A continuous tragedy

If the death of one person were a tragedy, what would we call the death of thousands on a yearly basis?

That is exactly what continues to happen -- year in, year out -- as a result of the chaotic traffic system that plagues our nation. 

This is a daily occurrence, as evidenced by the nine people who were killed in separate road accidents over the course of the weekend all across the nation with little to no consequence. 

It seems that, while we have continued to make progress, while we have continued to change the landscape of our nation, the one thing we have been unable to change is our traffic system which continues to take the lives of innocents without fail. 

Is it not unacceptable that, between January and June of this year alone, more than 2,000 people were killed in thousands of separate accidents? 

Unfortunately, it seems that it is not, and therein perhaps lies the greatest tragedy: That thousands of people have continued to die due to our patchwork traffic system with minimal consequences to reckless driving, and no consequences which lead to actual change in the way our traffic functions.

The problem has never been about legislation -- for written legislation exists with the specific aim to punish those who flout traffic laws and put the lives of people at risk.

However, when it comes to implementation and enforcement -- and the general populace needing to understand the consequences of their actions -- that is where Bangladesh lacks any sort of progress. 

This needs to change.

Motorists must be taught to behave better when behind the wheel, and the police must be incentivized to ensure that there is no impunity for traffic violations. 

That is the only way to ensure this continued tragedy comes to an end.