Two types of motorcycles are commonly seen on the roads in Asian countries, including Bangladesh. One is fast and considered as sports bikes and the other is of relatively low-speed, the majority of which falls under the scooty category.
Although the scooty is seen capturing the market in other Asian countries, the scene is different in Bangladesh, where people opt for relatively faster motorcycles which are considered more prone to road crashes.
Under the current situation, the government wants to increase the use of the scooty to cut down on road crashes. At the same time it is considering restricting the use and production of motorcycles in the country.
A policy is reportedly being formulated to reduce road accidents by regulating motorcycle movement, encouraging safe use and use of less risky bikes alongside increasing awareness among riders.
The Motorcycle Movement Policy-2023 recently formulated by the government aims at reducing the use of fast bikes which will bring down the number of casualties in road crashes as well.
Officials said the policy is likely to get final approval soon.
A scooty is considered to be more comfortable, fuel-efficient and easy-to-maneuver. As motorcycle traffic in Dhaka and other major cities in the country has increased manifold in recent times, bike accidents are blamed for most of the accidents and casualties. This has been attributed to the reckless riding of motorcycles, tendency to overspeed, lack of understanding of risks, reluctance to obey the law and use of mobile phones while on the move.
As a result, the Road Transport and Highways Department has taken to the path of controlling the movement of motorcycles to improve existing road safety conditions.
Scooty, not sports bikes
The draft policy suggests tariff concessions to popularize scooters at the production, assembly and import levels. Running a campaign highlighting the benefits of the use of the scooty has also been mentioned there.
According to sector insiders, the use of motorcycles is high in various countries of the region, including neighboring India and Vietnam, most of which are scooters.
As a result, motorcycle traffic is high in those countries, but the number of accidents and casualties is low. The exact opposite picture can be seen in Bangladesh. Although there are fewer bikes in terms of population, accidents and fatalities are high in Bangladesh.
According to a recent study, there are about five crore motorcycles in Vietnam for 95 million people. Of these, there is a significant number of scooties.
In the case of Bangladesh, there are 170 million people and the number of motorcycles is about 40 lakh. Against 10 thousand bikes, 28 people died in accidents in Bangladesh, and four people died in Vietnam while the number is 9 for India, according to a recent study.
A study was conducted in 2021 by the Accident Research Institute of Buet with the support of the World Bank. It shows that among the 16 countries where motorcycles are highly used, Bangladesh tops the list of fatalities.
The data shows that 28.4 people die in accidents against every 10,000 motorcycles in the country every year. About 40% of those who die are between the ages of 24-30 years.
Shahnewaz Hasnat-e-Rabbi, assistant professor of Accident Research Institute, worked on the draft policy.
"The use of the scooty is much higher than sports motorcycles in other countries of the region compared to Bangladesh. It also reduces the number of accidents and casualties in those countries. It is the opposite in Bangladesh,” he said.
According to him, a majority of sports bike users in Bangladesh are young and have the tendency to take part in races with their vehicles.
Shahnewaz Hasnat-e-Rabbi says that generally the scooty is designed for low speed and safe travel across short distances.
The sports bikes are designed for fast and long-distance travel. In the draft policy, the maximum speed of motorcycles in cities has been suggested at 30kmph.
The policy will prohibit the sale and transfer of motorcycles to people without driving licences.
Motorcycles cannot be handed over to buyers without registration. At the time of handing over the motorcycle to the buyer, two helmets of BSTI approved quality shall be provided for driver and rider.
A nine-member committee headed by Joint Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Department Anisur Rahman prepared the draft policy. The committee includes representatives of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET), Roads and Highways Department and the Bangladesh Police.
Several members of the committee told Bangla Tribune on condition of anonymity that the use of motorcycles is increasing in the country due to various reasons. Many have started considering it as an alternative to public transport. Accidents and casualties have also increased as sports bikes are very popular here.