Online Desk: A comprehensive road law will be passed in parliament soon to reduce the number of deaths in road accidents, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan says.

He said the new law analyses the responsibilities of drivers, assistants, transport owners, and transport agencies. It clarifies who will be responsible for what and what kind of penalties will be imposed for different types of negligence.

“We want to ensure that no more lives are lost in accidents,” he said.

He spoke at the biennial national rally of Nirapad Sarak Chai or We Demand Safe Roads, at the National Theatre Hall in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on Saturday.

The minister said, “According to BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority) data, 14 people die every day due to road accidents. Our records show that in 2023, there were 5,495 road accidents resulting in approximately 5,024 deaths and a similar number of injuries.”

Previously, the ‘Road Transport Act-2018’ was passed in parliament, providing a maximum of five years’ imprisonment for accidents caused by reckless driving.

This was in the backdrop of student protests demanding safer roads, following which the government took initiative to draft the law, increasing the punishment for accidents causing death to two years.

However, since the law’s enactment, it has faced strong opposition from transport owners and workers’ organisations. They argue that the penalties for accidents causing death under the new law are excessively harsh.

In March this year, the government agreed to reduce the penalties for various offenses for drivers and their assistants under an amendment to the Road Transport Act, which will now go through some procedural steps to be passed in parliament.

Home Minister Khan said the relevant ministries are working together to reduce road accidents and said, “An advanced city must have 25 percent of its area dedicated to roads. However, no city in our country meets this standard.

“The prime minister said in 2008 that we would free Dhaka from traffic jams. She mentioned metro rail, expressways, and flyovers, all of which are now available, and have significantly reduced traffic congestion. We want to reduce it further.”

He claimed that a lack of awareness is primarily to blame for road accidents, saying, “Many of us know the law, but do not follow it. Due to a lack of training for drivers, we want to put steering wheels in the hands of skilled drivers.

“We are also keeping an eye on vehicles without fitness, and various other factors, including drivers using mobile phones while driving.”

ABM Amin Ullah Noori, the secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, said: “We became cautious during the COVID-19 pandemic and dengue, but people are dying every day from road accidents. We never see the number go below ten. This year, the highest number was 37 deaths in one day. We all need to be careful and aware.”

The chairman of Nirapad Sarak Chai, actor Ilias Kanchan, presided over the rally. Members and workers from across the country joined in.

The rally was conducted by the organisation’s General Secretary SM Azad.

Among others, Nirapad Sarak Chai’s Joint General Secretary Gani Miah Babul and sponsor organisation Vista’s Managing Director Lokman Hossain Akash were present at the time.