3,500 die in road crashes a year

Speakers at a seminar yesterday said over 3,500 people die and 5,000 others get injured in road accidents every year in the country.
The accidents also cause a loss of over Tk 4,000 crore a year, they said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) organised the seminar styled 'Safe roads is the right of all' at Rajarbagh Police Lines auditorium in the city.
The speakers blamed the drivers for the accidents, saying that most drivers violate traffic rules as they do not have knowledge of them.
Presided over by Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Jasim Uddin, the seminar was attended by DMP Commissioner Naim Ahmed as the chief guest and Deputy Inspector General (DIG-Highway) Sohrab Hossain as the special guest.
Leaders of different bus companies also took part in the seminar.
DMP commissioner said the drivers do not bother the traffic rules that result in the accidents very often, adding that police would take punitive measures against those who would illegally overtake and violate the rules.
DIG-Highway said there is no agency in the country to make the driver conscious. So, the owners should take effective measures in this regard.
The speakers noted that highest number of accidents take place in Bangladesh.