Five years ago, in 2017, the government formally announced October 22 as the National Road Safety Day. It is also a recognition of the tireless campaign of film star and actor Ilias Kanchan to make the country's roads safe and secure for all. Twenty-nine years ago, his beloved wife, Jahanara Kanchan, died in a road crash. Following the tragedy, actor Kanchan founded an organisation named Nirapad Sarak Chai (we ask for safe roads) in December 1993. Since then, the organisation has been working through various programmes and activities to make all the stake-holders aware of the need to ensure safety of pedestrians, commuters, drivers and others on roads and highways.
Though the critical movement gets moral and social support, it also faces various obstacles. Bus and truck owners and workers have been resisting the campaign from the beginning. Their resistance turned into dirty politics in the last couple of years due to backing from certain powerful quarters. Kanchan has also faced threats to his life several times. The transport lobby, the roguish union to be precise has tried to defame Kanchan and his fellowers. They have also made a biased claim that the movement is intended to penalise the transport workers only.
However, the reality is different as demanding road safety is not intended to make transport workers entirely guilty of any road accident. Instead, the core idea is to create awareness among all the stakeholders to follow the traffic rules and regulations properly and put moral pressures on relevant law enforcement agencies to implement the road traffic act strictly.
Nevertheless, almost three decades of the untiring campaign is yet to bring an outcome worth celebrating to the disappointment of devoted Kanchan and his co-fighters. There is no denying that the country's road safety has not improved, although the government has differed with the fact. Death in road accident has become an everyday affair. Reckless driving coupled with a frequent breach of traffic rules on roads and highways is the main reason for these accidents. Unfortunately, it appears that nobody is there to look after this highly serious issue and do something really pragmatic to curb accidents.
According to the Bangladesh Road Safety Foundation's (RSF) annual report, at least 6,284 people died, and 7,468 others were injured in road accidents in 2021, compared to 5,431 people dead and 7,379 injured in road collisions in 2020.
So, a large number of people also suffer non-fatal injuries due to road accidents. In case of fatal injuries, most incur disabilities due to their injuries. Clearly, injuries due to road accidents cause severe economic losses to individuals, their families, and also to the entire nation. These losses increase from the cost of treatment to lost productivity for those who were killed or disabled by their injuries. Some family members also need to take time off from work or education to care for the injured one. Unfortunately, the problem is under-reported and widely ignored, which also undermines the fatality of road accidents in Bangladesh.
The movement initiated by Kanchan is thus quite relevant in the country, and the government needs to take it seriously. Different government bodies and agencies should work in a coordinated manner to reduce road accidents and make the roads safer. Building good road infrastructure is necessary, and the government has been doing so for the last decade. However, it is not sufficient unless these roads are made safe for all by taking necessary measures to that end.