Experts for modernisation of road safety laws

Foreign and local road safety experts on Sunday said road safety-related laws in Bangladesh should be modernised and strictly implemented.
In the inaugural programme of a two-day workshop at Hotel Sonargaon, they also said the authorities should register the actual number of road accident victims through regular follow-up of the incidents.
The workshop, titled Review of the Road Safety Legislations, was organised by the Directorate General of Health Services with expert support from World Health Organisation- regional office for South-East Asia.
The experts in the programme put forth different suggestions for the proposed Road Transport Act 2015 and the proposed Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Act 2015.
Patanjali Dev Nayar, WHO-SEARO regional adviser for disability, injury prevention and rehabilitation, said in Bangladesh one of the challenges for ensuring road safety was weak enforcement.
‘Have the law first, then enforce it,’ he said.
The authorities use statistics provided by the police but the actual number of road accident fatalities might not be reflected in the data as many victims might die much later on, either at home or at hospital under treatment.
Law Commission, Bangladesh senior research officer AM Julfiker Hayet said about half of the problems of road transport sector would be solved if the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1983 and the directives so far given by the High Court in this regard could be implemented.
Arun Mohan, a senior advocate from India, said it was surprising that in Bangladesh 42 per cent people died on road for hit-and-run cause.
He said the percentage indicated that the drivers in most cases thought if they would run from the spot, the law enforcers would not be able to catch them.
He also proposed introducing a special cadre designated for registering road transport accident numbers.
Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh executive director AKM Fazlur Rahman said trauma care could also be addressed through legislations.
Power and Participation Research Centre executive chairperson Hossain Zillur Rahman said in Bangladesh passenger rights got low priority in laws and policies.
He said there should be clear direction on how investigations should be done after accidents.
BRTA chairman Nazrul Islam said currently the proposed BRTA Act was at law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry for vetting.
The proposed RTA 2015 would likely to be placed at the winter session of the parliament, said officials.
The workshop was attended, among others, by DGHS’s line director (non communicable disease control) AHM Enayet Hussain, BRTA secretary Md Shawkat Ali, WBBT representative Maruf Rahman and representatives from WHO.

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