Road accidents have been happening as the foremost stunning, undesirable, and unforeseen usual phenomenon that touches our hearts and soul with monstrous torment and distress. Road safety or safer life on streets is the looked-for way out that relates to the measures taken to decrease the chance of road traffic injuries and mortality rate due to road accidents. When the world is weighed down with the 50 million injuries followed by 1.35 deaths per year, it is basic that nations would execute measures to make streets more secure not as it were for car tenants, but moreover for helpless pedestrians such as people on foot, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Up to 5% of GDP is being lost as a result of road accidents; precisely 90% of deaths include people from lower and middle-income countries. Because of the striking global health burden caused by road accidents, safety on the road has been included within the 2030 Plan for Sustainable Development which is approved in September 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In the last two years, the
COVID-19 pandemic has altered people's living and working processes. However
the worldwide lockdown has been declared still fewer people have to commute by
public transports or travel on foot or bike for work, making them more
vulnerable to motor crashes; as a result, it may be too worth considering road
accidents as another health emergency, which has been noiselessly going on for
decades and now this is the 8th major cause for the deaths of world citizens of
all ages and alarmingly the 1st one for the children and young adults
worldwide. WHO estimated that in Bangladesh 15.3 deaths are occurring per
1,00,000 people per year whereas around 2400 deaths are reported annually.
According to the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads, and Railways
(NCPSRR), minimum of 61,512 people were slain, and 102,618 others were
traumatized in 55,141 road accidents from 2005 to 2017 and in 2018 at least
2,471 people died in 2,353 road accidents across the country in the previous
half of the year. Despite this pandemic situation, according to Bangladesh
Passengers Welfare Association's (BPWA) annual road accident monitoring report
for 2020 around 6,686 people lost their lives, and 8,600 were injured in a
total of 4,891 road accidents in 2020 in Bangladesh. It means on average,
coarsely 18 people were killed every day in road accidents across the country.
From the Bangladeshi perspective accidents on roads is a multifactorial issue
including over speeding, usage of drugs and alcohol, incompetency of the
drivers, lack of safety measures, poor implementation of traffic rules and
regulations, lack of awareness among the people. Among these over speeding is
one of the major factors especially when trading with the dichotomy of motion and
safety measures. Additionally, the World Health Organization concurs that
excessive and improper speed is the foremost cause of around one in every three
deadly crashes within the countries with higher rates of utilization of motor
vehicles. This information is the significant reason why most governments
consider speeding as a colossal issue for road safety. In this regards The
United Nations declares the 6th UN Global Traffic Safety Week, emphasizing the
slogan 'Streets for Life' that would be celebrated from 17th to 23rd May of
this year to establish 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits as the standard for
metropolises and communities worldwide and to bring in policy assurances at
local and national levels for ensuring alignment with SDGs as well.
The previous law stated that the
highest punishment for traffic law violation was two years of imprisonment,
whereas the least imprisonment term was one month. The maximum fine is Tk
5,000, and the least Tk 100. On the other hand beneath the Road Transport Act,
2018, the maximum fine is as much as Tk 5 lakh and the least fine is Tk 5,000.
Taking after the new fine chart, the sum of collected fines will be increased
essentially, in case the number of traffic rule violations remains the same.
Though the rules are updated it has some limitations and the regulations for
this new law are yet to be published so that the implementation of this law is
not that effective on the streets overall.
Nonetheless, policies that handle
the impacts of street traffic, and make secure environments for inclusive
transport choices have been initiated the steps for guaranteeing a safer life
on roads, the traffic police department still has a crucial role to play to
detect and clasp liable for over speeding and other issues. On the other hand,
enlightened people with diverse awareness messages for a safe life on roads and
exemplary punishment for violating traffic laws are the main areas that need to
be worked on thoroughly by the government as well. The citizens also have a
role to play in ensuring road safety through regular norms of the present
traffic law. If so altogether it will be very much possible to lower the
accidental incidents and ensure secure life on streets across the country.
Alongside the government, Dhaka
Ahsania Mission is partaking in different drives this year. This year
throughout the Global Road Safety Week-2021 (17th-23rd May) DAM has taken an
interest in social media solidarity with all the DAM health sector staff,
Bangladesh Police Force, and the children. Followed by these, on 23rd May a
virtual discussion program titled “Streets and Safe Life” was held with the
chief guest honorable minister Mr. Obaidul Quader, MP, Ministry of Road,
Transport and Bridge, Bangladesh. He said, “The government has taken
initiatives to amend the road transport act again”. He assured that the
government would look into the gaps of the present law that prevailed after the
discussion program, and would take the required steps.
Dr. Tasnim Mehbuba Bandhan
Advocacy Officer (Policy)
Health Sector
Dhaka Ahsania Mission
References:
2..The
Independent, 11th July, 2018. https://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/157331/2018-07-11
3.Dhaka
Tribune, 1st January, 2018
