Dhaka, June 22 (V7N) — Every year, approximately 1.19 million people worldwide lose their lives in road accidents. Alarmingly, 92 percent of these fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, with more than half of the deaths involving pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

These facts were presented by Sharmin Rahman, Road Safety Project Coordinator of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Health Sector, during a discussion titled “Road Safety Law: A Need for All” held on Sunday at Shyamoli, Dhaka.

According to Sharmin Rahman, based on World Health Organization (WHO) data, Bangladesh ranks 106th out of 183 countries most affected by road crashes. She emphasized that without enacting and properly enforcing a comprehensive road safety law, it is impossible to significantly reduce or prevent road crashes in the country. “A coordinated road safety law is urgently needed for everyone,” she said.

The discussion was moderated by journalist Shubhra Deb, and included participation from journalists Lion Muhammad Jahangir Alam, Jamiul Ahsan Shipu, and Imon Rahman, who spoke on the importance of strengthening road safety laws.

Panelists noted that the current Road Transport Act, 2018 and its regulations mainly focus on the transport sector and are insufficient to ensure overall road safety. Critical areas such as road infrastructure safety, vehicle safety, user safety, and post-crash management and care are inadequately addressed in the existing laws. Therefore, the panelists urged the enactment of a separate, comprehensive ‘Road Safety Law’ to effectively address all aspects of road safety.

Supporting this view, Mokhlesur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Health Sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, stated that the existing Road Transport Act 2018 and Road Transport Regulations 2022 primarily govern transport-related issues and are inadequate to curb road crashes. He emphasized the urgent need to draft and implement a coordinated road safety law considering the five pillars proposed by the United Nations. The five key pillars suggested by the UN include multimodal transport and land use planning; safe vehicles; safe road infrastructure; safe road users; and post-crash response and care.

This discussion highlights the critical need for legislative reforms to enhance road safety and reduce the heavy toll of road traffic injuries in Bangladesh.

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