Road safety remains elusive, law lopsided

Ease of new-era travels and road safety remain elusive in Bangladesh as the much-vaunted latest law looks lopsided and ramshackle transports, amateurist drivers, outmoded manual traffic controls pose avoidable risks.

These are cardinal ones among hazards that are responsible for loss of umpteen lives and staggering tolls in lost work hours as well as obnoxious air, noise and overall environmental pollution, studies and expert views say.

Lack of awareness of drivers and pedestrians, unsafe vehicles road conditions, reckless driving, and overall enforcement challenges of laws are also cited by analysts.

Notwithstanding the making of a latest law, the absence of a comprehensive law to ensure road safety remains a prime concern. Some of the road- safety measures are laid down in the Road Transport Act 2018 and rules made in 2022 which are deemed insufficient to check road-traffic crash and meet relevant targets of the UN-set Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) by 2030.

There is no denying that a legal framework is needed to address road-safety-management issues such as driver licencing, penalty scheme, automated enforcement and also the formation of a road-safety authority. Though absent in Bangladesh, neighbouring India has a separate road-safety authority to take care of the road-safety issues.

Through the formation of an authority and legislation, Bangladesh could bring discipline in unruly roads. Controlling over-speeding, ensuring correct use of helmets and other safety measures need a legal framework to enforce. Though proper implementation of law and non-functioning government authorities are one of the major concerns in Bangladesh, but having poor arrangement to ensure road safety is not a remedy as such. Against the backdrop of enormous development of road infrastructures, such as fly-overs, elevated expressway, bridges and culverts, it is necessary too to pay attention to road-safety measures as high incidence of accidents worries all.

Realizing the necessity of a comprehensive law and separate authority for road safety, international road-safety experts and advocacy organizations have started campaigning in the Asia-Pacific region to build awareness and draw attention of policymakers to the exigency.

In a recent presentation, Taifur Rahman, Manager of Global Road Safety Advocacy and Grants Programme of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), Geneva, said a full-fledged road-safety law could help reduce fatal crashes by setting speed limits, ensuring proper use of helmets, seat-belt, child restraints and thwarting drunk driving.

His presentation revealed data that a 5.0-percent cut in average speed can result in 30-percent reduction in the number of fatal crashes. Correct use of helmets on motorcycles also can reduce deaths by 40 per cent and severe injury by 70 per cent. Use of seat-belt in proper ways can cut deaths by up to 50 per cent for front-seat occupants and 75 per cent for rear-seat ones.

Also, use of child restraints can reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes by approximate 70 per cent among infants and between 54 and 80 per cent among young children. Enforcing drunk-driving laws can reduce road deaths by 20 per cent.

The data showed a ray of hope for the policymakers to minimize fatal crashes by making the safety rules mandatory with provisions of penalty. The simple move can save lives and reduce fatality due to road crash that rose alarmingly last year. The year 2022 saw the highest number of road accidents in eight years in Bangladesh. The Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh reported an 18.89-percent increase in road crashes, resulting in 27.43 per cent of the fatalities last year.

So, it is evident that, road crash became rampant in Bangladesh and is increasing day by day. However, it is not rare in developed countries, too, but at far lesser proportion. But, in South Asia, ratio of road crash is higher than that of western countries.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate showed, among the reported deaths, in per- 100,000 population, the proportion is 15.3 in Bangladesh, in India 22.6, and in Malaysia 23.6. However, the death rates are 12.4 per cent in the USA, 4.1 per cent in Japan and 2.7 per cent in Switzerland.

Alarmed by the death rates, the UN launched a Road-safety Strategy in 2019 aiming to reduce the number of road crashes by 50 per cent by 2030. The world body of nations adopted the First Decade of Action (2011-2020) and later second one for a timeframe starting from 2021 till 2030. It is a multi-sectoral and holistic approach to road-safety management for the UN member-countries. Road-safety management, safer vehicles, safer road users, post-crash response and safer driving environments are the five pillars of the strategy.

The Resolution notes "…the overwhelming majority of road- traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable and that, despite some improvements in many countries, including in developing countries, they remain a major public health and development problem that has broad social and economic consequences which, if unaddressed, may affect progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Decade of Action is underpinned by the Global Plan, which is the guide for governments to achieving the 2030 target."

Aligning with the UN resolution, the IFRC has joined hands with Bangladesh, to advocate and explain the importance of road-safety measures.

The world's largest humanitarian network, comprising 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is working to save lives, build community resilience and promote dignity around the world.

Such global move is appreciated by different quarters but prudent action from national front is imperative, too. Both government, civil society, social workers have to come forward to build awareness on road safety. However, news media remained active, as always, to cover road crash with due priority and also try to focus on the root cause of accident. "We also see formation of probe bodies by the government after each of the fatal road crashes to find out the reason. However, legal loopholes rarely come into the priority list while allegations are only made on reckless driving or faulty vehicles," says one of road-safety campaigners.

There is no denying that reckless driving causes serious road crash in Bangladesh. Underaged low-paid drivers try to save time and money and meet revenue targets given by the bus owners on intercity or long trip at the cost of human lives.

Pedestrians are the major victims of such reckless driving. They are compelled to walk on roads as pavements and footpaths remain occupied in most of the places in the capital city, Dhaka, in particular, with construction materials, makeshift shops, bikers and garbage.

Another concern is the plying of both motorised and non-motorised modes of transport in a road. Rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, vans, auto-rickshaws, and cars are seen plying the same road. For ensuring safe use of road, the government should enforce strict law disallowing such a mess.

In this context, enactment and enforcement of road-safety legislation, traffic rules, licencing requirements, road infrastructure and vehicle-safety features and technologies are the key aspects to be addressed for safe use of road.

Among the key aspects, the existing legislation, 'Road Transport Act', has several counts of lacking as it has no maximum limit for speed, drunk driving (implementation addressed in the rules), no guideline for helmet standard and so.

In this act, mandatory requirement of use of seat-belt for all passengers is absent too. There are no child restraints and no protection measures for vulnerable road users.

Also, there is no separate guideline for pedestrians till now though the draft for such regulations was prepared in early 2021. The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority prepared draft regulations titled 'Pedestrians' Safety Regulations'.

Nevertheless, absence of a dedicated authority is a reason behind the reluctance in addressing road-safety issues with due priority. The authority can frame action plan to reduce deaths and help in implementation of road-safety act, as proposed by the IFRC.

Both legislation and a dedicated authority are required to meet the global five standard measures for reduction in deaths and serious injuries in road crashes. Bangladesh would have to pay attention simultaneously to construction of road infrastructure and reduction in road-traffic crashes. International best practice could be followed to combat road accident as it is heading towards LDC graduation and higher development status.

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