Despite several initiatives to curb road accidents and fatalities by the government, and its other stakeholders, 27 fresh “blackspots” have been identified in a decade across the country.
‘Blackspot’ refers to a place on a road that is considered to be dangerous because several accidents have happened there in the space of one year.
Such ‘blackspots’ have increased to 236 from 209 a decade ago, said Superintendent of Police (SP) (Operations and Especially Affairs) Md Anisuzzaman, from Highway Police Headquarters, Bangladesh.
The information has been shared in a consultation meeting, “High court Directives on Emergency Medical Services for Injured of Road Accident and Protection of Good Samaritans: Implementation and Way Forward,” organized by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST).
In 2009, the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) came up with a list of 209 blackspots across the country.
According to Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association (BPWA), road accidents increased by 11% in 2018 : 5,514 road accidents occurred last year and 4,979 happened in 2017.
Experts for emergency response at blackspots
Emergency medical services need to be ensured close to the “highway blackspots” so that the number of deaths can be reduced, said experts and various stakeholders.
They have urged increasing emergency medical services at hospitals and clinics near highway blackspots and increasing awareness among people, irrespective of profession and classes, and they should be given detailed information of the law regarding accidents.
“Emergency medical facilities need to be installed at clinics and hospitals near blackspots, so that the chance of saving the life of a victim increases,” said SP Md Anisuzzaman.
Treatment within ‘Golden Hour’
Terming the time between the occurrence of an accident and providing medical aid to a victim as the “Golden Hour,” Secretary, Legal Issues of Nirapod Sarak Chai, Barrister Sarkar M R Hasan, urged increasing the number of beds in hospitals located near highway Upazillas to ensure immediate treatment after victims are rescued from accident areas.
The “Golden Hour,” was first introduced at the close of World War II and the Korean conflict. Emergency military medical aid refers to a time period lasting for one hour following traumatic injury being sustained by a casualty or medical emergency, during which there is the highest possibility that prompt medical treatment could prevent death.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Zakia Sultana, said the ministry will consider taking an initiative to provide at least one ambulance at every highway police station so that the injured can get help as early as possible.
Protection of Good Samaritans
Emphasizing guidelines on the “Protection of Good Samaritans” sanctioned by the High Court, Advocate Barrister Anita Gazi Rahman said: “Public awareness is necessary regarding a law and its related guidelines, as many people do not approach to help victims because of legal issues.”
“Good Samaritans” means by-standers and passers-by who can provide help to the victims but cannot do so due to fear of legal consequences, harassment, and repeated police interrogation. Across the globe, there are practices of legislative protection for Good Samaritans, but we are yet to frame any institutional mechanism for their protection.
Last year, 5,514 road accidents claimed 7,221 lives and left 15,466 people injured.