Photo : TDM
Bangladesh is grappling with a mounting crisis of road accidents, resulting in a tragic loss of lives and injuries. The country has witnessed a disturbing surge in accidents, with the period between January and March of this year alone reporting a staggering 1,610 deaths in 1,519 road accidents, according to data compiled by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS), a passenger welfare organization.
During the recent Eid-ul-Azha vacation, a series of road accidents unfolded across the nation, claiming the lives of at least 40 people, while 60 others sustained injuries in separate incidents. The frequency of accidents during Eid-ul-Fitr earlier this year was equally distressing, as a total of 304 accidents led to the heartbreaking loss of 328 lives and left 565 individuals injured, based on data compiled by BJKS from media reports.
These tragic incidents shed light on the dire consequences of negligent driving and the failure to abide by traffic rules. Reckless behavior on the roads, combined with a lack of proper road safety measures, contributes significantly to the escalating number of accidents in Bangladesh.
Experts have identified two primary factors contributing to this crisis. Firstly, the indifferent attitudes of drivers and their disregard for traffic rules have perpetuated a culture of recklessness. Secondly, the ineffective implementation of the Road Transport Act of 2018 by the government has exacerbated the problem. The act's rules, which have remained dormant for four years, need urgent activation and enforcement to address the escalating road safety concerns, as highlighted by Ilias Kanchan, the founder of the road safety awareness movement called Nirapad Sharak Chai.
Statistics from BJKS indicate that during the 15-day period before and after Eid-ul-Azha in the preceding year, a distressing total of 398 lives were lost in 319 road crashes. These figures underscore the pressing need for substantial improvements in road safety measures and practices.
The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) reported that this year, from January to May, a total of 2,655 deaths and an undisclosed number of injuries occurred in road accidents across the country. The RSF further highlighted that in April alone, 201 people lost their lives in 191 motorcycle accidents, accounting for 40.44 percent of the total number of deaths during that month.
During the Eid rush, roads become particularly perilous as an influx of vehicles inundates the streets, catering to the high demand of returning home-goers. Despite last year's ban on motorcycles on highways during Eid, accidents involving motorcycles resulted in 131 deaths. However, this year, no restrictions on motorcycle movement on highways during Eid-ul-Fitr have been imposed.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, an economist and the chairman of the Safe Road and Transport Alliance, emphasized that despite the authorities' efforts to reduce accidents, the numbers continue to rise. He stated, "A lack of road safety measures has turned out to be a human catastrophe for Bangladesh, and its severity is increasing, instead of decreasing, over the years."
Here, the true number of the accidents and deaths may be larger as BJKS and RSF develop its report based on incidents reported in the media, where many accidents go unreported.
Around 1.20 crore people left Dhaka ahead of the Eid while around 4 crore people travelled from one district to another during this time and a range of mismanagements caused traffic congestion on highways, said Mozammel Hoque.
Highlighting of having no dividers in highway, Kazi Md Shifun Newaz, an assistant professor at Accident Research Institute of Buet, the government should build dividers on every road to avoid head-on collisions.
Drivers usually drive vehicles for eight to 10 days before Eid without any rest. This leads to reckless driving, resulting in crashes, he said, adding that the authorities should develop a roaster system for drivers to avoid the situation. Before Eid, drivers typically work eight to ten days straight without taking any breaks, resulting reckless driving, which causes collisions, he added.
END/TDM/ARS
