2% GDP lost in road accidents: Nirapad Sarak Chai kicks off month-long programme to raise awareness
The organisation has planned over 1,200 central and branch-level programmes.
Bangladesh loses 2% of its GDP due to road accidents, Road safety campaigner Nirapad Sarak Chai founding member Liton Ershad has said.
"To achieve the SDGs and reduce the 2% GDP loss caused by road accidents, we need commitment not only from the government but also from all political parties.
"We want road safety to feature in election manifestos," he said at an event at the National Press Club today (1 October) while announcing month-long nationwide programmes marking National Road Safety Day on 22 October.
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This year, Nirapad Sarak Chai has planned over 1,200 central and branch-level programmes, including training for teachers and drivers, awareness sessions in schools and colleges, road safety campaigns, rallies, poster distributions, helmet handouts, debates, essay competitions, documentary screenings, and prayer gatherings in memory of accident victims.
The organisation further demanded the swift enactment and enforcement of a comprehensive Road Safety Law, pointing out that existing legal measures remain limited.
It argued that implementing the globally recognised Safe System Approach could significantly reduce road fatalities in Bangladesh.
Speaking virtually from Canada, the organisation's Acting Chairman Mirajul Moin Joy updated reporters on the health condition of the organisation's founder, film actor Ilias Kanchan, and sought prayers for his recovery.
Nirapad Sarak Chai General Secretary SM Azad Hossain, Organising Secretary Abdur Rahman, and other central leaders were present at the event.
