A committee formed by the government to probe road crashes recommended that motorcycles should be banned on national highways to reduce the number of accidents.
The recommendation was placed at a workshop to determine the steps to be taken to reduce traffic congestion and accidents during the upcoming Eid-al-Adha at the Road Transport and Highways Division on Sunday.
Most of the accidents that witnessed during Eid-ul-Fitr were motorcycle accidents. Apart from Eid, motorcycles are also responsible for most of the accidents on highways across the country, the committee said.
The committee blamed motorcycles as a major reason behind the rise in fatalities during the last Eid vacation.
As a result, the committee is considering a ban on motorcycles for at least three days before Eid-al-Adha, the meeting sources said.
However, they have expressed their opinion in favor of allowing motorcycles to run if the national highways have separate service lanes for motorcycles.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will take the final decision following the recommendation, added the source.
The committee found several reasons behind the accidents, including reckless driving, carrying passengers without wearing helmets on bikes, illegal and risky overtaking and violating traffic rules.
According to BRTA, at least 58 people were killed in around 56 road crashes took place across the country during the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation in 2021, while 106 people were killed and 156 were injured in 106 road accidents across the country during the last Eid vacation.
Other organizations, including Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity and Road Safety Foundation, portrayed a similar picture.
The BRTA chairman addressed motorcycles as a major reason behind most accidents during the last Eid. He also made several recommendations to minimize the number of accidents on national highways.