Mass awareness vital for road safety

Massive public awareness, regular training for drivers and necessary infrastructure are the prime prerequisites for preventing road accidents.

There is no alternative to raising awareness among the public in general to prevent road accidents which is a matter of grave concern. Administrative officials and other stakeholders came up with the observation while addressing a meeting to mark the observation of National Road Safety Day 2021 .

Rajshahi Circle of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) Office jointly hosted the meeting at the latter’s conference hall. This year’s theme of the day is “Gatisima Mene Choli, Sarak Durghotona Rodh Kori” (Let us abide by speed limit, prevent road accident”.

DC Abdul Jalil and Civil Surgeon Dr Quiume Talukder addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively with Additional District Magistrate Sabiha Sultana in the chair.

Additional Superintendent of Police Abu Saleh Ashraf, Assistant Superintendent of Police Niaz Mehedi and Sharmin Akter, Sub Divisional Engineer of the Department of Roads and Highway Nahidur Rahman, BRTA Deputy Director Engineer Sheikh Ashrakur Rahman and local unit president of Nirapad Sarak Chai Advocate Towfique Ahsan also addressed the meeting.

The discussants unequivocally called for strict enforcement of traffic rules to reduce road accidents.

If the drivers drive their vehicles carefully the existing number of road accidents could be reduced to a greater extent.

Abdul Jalil told the meeting that the government has taken initiative to establish training institutes in each district to bring the drivers under training and refreshers training round the year.

Step has also been taken to incorporate the issue of road accidents and its causes and prevention in the course-curriculum besides other various programmes to reduce the country’s road accidents by 50 percent within the next 15 years, he added.

BRTA Deputy Director Engineer Ashrakur Rahman said the country experiences over 5,000 road accidents every year that claim over 4,000 lives and injure a huge number of people. Around 150 persons comprising government officials, human right activists, leaders of road transport workers and representatives of transport owners associations were present at the meeting.