Country’s most highways and roads have become death traps for the travellers with deadly accidents occurring almost on a regular basis.
The trend in road crash death is becoming alarming across the country as a total of 105,338 people were killed and 149,847 were injured in 60,980 road accidents across the country between 2014 and September 2024, said the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity on Monday.
“The deadly frequent road crashes and chaos in the transport sector continued to occur throughout the country due to the mismanagement, irregularities, extortions, and corruption indulged in by some officials and employees of the Ministry of Road Transport, political leaders, extortionists, and dishonest cops over the past 11 years,” Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury told at a discussion meeting held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, marking the National Road Safety Day 2024.
He said the road transport sector in Bangladesh witnessed severe corruption, chaos, extortion and mismanagement during the past decade under the Awami League's rule.
Mozammel Haque specifically pointed out that during Obaidul Quader’s tenure as the minister, lawlessness, irregularities, corruption and extortion in the transport sector increased manifold.
Even after the change of government following the student and public protests, the Ministry of Road Transport and policymakers at the BRTA have continued the fascist practices that plagued the previous regime.
During the event, he said, "No effective measures have been taken to reduce passenger fares or establish order in the roads. To resolve the crisis in the transport sector, comprehensive reforms are needed, and for this, it is essential to form a reform commission for the transport sector."
The grim statistics were further elaborated by Mozammel Haque, who said that over the past 11 years, 88,127 vehicles were involved in road accidents, including 20,549 trucks, pickups, and lorries, 20,124 motorcycles, and 15,301 buses.
He said accidents occurred on national highways (31.76%), regional highways (37.59%), and feeder roads (22.54%).
Haque also mentioned that the association has faced pressure from the Awami League government when publishing their road accident reports.
He alleged that they were subjected to lawsuits, attacks, and harassment for exposing the grim reality of road accidents under the current regime.
In the wake of alarming trend of fatal road crash, the government, different non-government organisations, and universities have organised various programmes like seminars, symposiums, workshops and discussions to prevent such fatal road accidents, the speakers said.
Besides, the print and electronic media also continued running stories and editorials that how and in what way we all could take forward the road safety activities for the sake of the country’s development and progress, they added.
The immediate past government extended the network of highways to 21,302,08 kilometers, upgraded 453,07 kilometers of national highways to four-lane, constructed or reconstructed 1209 bridges, 5581 culverts, 18 flyovers or overpasses and 27 underpasses.
But reckless driving, poor traffic management, movement of unfit and slow pace vehicles on highways, semiskilled drivers and lack of their physical and mental fitness, undetermined working hours, lack of capability of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, lack of awareness on traffic rules, extortion in the transport sector are contributing to occur road accidents in the country.
People who travel from one place to another by road or highway feel they are not safe.
The participants in the discussion said the government and owners of transport have to take effective steps for the skill development of drivers, fixing their wages and working hours, enhancing BRTA’s capacity, constructing separate roads for slow paced vehicles, and dividers on roads to decrease the number of accidents.
Besides, developing the traffic system, stopping extortion of money and corruption in the transport sector, reducing pressure on roads by improving the services on railways and waterways, and enforcement of the Road Safety Act, 2018 are a must to reduce the number of road accidents, they added.
Talking to Bangladesh Post the experts said the country is witnessing fatal motorcycle mishaps and many people mostly young are dying every day on roads and highways due to lack of strict monitoring by the authorities concerned.
Motorcycle accident turns out to be as a reason for big worry right now.
Many motorcycles on the road and highways are raising the risks of accidents as there is a direct link between the number of motorcycles and road accidents.
With the increase of motorbikes on the roads and highways, the number of fatal accident is also increasing.
Unhealthy competition among especially the young motorcyclists, reckless driving, and violating traffic rules are responsible for the road crash.
