Motorcycles account for 40pc of road accident casualties
Around 40 per cent of people killed in road accidents in the country in the last six months were victims of motorcycle crashes. In response, the government is going to take a number of decisions to cut motorcycles recklessly moving on highway. The authorities already temporarily banned motorcycles from crossing Padma Bridge.
Stakeholders, however, sees the government’s double standard policy in such a decision. The authorities on the one hand encouraged motorcycles by increasing availability while they did not make the highways friendly for the vehicle. Moreover, it is not possible to restrict motorcycles easily.
Analysing the data of Bangladesh Road Safety Foundation, it was learnt that a total of 3309 people were killed in road accident in the country between January and June. A total of 1313 or 39.67 per cent of the victims were either motorcycle drivers or pillion riders.
The organisation collected data from nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronics media.
According to the data, as many as 524 people were killed and 821 others injured in 467 road accidents across the country in June.
Of these, 204 people died in 197 motorbike accidents alone, which account for 38.93 per cent of the total fatalities.
Road Safety Foundation’s executive director Saidur Rahman told Prothom Alo that number of vehicles including motorcycles have increased in regional roads in line with development of regional roads. Moreover, people live nearer the regional roads which contributes of increased fatalities there.
According to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, number of registered motorcycles in the country is over 3.75 million as of June.
After Padma Bridge was open to public a day after its inauguration on 25 June, the motorbikes swarmed the bridge area. A motorcycle rider and a pillion were killed in road accident on the bridge that very day. The government banned motorbikes from using the bridge sine die on 27 June. Cabinet secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said there is no possibility of allowing motorcycles crossing through the Padma bridge before Eid. The government would reconsider allowing motorcycles only after installing speed guns and AI cameras on the bridge.
Director of Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Md Hadiuzzaman told Prothom Alo that policy failures are to blame for the increase in motorbike accident in the country.
He said the government is now planning to rein in motorbikes but they failed to do so in the case of rickshaws and three-wheelers.
Controlling motorbikes is not going to easy, the BUET professor added.
“The government encouraged motorbike sales by making it affordable but they did not make any separate lane for it. Motorbike has now become one of the main means of transportation and livelihood for many. It’s not easy control it. At first, there should be efficient drivers and motorbike-friendly roads,” he added.
In the last month, most of the motorcycle accidents took place in Dhaka where a total of 139 people were killed in 117 accidents. Sylhet division saw the least number of accidents.
Road Safety Foundation recommended taking decision to create skilled drivers, fixing salary and work hour of drivers, improving standard of railway and water transport and ensuring implementation of traffic rules.