Experts at a seminar said reckless driving is one of the leading causes of road accidents in the country as the transport sector is facing the shortage of skilled drivers.
Road accidents have increased at an alarming rate resulting in deaths and injuries of a huge number of people every year, they said this on Sunday while speaking at a seminar at the Council Bhaban of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the city.
Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET organized the seminar titled “Strategic Accident Reduction Programme (SARP): Joining Hands of Research and Realization.”
State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan, Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Ebne Alam Hasan and Chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Md Moshiur Rahman, among others, addressed the seminar with BUET Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Saiful Islam in the chair.
Director of ARI of BUET Prof Dr Moazzem Hossain presented the keynote paper in the seminar highlighting different aspects of road accidents.
Mannan said the government has constructed huge road infrastructures including flyovers and bridges to improve the road communication system in the country.
This improvement of road communication network is significantly contributing to the economic development in the country, he said adding, “We have to improve the overall traffic system creating skilled manpower and incorporating technology to stop road accidents.”
“Although we are facing a challenge to reduce road accidents, the government has been successful to reduce accidents on waterways in the country,” the state minister added.
Citing a research report of ARI, in his keynote paper, Prof Moazzem said over speed of vehicles is the main reason in case of 43 percent road accidents while it is the second cause in case of 31 percent road crash.
The study found that speed of vehicles exceeded 100 kilometer per hour in risky areas on roads and there was no effective monitoring system to check such reckless driving.
Referring to police reports, Prof Moazzem said 3000 road accidents take place every year in the country and 2700 people are killed and 2,400 injured in the road accidents during the same period of time. The estimated economic losses stand at Taka 40,000 crore per year, he added.
The government has set a target of reducing 50 percent road accident by 2020 to fulfill the target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said.
Other speakers stressed the need for motivation and awareness among the drivers to check reckless driving.
