39,000 Killed in Road Accidents in 5 Years

A passenger welfare group called Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) estimates that during the previous five years, 28,299 road accidents in Bangladesh have resulted in at least 39,522 fatalities and 58,791 injuries.

According to a press statement issued by BJKS Secretary General Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury on Friday, 3,941 of them were students.

According to the statement, the administration apparently acknowledged all of the demonstrators' demands from the 2018 road safety protests, but none of them had been fulfilled in the previous five years. As a result, the number of fatalities on the roads every day is still very high.

On the fifth anniversary of the road safety movement, Mozammel Haque said: “Traffic wastes working hours. The uncontrolled rise of unfit vehicles, motorcycles, easy bikes, battery-run rickshaws and autorickshaws is due to the government's poor planning.”

“Despite hastily passing the new Road Transport Act, 2018 in response to the demands of the protesting students, the desired results in this sector remain elusive due to obstacles from transport owners and workers as well as the outdated implementation of the law,” he also added.

He said that a lack of appropriate leadership and research is the reason why the government is unable to assure road safety and discipline. 

The BJKS chairman also demanded that all fabricated charges brought against the students who were demonstrating and calling for safe roads be immediately dropped.