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Bull-bars and reckless drivers
We welcome the decision of the ministry concerned to order removal of bullbars from car bumpers in our cities. Unfortunately it took a tragic and horrifying end of a life to draw authorities' attention to the danger and risk of bull-bars (many wrongly call it bumpers) on motorised vehicles. There is misconception (created mainly by roadside workshops who manufacture them and inexperienced and untrained drivers) that it protects your car from the nicks and bruises you get from vehicles on the road. But the truth is that if you have an iron bar in front of your bumper, you can drive recklessly on the road and if you hit a car it is the other car that will be damaged, not yours.
Why do you need that rod in front of your car? Rarely does a car get hit from the front. And when it does it is usually due to the fault of both the drivers. Normally it is on the side that vehicles get scratched by other vehicles, usually by rickshaws. Many argue that an iron bar on your back bumper as on the front one will protect it if you get bashed from behind. But the truth is, if you have an iron bar on your back
bumper, you can drive in high speed on city roads and if you brake abruptly the bar will protect the back of your car and break the front of the car behind you. That is the main use of bull-bars on the back bumper of a car.
We feel that removal of bull-bars will make better and more careful drivers of us all who drive. They are weapons of reckless drivers. We thank the authorities for their decision to order removal of iron bars from vehicles.
A city dweller
Bara Magbazar, Dhaka
***
Though belated the govt has taken a right step to remove extra bumpers from cars.
A driver without an extra bumper in the car is bound to be more responsible and cautious. A driver having extra bumpers is prone to be reckless than those drivers having no bumpers in their cars.
Extra bumper culture has allowed many to develop various types of bumpers and most dangerous are the arrow-type bumpers which can tear off a transport very easily. It happened
with me once over the kanchpur bridge some time back -- we survived miraculously.
I sincerely welcome the move especially being a sufferer. Thanks to our government.
Mian
On e-mail
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I have read with interest the letters published on this subject in your news paper on July 6.
First of all we need to know the exact reasons of using such bumpers.In my view bumpers are fixed to protect ones car from the perils of rickshaws and other menace on the road.
The authorities should sit down and try to find out the real problems on the road and then come out with directives. Why was fixing of iron bumpers allowed in the first place? It cost money to fix and also to remove them.
Road accidents happen for many reasons. Now should we ban the use of wheels? No. So we better try to resolve the real problem first, which is control the issuance of driving licence.
Shahed Jamil
Motijheel, Dhaka
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Is there a good decision ever made in this country which did not create controversy?
In how many countries do you know people add iron bumpers in the cars? It has been scientifically proven that even the iron bumper fitted by the original manufacturers is unsafe and hazardous. In many developed countries such iron bumpers are illegal and require removal even it comes fitted with the vehicle.
Saving life is more important than safeguarding cars from dent and damage. People of our country probably do not think this way and we need to change this attitude. The removal of additional iron bumper is a good decision and deserves support from the responsible citizens. Government must give specific time limit (not more than ten days) for removal of these ugly bumpers and stop this footpath business.
Munim Chowdhury
Dhaka