The absence of proper road engineering, lack of awareness of road safety and a faulty traffic management system are to be blamed for the spike in road fatalities, said speakers at a seminar in the capital yesterday.
They said the transport sector saw no major progress over the past few years in spite of the marked rise in the number of deaths on the road as the sector is highly politicised.
The seminar styled “Road safety in Bangladesh: progress and challenges” was arranged by Brac.
It was shown in a presentation at the seminar that a total of 1,817 road accidents had been reported in the press last year, with 2,351 killed and 5,408 injured.
In 2013, 1,845 people were killed and 3,848 injured in 1,313 road crashes.
Speakers slammed the government for its claim that the number of road accidents had gradually gone down.
They said a total of 797 accidents had been reported from January to June this year, with 1,034 killed and 2,060 injured.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, Power and Participation Research Centre executive chairman and former adviser to the caretaker government, said the government had not yet succeeded in ensuring discipline in the sector.
“This is due to the fact that the sector is heavily politicised. But in economic terms, this sector is very prosperous if smooth operations can be ensured,” he said.
“The government has also failed to pass a motor vehicle act yet even after taking initiatives in 2012 because of pressure from beneficiary groups.”
Former director of the Accident Research Institute at Buet, Shamsul Hoque, said inquiries into the cause of some of the recent road accidents had revealed how poor condition of roads was leading to casualties alongside carelessness on the part of drivers.
“The high death tolls on roads can be reduced if Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) rigorously maintains procedures for issuing fitness certificates for vehicles,” he said.
Nirapad Sarak Chai Chairman Ilias kanchan stressed the need for stern enforcement of the motor vehicle act in order to reduce road accidents.
Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners Association President Faruk Talukder Sohel claimed that drivers want to be issued licences in accordance with the rules but the BRTA gets in the way. “That is the fault of BRTA officials.”
BRTA Director (enforcement) Bijoy Bhushan Paul said some inspectors had been suspended for issuing fitness certificates without comprehensive investigations.
“We also have manpower crisis that prevents us from executing our tasks properly. Besides, we have arranged some awareness programmes to reduce road crashes,” he added.
The seminar was moderated by Asif Saleh, senior director of Brac.