The country is witnessing fatal motorcycle mishaps and many people mostly young are dying every day on roads and highways due to lack of strict monitoring by the authorities concerned. A total of 830 people died in separate motorcycle accidents between January and April this year, says a study on Sunday.
It has been noticed that the use of motorcycles is becoming increasingly popular in the country because of poor public and private transportation systems. The sale of the two-wheelers has got momentum everywhere in the country due to the increased demand.
Hundreds of motorbikes have been spotted in the Shimulia and Paturia Ferry Ghats and on the roads and highways when thousands of people were leaving the capital city of Dhaka for their village homes during celebration of Eid. The highest number of motorcycles crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge during the eid journey.
The government should take prompt steps to
make roads and highways safe for motorcyclists
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) issued licences to about 36 lakh motorcycles so far. In 2015, the number of motorcycle registered in the country was about 15 lakh. But a large number of motorcycles, especially in the district and upazila levels, are not registered. Therefore, many motorbikes are still running without licences, making roads and highways more prone to disaster.
With the increase of motorbikes on the roads and highways, the number of fatal accident is also increasing. The authorities will have to take necessary measures to limit the movement of motorcycles blamed for causing the highest number of road traffic crashes and fatalities across the country.
The two-wheeler bikers are 30 times more accident-prone compared with four-wheeler. If the authorities cannot bring motorcycle plying on roads and highways under control, the situation will take a serious turn in coming days.
Apart from traffic police, the authorities concerned and local administrations will also have to take necessary measures to limit motorbike plying to prevent deadly road crashes. Therefore, the government should work on this burning issue immediately in order to make roads and highways safe and secured every day for the motorcyclists.