Bangladesh’s road fatality numbers are some of the worst in the world, and losses resulting from traffic accidents amount to thousands of crores annually.
So Buet’s proposal, which claims it could cut down road accidents by half and prevent losses of up to Tk20,000 crore, deserves our attention.
The new project, titled “Speed Enforcement, Incident Detection, and Emergency System for Safer Bangladesh National Highways,” is a welcome initiative that the government should get behind.
With its aim to stop speeding and allow prompt rescue operations, it could play a major role reducing the number of fatalities on our roads and highways.
Bangladesh’s roads have long lacked the proper equipment and an organised system in place, unlike the developed countries of the world. As a result, our traffic is chaotic, unregulated, and dangerous.
This needs to change.
Projects such as this one are first amongst many steps we could take to make our roads safer for Bangladesh’s citizens.
With a speed monitoring camera installed every two kilometres, which will provide real time information to the authorities, this system also allows our law enforcement agencies to track down and nab perpetrators who flout traffic laws by speeding or dangerous overtaking.
Reckless driving is usually the biggest culprit, and time and again we have failed to properly hold accountable those who ply the roads and highways without a valid license, and the proper use of technology could change that.
A system such as this, if done right, could make travelling on the highways a hassle-free and safe experience, and prevent countless deaths in the future.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
