Highways most prone to road crashes

Highways are the riskiest places for road crashes followed by road bends, bazaar areas, road crosses, and narrow roads, according to a study conducted by Brac Road Safety Programme.

And roads beside school areas are more prone to crashes at the beginning and end of school hours, putting countless students' lives at risk, it found.

Md Kamran Baset, associate professor at the Department of Public Health, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), disclosed the findings during a national seminar on "Road Safety Awareness Campaign" held by Brac and the World Bank in the capital's LGED headquarters in Agargaon yesterday.

The study was conducted on 1,600 students in 15 upazilas under 15 districts, along with locals, community leaders, police and other stakeholders.

Transport speed, plying on the wrong side, drivers' incompetency and addiction, and lack of road signs and signals are among the reasons for accidents, the study found.

To decrease the number of accidents, the study recommended launching an awareness campaign among the students and providing training facilities to drivers.

While addressing the seminar, LGED Chief Engineer Md Mohsin said most of the accidents occurred due to reckless driving and drivers' lack of awareness.

Highlighting the government's steps to stop road crashes, Mohsin urged the authorities concerned to bring all the drivers under the training facility and incorporate road-safety issues in textbooks.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Atiqa Islam underscored the need to ban illegal vehicles on highways and said they are working to evict illegal bazaars on highways.

She added that adequate street lights are needed along highways to tackle road accidents.

Ahmed Najmul Hussain, director of Brac Road Safety Programme; LGED's Additional Chief Engineer (Planning) Md Ali Akhtar Hossain; and RTIP-II Additional Financing Project Director of LGED Md Sohrab Ali, were present at the seminar.