Stop issuing licences to unskilled drivers

Unskilled drivers are mainly responsible for road crashes, they said, adding that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority can play a significant role in checking road accidents by not issuing licences to them.

They said many lives can also be saved if pedestrians can use footpaths freely, most of them now occupied by hawkers.

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Representatives from government, non-government and foreign organisations took part in the seminar on 'Road Safety' organised by the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) project under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB).

The objective of the project is to formulate a policy planning for the transport sector of Dhaka for the next 20 years. The seminar was held at the conference room of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).

David H Jarrett, team leader of the STP project, presented a paper on international road safety practice.

Road accidents in Bangladesh are causing a loss of Tk 39 billion each year which is about 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), said Brigadier (retd.) AHM Abdullah quoting a study of Transport Research Laboratory of UK.

The major reasons for road accidents are over speeding, overloading and overtaking, lack of knowledge on safe road use, lax enforcement of traffic laws, unskilled drivers, inappropriate road design and defective vehicles, he said.

Prof. M Anwar Hossain, former vice-chancellor of Islamic University of Technology, suggested setting up a strong national road safety council to reduce road accidents.

Mohi Uz Zaman Quazi, senior transport engineer, World Bank, Dr Rahamatullah, head, transport division of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, and Abu Naser Khan, general secretary, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, also spoke.