Four years after Bangladesh declared a National Road Safety Day to raise awareness, the rate of deaths in road accidents has remained almost unchanged amid a lack of skilled drivers, reports bdnews24.com.
More than half of the drivers do not even have licences, according to a group working for road safety.
Widespread protests erupted after the deaths of filmmaker Tareque Masud and ATN News CEO Mishuk Munier in 2011, and college students Abdul Karim Rajib and Dia Khanom Mim in 2018.
Over a month before Tareque and Mishuk's deaths, 43 school students and another man died after a mini-truck that was carrying them back from a football match crashed and toppled into a roadside pond in Chattogram's Mirsarai in one of the worst tragic road crashes in Bangladesh's history.
The drivers involved in these accidents were punished and the government changed the law, raising penalties for drivers for road crashes, but shocks and protests have ultimately brought little or no changes.
Film actor Ilias Kanchan launched Nirapad Sarak Chai, or We Want Safe Roads Movement, after losing his wife Jahanara Kanchan on Oct 22, 1993.
The government declared it National Road Safety Day in 2017. Government agencies and private organisations have been observing the day with various programmes since then.
But fatalities in road accidents increased in these years despite the efforts to raise awareness.
In 2016, police records show, 2,463 people died in 2,566 road accidents. The annual death toll increased to 2,513 in 2017 and 2,635 in 2018.
The toll nearly doubled to 4,138 in 2019. The victims that year included university student Abrar Hossain, whose death triggered large-scale protests in Dhaka.
Most of the accidents occurred on highways and the drivers fled in most cases.
UNB adds: Uber has partnered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in marking the National Road Safety Day 2021.
The 5th edition of the National Road Safety Day was held on Friday.
Echoing the theme 'Gotishima Mene Choli, Shorok Durghotona Rodh Kori', Uber reiterated the importance of road safety among riders and drivers on its platform.
During this week, Uber said it will help spread awareness about the cause among riders by placing placards with road safety messages in cars as well as sending in-app notifications to remind them of road safety protocols.
Uber has set up special branding at its driver centers and sent in-app messages to drivers on its platform urging them to take a pledge to help make the roads safer.
Commenting on the partnership, Armanur Rahman, Head of Bangladesh & East India, Uber, said, "We are pleased to partner with BRTA to support the National Road Safety Day. As a leading player in the transport sector, road safety is very important to Uber. We invested in technology-enabled and human solutions to ensure the safety of riders and drivers on the Uber platform, as well as other road users."
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