Youths demand the swift enactment of Road Safety Act

Staff Reporter :

Ahsania Mission Youth have demanded the urgent enactment of the “Road Safety Act” on the occasion of National Road Safety Day recently.

This demand was raised for Health and Wellbeing while participating in the national programme organised in front of the Roads and Highways Department in the capital. They emphasised that young people are among the most vulnerable groups of road users, and road crashes remain one of the leading causes of death among youths.

This year marks the ninth observance of National Road Safety Day. The theme for this year is “Standard Helmet and Safe Speed: Reduce Loss of Life and Property.”

Participating in the national rally and discussion meeting jointly organized by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the Roads and Highways Department, and the Road Transport and Highways Division, the youths further stated that to ensure everyone’s safety on the roads, a comprehensive Safe System Approach must be adopted-through the formulation and proper implementation of a Road Safety Law.

They also mentioned that during the Global Ministerial Conference held this year in Morocco, the Bangladesh government pledged to ensure road safety for all by enacting the Road Safety Act by 2027, and to develop speed management guidelines and standard helmet usage guidelines by 2026.
The youths from Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing urged the government to swiftly implement these commitments.
Various statistics indicate that in recent years, most road crushes have involved motorcycles. One of the main reasons behind this is reckless speeding.
Nearly 43percent of road crashes are related to motorcycles, while 90percent of crushes occur due to the reckless attitude and speeding of drivers.
Therefore, agreeing with this year’s National Road Safety Day theme, the youths strongly urged the government to formulate the Road Safety Act and develop speed management guidelines without delay.