Awareness about reckless driving must for road safety

Providing adequate training to drivers and making them aware of reckless driving, illegal overtaking and crossing speed limit are crucial to reduce the number of road accidents, said experts at a roundtable in the capital yesterday.

They also stressed the need for ensuring punishment for the traffic rule violators, improving the conditions of roads and highways and reducing load from those by promoting other means of transportation such as the railways and waterways.

The daily Prothom Alo organised the roundtable titled “Demand for effective initiative to prevent road accident” in association with Brac, Nirapad Sarak Chai and Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) at the newspaper's office.

The speakers made several recommendations including proper working hours for transport workers and creating mass awareness to minimise such accidents.

They demanded that all the stakeholders, including government organisations and associations of transport owners and workers, must work together.

Addressing the event, Dr Moazzem Hossain, director of Accident Research Institute at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said sufficient training school for the drivers is a must.

He also emphasised enforcing fine for violating rules on highways, and ensuring emergency aid for the accident victims to reduce the growing number of casualties.

Ayubur Rahman Khan, former chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, stressed transport owners' role in preventing road accidents, and transparency in issuing driving licence.

Chittagong University Professor Dhali Al Mamun, who survived a road crash in 2011, termed most of the accidents murders as mismanagement and corruption play a role behind it.

Effective measures must be taken to curb deaths on roads, said the professor.

Dilu Rokiba, whose daughter was killed in a recent road accident, said, “There is no remedy to help me overcome the shock. How many deaths would I have to see?”

Acknowledging the allegations against drivers, Khandaker Enayetullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity, said they took various initiatives in this regard.

He also demanded punishment for the people who are responsible for poor quality of roads.

Stressing awareness among drivers, Nirapad Sarak Chai Chairman Ilias Kanchan said the number of deaths caused by road crashes can be reduced if motorbike riders use helmets.

Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and its Associate Editor Abdul Quayum, Highway Police Deputy Inspector General Atiqul Islam, CRP Founder Valerie Ann Taylor, Brac Director Ahmed Nazmul Hossain, BRTA Director Mahbub-E-Rabbani, and TraumaLink Director of Operations Esha Chowdhury also spoke among others.