3-wheeler accidents triple in a year

As the government fails to execute the ban on three-wheelers on highways and formulate regulatory guidelines, the illegal vehicles continue to take more lives.

The situation has turned so deadly that data compiled from media reports by Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Buet shows the number of road accidents involving three-wheelers tripled last year compared to 2020.

While there were 312 accidents involving three-wheelers in 2020, the number rose to 939 last year.

A total of 3,776 people were killed in 3,204 road crashes last year, while 3,558 people were killed in 3,064 incidents in 2020. However, the number is much lower in data published by two road safety organisations' on Saturday.

Amidst the publication of these reports, even yesterday, six people were killed and four were injured in two separate accidents involving three-wheelers in Bagerhat and Pabna.

In August 2015, the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry imposed a ban on three-wheelers on 22 major highways.

The High Court then ordered imposing a ban on these vehicles on highways across the country in January 2017.

According to section 46 (4) of the Road Transport Act-2018, no one is allowed to operate faulty, risky, banned or restricted vehicles on roads and highways or issue permission to operate them.

Nasimon, Karimon, Bhatbhati, easy-bikes, battery-run rickshaws and vans are specified as such vehicles under the section.

Despite the ban, these vehicles, lacking even half-decent braking capabilities, saw a phenomenal rise in the last few years, thanks to the backing of influential people.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on several occasions expressed helplessness over curbing such vehicles. According to him, when the authorities try to get them off the streets, local representatives get involved to create obstruction. The ministry, in June 2019, formed a 12-member committee to recommend measures of controlling these vehicles.

Following the recommendations made by the committee, the ministry in November last year prepared a draft regulatory guideline.

However, the draft is going through a lengthy process to be functional.

As the operation of public transport like buses, trains, launches remained suspended for a long time last year due to the pandemic, more three-wheelers came out on the highways to cater to the growing demands, resulting in more accidents, ARI's Director Prof Hadiuzzaman told this correspondent yesterday.

The authorities concerned did not stop importing the vehicles despite the ban in effect, hence the number reached around 40 lakhs now, he said.

Poor policy decisions like connecting and overlapping roads with highways are another major reason behind the rise of three-wheelers, he said. "The authorities have failed to solve the problem when it was easier. Now, it has turned into a major one."

Nazrul Islam, secretary of road transport and highways division, could not be contacted for comments.