Ilias Kanchan slams govt reluctance to reduce road accidents
“Many countries are successfully reducing road fatalities by enforcing road safety measures”
UNB
Film actor and chairman of Nirapod Sarak Chai (Nischa) Ilias Kanchan on Monday alleged that the government is reluctant about taking initiatives to reduce road accidents though road fatalities are rising at an alarming rate in the country, reports UNB.
Many countries are successfully reducing road fatalities by enforcing road safety measures, but our government is reluctant about that, he said.
Kanchan came up with the remarks at a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), marking the Road Safety Week, 2017 to be observed from May 8 to 14.
The Road Safety Week, 2017 will be observed in the country as elsewhere in the world with a focus on reducing vehicle speed to save the lives of people. This years theme of the week is Save Lives: # Slow Down.
Citing a UN report, Kanchan said a 5 per cent cut in vehicle speed on average can help reduce road crashes by 30 per cent.
Developed countries like the USA, Switzerland, and Australia have been able to reduce road traffic deaths to a tolerant level, Kanchan said.
Nischa has arranged elaborate programmes to mark the Road Safety Week across the country under the slogan Kill Speed, Not Lives.
The week long programmes include providing training to drivers in different districts like Dhaka, Chittagong and Feni, and holding rallies, meetings and seminars. Besides, 110 branches of Nichsa will arrange rallies, seminars and human chains in different districts and upazilas of the country, aiming to raise awareness about speed control of vehicles on roads to reduce deaths and injuries in road accidents.
