!

Our highways have long been execution grounds. Yet, we feel frustrated to see the tragic news about the bus crash in our newspaper, which killed 12 people on the Natore-Pabna highway. Reportedly, the driver and his assistant were sleeping, leaving the steering at the hands of an unqualified supervisor to pilot the multi-tonne RP Special Paribahan bus. To worsen the situation, the vehicle had been operating with an expired fitness certificate since May 2026.
The supervisor driving the bus exposes a catastrophic failure of institutional oversight. In any other country, an unfit vehicle operating illegally for five months would be confiscated. However, in our country, it was allowed to operate on major highways and was manned by a crew that treated public safety as a private playground. It is not the first time; a bus driver and their helper played with people’s lives. It has been happening repeatedly, and authorities are routinely disregarding these incidents. Nowadays, some drivers seem to be openly boasting about them on social media platforms without any repercussions.
Moreover, the anarchy of our roads extends far beyond drivers’ seats. Most of our highways have been transformed into obstacle courses by administrative failure. Local authorities have been seen disregarding illegal makeshift shops encroaching directly onto high-speed lanes. A complete lack of pedestrian infrastructure has led people to jaywalk recklessly across major roads.
Our government’s response to these carnages follows a predictable script; history has shown us that. Remember the student-led protest of 2018, when the government enacted the Road Transport Act 2018. The moment the transport operators weaponised nationwide strikes, the government systematically capitulated.
However, there is no alternative to enforcing stricter policies if reckless driving and highway slaughter are to end. So, the authorities concerned must hold drivers and their crews criminally liable for their actions. It should also hold transport owners criminally liable as co-conspirators in fatal crashes if they knowingly put unfit vehicles into service and employ unskilled crews. Our authorities must immediately evict all illegal commercial structures and makeshift shops from highway shoulders. It should also construct adequate overpasses and barricades to eliminate mid-block street crossings and introduce strict jaywalking penalties.
Laws without uncompromising enforcement are merely condolences written in advance of the next tragedy. Our policymakers must enact and enforce strict laws, reclaim our highways and protect our citizens.