About two weeks ago, a student named Sabikun Nahar Shashi was killed at a bus stand in Patuakhali. To describe her death merely as a “killing” would be an understatement; rather, her untimely death occurred because she became entangled in a reckless race between two buses.
After the incident, eyewitness accounts revealed a chilling picture—it emerged that at the bus stand, a passenger bus and an inter-district bus entered into a competition over who would depart first.
In such a situation, the student was crushed between the two buses, sustaining critical injuries and eventually losing her life. Truth be told, we have become disturbingly accustomed to witnessing such scenes on our roads for a long time now.
With pedestrians relegated to the role of helpless spectators, such accidents have almost become a routine sight on streets and highways.
Yesterday, a similar incident to that of Patuakhali occurred in Badda, the capital city. Once again, a life was lost due to bus racing—this time, that of a bank employee. The deceased, Abul Kashem, had stepped out of his office on urgent work and returned as a corpse.
In the Badda Link Road area, he lost his young life after being crushed between two speeding buses of Victor Paribahan and Raida Paribahan, which were racing recklessly.
Yesterday alone, in other parts of the country, several more lives were lost and fresh blood flowed on the roads. Where does this chain of negligence-induced accidents end?
The year 2026 itself began on blood-red roads, with nearly all the deaths being “avoidable” or caused by negligence. According to various reports, 16 people lost their lives in road accidents within the first 72 hours of the new year.
Moreover, toward the end of December and the beginning of the new year, news of major accidents emerged almost daily, with reckless speed and competition among vehicles being largely responsible. It seems we have truly grown used to this!
Otherwise, why has this unhealthy culture not stopped? The year 2025 was nothing short of terrifying for pedestrians—it witnessed the highest number of road accidents in the past decade. Yet even after this, competition among vehicles on the roads continues to increase, while passenger safety continues to decline.
As a result, innocent pedestrians are forced into helpless surrender before the frenzied speed of a class of reckless drivers.
Intellectuals often say that to understand how developed and disciplined a nation is, one must look at the condition of its roads and highways—observe how people move on the roads and how road management functions there.
At what stage has the condition of our highways reached? We have indeed made significant progress in road construction; but have we learned the “good habits” of using those roads? Do we keep any notion of “discipline” in mind while using the roads?
Does such a condition exist here? Moreover, despite knowing the causes behind the daily accidents and loss of life on the roads, are necessary and appropriate measures taken to stop them?
Rather, it seems that only when a “famous or high-profile” person dies in a road accident does public outcry arise and, in some cases, punishment is meted out to the culprits. But it is as if no one keeps track of the corpses of ordinary people. Can this continue?
Governments come and go, but the face of the roads does not change—this lament is an old one. Every government, despite making promises, conveniently forgets about reining in road accidents.
There is no alternative to personal awareness in preventing road casualties; but when two vehicles are engaged in reckless racing and come crashing toward one’s body, where can a pedestrian or passenger go? What is their fault?
In such cases, would it not be appropriate to ensure exemplary punishment for those involved and set a precedent? Laws to prevent road accidents do exist, but their exemplary enforcement does not—and this cannot go on.