Rangpur: Nearly 8,000 people, mostly school students, die in road accidents every year across the country, police said.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Mohammad Tariqul Islam, Superintendent of Highway Police, Rangpur Region, shared these statistics at an awareness meeting on road safety and traffic laws with students of Fazilpur Bilateral High School.
During a power point presentation, he revealed the major reasons for these accidents, highlighting drivers' failure to follow traffic laws and the lack of awareness among students and pedestrians, particularly at road crossings. The presentation was part of a "Highway beat policing meeting to prevent road accidents" organized by the Highway Police Rangpur Region to educate school students about the causes of road accidents and the importance of road safety.
Islam urged students to be vigilant about road accident prevention, advising against riding motorcycles without a driving license and below the age of 18. He emphasized the active role of Highway Police in preventing accidents, urging school children to adhere to traffic rules both on highways and local roads.
Furthermore, he briefed students on traffic laws and motivated them to combat drugs and child marriage. The Highway Police also engaged with students, answering various questions.
Officer-in-Charge of Taraganj Highway Police Station Md Mostafizur Rahman, along with other local officials and the Principal of Fazilpur Bilateral High School, also addressed the gathering. More than 200 students and teachers participated in the event, expressing their desire for similar awareness programs across educational institutions in the Rangpur region. They committed to cooperating with the Highway Police to ensure safer highways.