Road accidents, traffic jams cause loss of Tk 1.75 lakh crore annually: BUET

Road accidents and traffic jams in Dhaka cause a loss of Tk 1.75 lakh crore annually, which is five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), states experts from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Professor Mohammad Mahbub Alam Talukder of BUET’s Accident Research Institute (ARI) revealed the information while presenting an article at the concluding function of a training programme titled “Social Science Research Techniques for Transportation Planning and Road Safety” on Sunday. This was the sixth instalment of the training programme by ARI.

The country witnesses loss of Tk 70,000 crore per annum due to road accidents, which amounts to two per cent of the GDP. Besides, the country suffers a loss of Tk 1.5 thousand crores for the disturbance created by traffic congestion in the capital, which is three per cent of the GDP, said Prof Mahbub Alam Talukder.

Prodip Ranjan Chakraborty, secretary for the Ministry of Planning, urged researchers to emphasise ensuring road safety thorough research. “I want to see thorough research on these issues, and its findings to be presented at the executive committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) so that we can take actions to mitigate the road accidents,” said the secretary.

Satya Prasad Majumder, vice-chancellor of BUET, who presided over the programme, proposed several measures to mitigate the losses incurred due to road accidents. Firstly, he said, the government should establish a monitoring system to monitor the drivers’ credibility and performance. Secondly, he suggested, that the government should introduce a marking system for the drivers.

Suppose that a driver causes an accident; he will get a negative mark, and if the number goes below 40, his driving license should be revoked, the BUET VC stated. He also said that print and electronic media should promote different aspects of road safety so that drivers, passengers and all the people involved can be aware of the situation.

“If we can take these measures, I am certain that we can mitigate the casualties, losses, hurdles we face because of frequent road accidents,” the BUET VC said.

“We have pointed out 55 road-accident prone intersections and 42 mid-block through analysing crash data in a project. Of which, Hazardous Road Location (HRL) selected 12 intersections and 13 mid-block, and preparing designs to enhance safety and capacity of these places,” said

Dr SM Sohel Mahmud, an assistant professor of ARI.

Tanvir Siddique, an executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, urged the government to take scientific and technical measures to reduce road accidents. However, necessary policies need to be formulated for their proper implementation, he added.