Most of the road accidents that exact a heavy toll are caused by unskilled, reckless driving. Moreover, the scale of lawlessness around licensing and driver competence represents a systemic failure. A large number of drivers operate without licences, with forged licences or with licences obtained through manipulation, while underage boys drive public vehicles on some of the busiest roads in Dhaka and other cities. The culture of learning to drive informally as ‘a helper’ from the age of about 12, without structured training, has produced a work force that is ill-equipped for the complexity of traffic in cities. Many having driving licences for only motorcycles also drive heavy vehicles in violation of the law. The road transport and bridges adviser admits the chaos and says that if all unqualified drivers are removed overnight, much of the transport system would grind to a halt. That may be true, but it reveals that the country has built its mobility on illegality. The outcome is reflected in the persistent loss of life. Whether one accepts the higher WHO estimates or the government’s own figures, thousands die every year on the road.
The institutional shortcomings are equally troubling. The Road Transport Authority has repeatedly relaxed licensing requirements under pressure from transport owners and workers’ associations, yet even the lowered standards are widely ignored. Almost half of registered vehicles are reportedly driven by people without proper qualifications. The absence of adequate and accredited driving schools has left aspiring drivers with little alternative but to rely on informal apprenticeship. A two-day training programme for professional drivers, as previously offered by the Road Transport Authority, was inadequate. The plan to provide a 60-hour course is a welcome step, but it will mean little without strict assessment and effective oversight. Experts rightly say that unregulated driving and unenforced road rules are at the heart of the crisis and that regulation should not exist only on paper. Enforcement agencies need to be insulated from political and commercial pressure so that action against unlicensed and underage driving can become routine rather than an exception. At the same time, the authorities need to invest seriously in driver education, establishing, supporting and monitoring driving schools, standardising curricula and ensuring that licences are earned through competence, not connections or manipulation.
Road safety is not merely a transport issue. It is a measure of how much a society values human life. Realising the impact of unskilled driving, the authorities should, therefore, attend to the issue earnestly and immediately. Phasing out unqualified drivers, expanding credible training and ending the culture of impunity will be politically difficult and economically disruptive in the short term. But, the alternative is to continue accepting daily death and injury as normal.
