Road fatalities

Economically disadvantaged communities are hardest hit by both direct costs and indirect costs of traffic accidents

According to a recent report by Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET, at least 40,000 people were killed and 60,000 others got crippled in road accidents across the country over the last five years. This indeed is an alarming development. These injuries and deaths have an immeasurable impact on the families affected, whose lives are often changed irrevocably by these tragedies, and on the communities in which these people lived and worked. Many millions more are left with disabilities or emotional scars that they carry for the rest of their lives.

As a matter of fact, traffic accidents have become very common in Bangladesh. Almost each day, there are reports of accidents, more often than not leading to fatalities. Although some better roads have been constructed, and are being made, owing to a lack of civic sense and inefficient traffic police system the number of road accidents is steadily increasing. Better economic facilities and a growing GDP have led to a significant rise in the number of motorists on road in the recent years.

This makes it increasingly important for the authorities concerned to devise a plan to curb such a situation. Especially in a mega metropolis like Dhaka, actions should be taken immediately. Causes behind road accidents should be identified and analysed for a productive approach towards curbing them.

Bangladesh is among the most hazardous countries in the world in terms of road safety. Road crashes occur frequently as trucks come into contact with other vehicles such as four-wheelers, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, carts, as well as pedestrians. Economically disadvantaged communities are hardest hit by both direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages that result from these injuries. At the national level, road traffic injuries result in considerable financial costs.

Even the most casual observer of the streets of the country would testify that the situation is absolute chaos. To many who fight their way through urban areas every day, it seems that the quality of the roads is perpetually deteriorating, the number and mix of vehicles constantly growing. The fact is that the country simply cannot defend the absence of a cost- and fuel-efficient public transport system anymore. People need to commute, and they shouldn’t have to totally rely on private transport to do so — just as they don’t in much of the developed world. But beyond that, once the country makes this a priority, the reality is that mass transit systems need to organically gel with the areas in which they have been set up.

 

Road fatalities

Economically disadvantaged communities are hardest hit by both direct costs and indirect costs of traffic accidents

According to a recent report by Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET, at least 40,000 people were killed and 60,000 others got crippled in road accidents across the country over the last five years. This indeed is an alarming development. These injuries and deaths have an immeasurable impact on the families affected, whose lives are often changed irrevocably by these tragedies, and on the communities in which these people lived and worked. Many millions more are left with disabilities or emotional scars that they carry for the rest of their lives. As a matter of fact, traffic accidents have become very common in Bangladesh. Almost each day, there are reports of accidents, more often than not leading to fatalities. Although some better roads have been constructed, and are being made, owing to a lack of civic sense and inefficient traffic police system the number of road accidents is steadily increasing. Better economic facilities and a growing GDP have led to a significant rise in the number of motorists on road in the recent years. This makes it increasingly important for the authorities concerned to devise a plan to curb such a situation. Especially in a mega metropolis like Dhaka, actions should be taken immediately. Causes behind road accidents should be identified and analysed for a productive approach towards curbing them. Bangladesh is among the most hazardous countries in the world in terms of road safety. Road crashes occur frequently as trucks come into contact with other vehicles such as four-wheelers, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, carts, as well as pedestrians. Economically disadvantaged communities are hardest hit by both direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages that result from these injuries. At the national level, road traffic injuries result in considerable financial costs. Even the most casual observer of the streets of the country would testify that the situation is absolute chaos. To many who fight their way through urban areas every day, it seems that the quality of the roads is perpetually deteriorating, the number and mix of vehicles constantly growing. The fact is that the country simply cannot defend the absence of a cost- and fuel-efficient public transport system anymore. People need to commute, and they shouldnt have to totally rely on private transport to do so just as they dont in much of the developed world. But beyond that, once the country makes this a priority, the reality is that mass transit systems need to organically gel with the areas in which they have been set up.