The recent launch of the Royal Enfield motorcycles in Bangladesh has created quite a stir among bike lovers. This launch followed the government's decision to lift restrictions on motorcycles with engine capacities exceeding 165cc to allow bikes up to 375cc. Since the launch of pre-bookings last Tuesday, reportedly thousands have been flocking to Royal Enfield's flagship showroom in Dhaka's Tejgaon area every day, eager to view the models and place pre-orders. The overwhelming response both in-person and online indicates a considerable excitement among motorcycle enthusiasts over the entry of a new motorcycle brand in the Bangladesh market.
But the question is, why is there such enthusiasm for higher engine capacity motorcycles when traffic congestion forces vehicles to move at snail's pace on city roads? More concerning is the fact that motorcycles are responsible for the highest number of road accidents and fatalities in the country. Experts have been calling for stricter regulations on the use of two-wheelers, yet the authorities are allowing the marketing of higher engine capacity bikes. How this will impact road safety has become a matter of grave concern.
Experts have long warned that two-wheeler motorbikes are at least 30 times more accident-prone than four-wheelers. While many Western countries and several Asian nations, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, have embraced bicycles as a safer alternative to motorbikes, the authorities concerned in Bangladesh remained indifferent. Instead of curbing the use of motorcycles, it is being allowed to proliferate, at a very high cost.
According to the Road Safety Foundation, Bangladesh saw approximately 5,485 road accidents in the first nine months of this year, which resulted in the deaths of 5,598 people and injuries to over 9,600 others. Among the fatalities, 1,924 people died in 2,041 motorcycle accidents, accounting for 34.36 per cent of the total number of deaths. The motorcycle accident rate stood at 37.21 per cent, the highest among all vehicle types. The Road Safety Foundation reports a 16 per cent increase in motorcycle accidents over the past five years, with fatalities rising by a staggering 54.81 per cent.
A study by the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) reveals that against every 10,000 motorcyclists in the country, 28.4 people die in accidents annually. Alarmingly, nearly 40 per cent of these victims are young adults aged between 24 and 30. The study conducted in cooperation with the World Bank showed that Bangladesh holds the unfortunate distinction of having the highest motorcycle-related death rate globally.
The rise in motorcycle accidents in Bangladesh can be attributed to several factors. One of the primary causes is the absence of dedicated motorcycle training centres. Most motorcyclists learn to ride informally, often from friends or relatives, who themselves had no proper training or professional instruction and within days they take to the streets with insufficient driving skills, safety practices, and knowledge of traffic rules. Then there is the issue of reckless, thrill-seeking driving, especially among young adults and minors. These riders not only endanger their own lives but also pose a serious threat to others.
Slack enforcement of traffic rules further compounds the problem. Approximately, there are 3.6 million motorcycles registered with BRTA across the country, including nearly one million in Dhaka alone. But only 2.6 million have motorcycle driving licenses. That means about 1.3 million motorcyclists, or about 35 per cent of riders are unlicensed. This unregulated, untrained segment of motorcyclists significantly contributes to the rise in accidents.
With the government's decision to increase the engine capacity limit to 375cc, the entry of Royal Enfield's historic 350cc motorcycles into the Bangladesh market is being hailed as a new era of biking in Bangladesh. Many other motorcycle manufacturers are also gearing up to introduce higher engine capacity models in the local market. It is, however, perplexing and borders on insanity when one takes into consideration that the number of motorcyclists dying on roads every year in Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world. Will not the 350cc motorcycles increase the death rate further? As statistics show many can't even handle the existing lower capacity motorbikes now. The introduction of higher-capacity motorcycles with increased speeds has the potential to further exacerbate this problem even on perfect roads, not to speak of those we have.
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