The challenges before the interim government are unquestionably vast, but the issue of road safety is one where we have been lagging behind for too long now. Despite the nationwide movement by students in 2018 demanding safer roads, we still face an unacceptably high number of road traffic deaths and injuries each year.
We are looking to have significant reforms in the nation, yet the repeated loss of life on our roads represents a silent epidemic that continues to rob Bangladesh of arguably its most valuable asset -- its people.
Every week, without fail, there are multiple reports of people dying as a result of road accidents, the majority of which are entirely avoidable. Oftentimes, the victims of these crashes are disproportionately young -- these are the people who should be driving Bangladesh's economic and social progress but instead, see their lives being cut short or disrupted by preventable crashes.
The causes of these crashes remain the same -- reckless driving, lack of enforcement of traffic laws, poor road infrastructure, and oftentimes, drivers behind large vehicles such as trucks and buses who are simply unfit to be behind the wheel of such vehicles in the first place.
Safer roads are also not just a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity. The annual economic cost of road crashes in Bangladesh is estimated to be between 2-3% of GDP. Reducing these losses would free up significant resources for investment in other areas of development.
The previous administration had never quite taken the issue of road safety seriously enough. Now, with Sheikh Hasina’s government no longer in charge, and the desire to create a safer and better Bangladesh, the issue of road safety can no longer be an afterthought. It is time to take action to make our roads safer for all.
