56% of road accident victims in Dhaka pedestrians

56 percent of road accident fatalities in the capital are pedestrians. In addition, 24 percent are motorcycle riders and 8 percent are rickshaw users. 80 percent of the deceased are men and the death rate is highest among those aged 20 to 49. More deaths occur on the roads at night than during the day. Reckless buses and trucks have been identified as the main reason behind these deaths.

This information was presented at a report presentation titled 'Road Safety Situation in Dhaka' at the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) meeting room on Tuesday (April 7). DNCC Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan unveiled the report.

The report was prepared by analyzing general diaries and cases registered at various police stations of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) with the technical assistance of international organization Vital Strategies under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) program.

BIGRS-Dhaka Surveillance Coordinator Dr. Tanvir Ibne Ali presented the summary of the report. He said that according to DMP records, a total of 540 people lost their lives in road accidents in Dhaka in 2022-2023. Of the deceased, 56 percent (303 people) were pedestrians, 24 percent (128 people) were motorcycle riders and 8 percent (41 people) were rickshaw users.

During that time, a maximum of 12 people were killed at Jatrabari intersection and Airport intersection, and 10 people were killed at Abdullahpur intersection. Of particular concern is the death of 67 people on just 8 kilometers of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway from Army Golf Club bus stand to Abdullahpur bus stand, an average of more than 8 lives per kilometer. He stressed on taking coordinated initiatives to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorcyclists, the most vulnerable road users.

DNCC Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan said that even though there is no traffic jam at night and there are fewer people on the road, the main reason for this is excessive speed of vehicles.

He also said that pedestrians are forced to walk on the road due to the encroachment or unusable sidewalks. He sought the cooperation of the city residents in protecting the sidewalks. He also called for the use of zebra crossings or footoverbridges instead of crossing the road at random.

The DNCC Administrator promised to make the risky roads and intersections identified in the report safer through new designs in coordination with the World Resources Institute.

DNCC Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman, Chief Engineer Brigadier General Syed Rakibul Hasan, Program Manager of BRAC Road Safety Program Khalid Mahmud, and Technical Advisor of Vital Strategies Aminul Islam Sujan also spoke at the event. BIGRS Coordinator Md. Abdul Wadud moderated the event.