Govt pushes road safety drive amid accident concerns
A majority of road accidents in Bangladesh are caused by unskilled drivers, defective vehicles and weak public awareness, alongside unsafe road-sharing practices involving different types of vehicles, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said.
He made the remarks while speaking at a road accident prevention and cheque distribution programme at the Rajbari Municipality auditorium, jointly organised by the district administration and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) on Sunday.
The minister pointed to recent tragic incidents, including a bus sinking at Daulatdia ferry terminal, saying that driver negligence, lack of proper training, reckless driving and unfit vehicles were key contributing factors.
He said the government is moving ahead with a Tk 2,800 crore road safety improvement project supported by the World Bank, aimed at reducing road accidents across the country.
Under the initiative, around 60,000 drivers will receive formal training, while nationwide programmes will include regular eye tests, blood pressure screening and drug detection checks for drivers to improve overall road discipline.
The minister urged both drivers and the public to exercise greater caution, stressing that enforcement measures alone would not be enough without public awareness and responsible behaviour on the roads.
State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Habibur Rashid said road safety has become an urgent national priority, adding that development efforts lose meaning if people are not safe on the roads.
He called for coordinated action and stricter discipline in transport management.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Cultural Affairs and Rajbari-1 MP Ali Newaz Mahmood Khaiyam emphasised the need for a second Padma Bridge on the Daulatdia–Paturia route to ease traffic pressure and reduce accidents.
He said long-standing demands for improved infrastructure in the region have gained momentum, noting that the proposed Padma Barrage project has already received approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The programme highlighted a growing government focus on combining infrastructure development, driver training and health screening to address Bangladesh’s persistent road safety challenges.
