As many as 119 lives have been lost on Dhaka city roads in 114 accidents from January to November 25 this year.
Road Safety Foundation, an organisation working to ensure safer roads, came up with the data in a new report on accidents that occurred on Dhaka city roads this year on Sunday.
According to the report, of the deceased 62 were passersby, 33 were motorcycle drivers and riders and 24 were passengers of other vehicles like bus, rickshaw, paddle van, auto van, etc.
A total of 172 vehicles were involved in these road crashes. Most of the accidents occurred at night, 34.21 percent to be precise, while 20.17 percent occurred around early morning, 18.42 percent in the later part of it and 14.03 percent in the afternoon, said the Road Safety Foundation.
Reasons of the accidents
Road Safety Foundation in its report mentioned 12 causes for the accidents that occurred in the city.
It said reckless speed, weak traffic management, unruly competition between bus workers to take passengers, having no bypass road for the city and allowing heavy goods-laden vehicles after 10 pm till morning made the city roads accident-prone.
While too much motorcycle movement, lack of speed monitoring system on flyovers, lack of quality public bus service and increased use of rickshaws, unplanned urbanization, and insufficient roads, lack of awareness, lack of usable foot-over bridges and underpasses at necessary places are also pointed as the reason for the road crashes.
Suggestions
RSF suggested decreasing the population of the capital city through decentralization of administration to reduce the number of accidents on roads.
It also suggested separate public transports according to the economic classes of the city dwellers to discourage movement in private vehicles.
Along with that, separate lanes for public transports, developing the traffic system, stopping extortion and corruption at the public transport sector, and proper implementation of the Road Safety Act, 2018 may decline the number of lives lost on the roads annually, said RSF.
Source: United News of Bangladesh