New road safety law in the works to curb accidents, fatalities

Infograph: TBS

The government is drafting a new road safety law based on the UN-endorsed Safe System Approach, aiming to reduce road crashes and related deaths in Bangladesh.

Sources involved in the process said the draft of the new law is nearly complete and places special emphasis on five key pillars of the Safe System model — safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and post-crash care.

Experts believe the law, once passed, could significantly reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries, while also lessening the financial burden on victims and their families.

According to sources at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), a committee led by Road Safety Wing Director Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas has been working for some time on preparing the legislation. 

The committee has already prepared a preliminary draft, which is currently under review by its members.

Professor Sohel Mahmud of the Accident Research Institute at BUET, who is a member of the drafting committee, told The Business Standard, "We've been working on this draft for a while. Recently, the government provided new guidelines, which we have incorporated. The draft is almost ready and will soon be submitted to the ministry for further action."

"The current Road Transport Act lacks clear instructions on speed management, pedestrian safety, and post-crash measures. These issues are being addressed in the new law, structured around the five pillars of the Safe System Approach," he added.

At the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakesh this February, Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser to the interim government on housing, public works, and industry, announced that a comprehensive road safety law would be enacted in Bangladesh by 2027. 

At the conference, he said the government has already started working on it. He also mentioned that the government aims to establish a centralised data-driven road safety database by 2026.

What is the Safe System Approach?

Under the Safe System Approach, it is acknowledged that human error is inevitable, but the goal is to ensure such mistakes do not lead to fatal consequences. 

This method takes an integrated view of road design, vehicle standards, driver and pedestrian behaviour, speed management, and post-crash emergency response. As a result, responsibility is clearly defined not just for drivers, but also for engineers, medical professionals, law enforcement, and all other stakeholders. 

Countries that have implemented this model have seen significant improvements in road safety outcomes.

Experts stress speed control

Professor Dr Abdul Awal Rizvi, an adviser to the Road Safety Injury and Prevention Programme at the National Heart Foundation and former director of NITOR, said, "Speed control is the most critical aspect of the Safe System Approach. Research shows that a 1% reduction in vehicle speed can reduce road injuries by 2%, serious injuries by 3%, and fatalities by 4%."

He added, "If a vehicle travels at 80 km/h, the chance of death in a crash is around 75%. But reducing the speed to 51 km/h lowers that risk by nearly 25%."

Highlighting the financial impact of the new law, Dr Rizvi said, "A study found that among those discharged after receiving treatment for road crash injuries in various hospitals across Bangladesh, 22.8% were pedestrians and 4.2% were cyclists.

"On average, they stayed 9 to 11 days in hospital, costing Tk18,000 to Tk27,000, which is a significant burden on low-income families."

"If the new law is implemented properly, it will not only save lives but also significantly reduce financial losses for individuals and the country as a whole," he added.

Attempts to reach BRTA Road Safety Wing Director Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas for comments regarding the next steps following the drafting of the law were unsuccessful. Phone calls and messages went unanswered, and he could not be reached at his office.

However, a senior BRTA official told TBS that once the draft is finalised, it will be sent to the law ministry for review. Afterwards, it will go through additional procedures before being enacted, either as an ordinance or through parliamentary approval.

To gather further details on the matter, multiple attempts were made to reach Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, adviser at the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, and Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haque, additional secretary at the Road Transport and Highways Division. 

However, despite repeated phone calls, their comments could not be obtained.