The National Road Safety Day will be observed across the country this year like past seven years today (Tuesday) amid a year-on-year uptrend in the numbers of fatalities and injuries in accidents.
The government has been observing the day since 2017 targeting to ensure road safe for vehicles and passengers but record shows that all indicators of number of accidents, fatalities and injuries continued to rise during the past seven years.
The Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) recorded that 105,338 people have died and 149,847 others have been injured in a total of 60,980 road accidents in the past 11 years since 2014.
It recorded the number of accidents at 39,539 from 2017 to 2023 with highest 6,261 in 2023 and lowest 4,891 in 2020.
The data, disclosed at a discussion on Monday, shows the number of deaths was recorded at 54,821 with highest 9,951 in 2022 and lowest 6,686 in 2020.
In the case of injuries, total number was recorded at 85,356.
The PWAB Amid the scenario, the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) will observe the day this year with the theme 'Commitment of students and people: be safe road for all' (Chhatro Janatar Ongikar Nirapad Sarak Hok Sobar).
A discussion on the road safety will be held at Osmani Smrity Milonayatan on Tuesday where Adviser to Road Transport and Bridge Ministry Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan will attend as the chief guest and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmood Sajib Bhuiyan will be present as special guest.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority will also hold a campaign programme at schools and publish special supplements.
Speakers at the PWAB discussion on 'Uncontrolled mismanagement on road: who is responsible' demanded formation of road sector reform commission to address the issues like corruption, mismanagement, extortion and anarchy during the Awami League government and bring back discipline on the streets.
PWAB general secretary Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury held the immediate past government's minister Obaidul Quader responsible for surging road accidents in the country and said total numbers of accidents and injuries will be higher as a majority of accidents were not published in the media.
The PWAB data also shows that in the accidents that occurred during the last 14 years, trucks, pickups, lorries and covered vans were responsible for 20,549 accidents, motorcycles for 20,124, buses for 15,301, human haulers like Nosimon, Karimon and Mohendra, tractors and Legunas for 8,215, battery-run rickshaws for 9,312, CNG auto-rickshaws for 9,044 and car-jeep-microbuses for 5582 accidents.
Data shows that 38 per cent road accidents occurred on regional highways followed by 32 per cent on the national highways.
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