The number of disable people due to road accident increased alarmingly in last year, alongside with huge number of death incidents. The roads and highways are still not safe for the commuters.
Let’s look at the example of Veterinary physician Ali Hossain, 27. He was on his way from home to neighboring village. However, his motorcycle collided with a Nasiman (a local transport) and his left leg went under the bike. With serious wounds in his leg he was admitted to several hospitals including National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Dhaka. But, he wasn’t able to save the leg as it was cut off due to uncontrollable infection.
A Youngman like Ali Hossain had to accept the life of disability.
This was just one example of hundreds of disability incidents due to road accident. The number of people embracing disability is increasing alongside with death occurred from it. Earning people of many families are becoming disable in this way which leads to serious struggle of those families.
Last year, in road accident 6,284 people were died and 7,468 were wounded. Among this wounded people, 927 were female and 734 were children. In this period, the number of people died in accident in waterways was 159 and the number of wounded people was 192. Besides, 147 were died and 39 were injured in railroad accident.
Compared to last year, the percentage of motorcycle accident was increased to 21.17 percent this year, while the percentage of loss of life in this incident was increased by 19.28 percent. The information was revealed by Road Safety Foundation, who’s working on road safety issues. They got the information by analyzing data from nine national dailies, seven online news portals and some TV media.
According to the report of the organization, in the running year, 2,097 people were died in 2,003 motorbike accidents, while the number of injured people was 1,286.
A report on road accident was published last year by Passenger Welfare association. According to that report, each year around 80,000 people have to face disability due to road accident. So, each day on an average, 220 people are becoming disabled.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), each year around 13, 00,000 people die in road accident. The number is 24, 945 in Bangladesh. Among the dead and injured people, 67 percent is of age from 15 to 64.
According to the estimation of it, the amount of loss in GDP in Bangladesh due to the effect of road accident is 5.3%.
Passengers Welfare Association secretary general Md Mozammel Haque said, “The people who die in road accident are earning persons and their demises are affecting the national economy negatively. Their families are also suffering as the earning persons are becoming disabled.” According to ARI of BUET, the amount of this kind of loss is around Tk 1 lakh 9 thousand crore.
The experts think it’s necessary to make the roads and highways safe if we want to stop the rally of death. For this, they suggested to follow the safety measures determined by United Nations and strong law on road safety.
A seminar titled ‘World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’ was held at National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center organized by Road Safety Coalition of Bangladesh and National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Sunday. Manjuli Kazi, the wife of late noted journalist Mishuk Munir, was present at the seminar. She said, “The safety in roads can be ensured if law regarding roads and highway are implemented. However, the law hasn’t been activated yet as some high ups thinks it will go against them if the law is implemented.”
National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center director Dr Abdul Goni Mollah presided over the seminar where National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh secretary general and former National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Center director Professor Khandker Abdul Awal Rizvee was also present. He said, “Some term-based work plan are needed to made the roads secure. It necessary to return discipline in the roads of Dhaka and we have sufficient manpower to accomplish it.”
The road accident victim journalist Nikhil Bhadra said, “The victims of road accident have to suffer its consequence for the whole life. Those suffer much who isn’t well-off. So, in this circumstance, the government and the kind-hearted people of the society have to come forward to take some responsibilities.”
@The story was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on November 21, 2022 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque
