Over 25,000 killed on roads in 3 years

Desk report: At least 25,120 people died in road accidents across the country in the past three and a half years, reports the daily star. This record suggests 20 people were killed in Bangladesh every day.
Another 62,482 people were injured in the road accidents that occured in the three and a half years, according to counting by Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (JKS) and the Accident Research Institute of BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology).
Reckless driving and excessive speed of vehicles in commensurate with road conditions were generally assigned as reasons for 90 per cent of the incidents.
The study concludes that most of the road crash victims, deceased and injured persons alike, were children, youth, and working force — groups that are considered earning members of the family as well as driving force of the national economy.
The two organisations have estimated the annual losses caused by the road crashes at around Tk 400 billion.
“The government neglects road safety issue. It does not consider the losses caused by road crashes and traffic congestion a serious national issue,” said Shamsul Hoque, a civil engineering teacher at BUET.
He also pointed out that the ministries concerned have neither concerns nor skilled manpower. “The problem cannot be resolved only by passing law. The entire process must be changed.”
The government, according to experts, is well informed of the prerequisites for safer roads as pledges were made time and again. The only problem is that the promises are just translated into reality doe to vbested interests, they added.
Between January 2015 and June 2018, the country saw as many as 18,732 road accidents, according to JKS study. The frequency of accidents was higher in 2015.
The figures of accidents were compiled from reports in 10 national dailies, 6 online dailies along with 6 local ones and several television.
Motorcycles were involved in the highest percentage of accidents — 34 of all. The percentage is 27.5 for trucks and covered vans, 25 per cent for buses, and 15 per cent for cars and microbuses, the study analysed.