95% of Ctg crash deaths caused by risky road users: Study
According to the research, 40% of the vehicles exceed the speed limit
Around 95% of the road accident deaths in the Chattogram City Corporation area were attributed to risky users of the roads such as pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists, revealed a recent research.
Out of 95 people killed in road crashes in the port city in 2021, 82% were pedestrians, 11% were motorcyclists, 2% were cyclists, and the remaining 5% were other vehicle users, according to a research conducted by Dr Shirin Wadhwaniya, an associate scientist at the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit.
Dr Shirin Wadhwaniya presented the findings of the "Roadside Observational Study" at a programme jointly organised by the Chattogram City Corporation and the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit with support from the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh on Wednesday.
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According to the research, 40% of the vehicles exceed the speed limit. The tendency to exceed the speed limit is the highest in the case of buses – 48%. The rate of proper helmet use among motorcyclists is only 68%, and that among the pillion riders is only 20%.
Only 15% of the private car users in the port city use seatbelts, while commercial vehicle users show no tendency of using seat belts at all. Only 3% of heavy vehicle drivers used seat belts. None of the vehicles used child-seats or child-restraints for the safety of child passengers, according to the research.
As part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit and their local partner Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh organised the research in Chattogram to monitor and assess the state of road safety there.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Faisal Mahmud said, "We are trying to keep the Chattogram roads safe and operational, but it is not possible for the traffic department alone to ensure road safety. Along with the police, all the stakeholders should come forward in this regard."
Kazi Burhan Uddin, road safety project manager of the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh, moderated the programme.
