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Road safety - Realities & Challenges
The document discusses the critical road safety issues in Bangladesh, highlighting the alarming annual statistics of 1.24 million deaths and significant economic losses. It identifies key causal factors and presents a comprehensive research strategy that includes data analysis, stakeholder consultations, and field studies to assess the magnitude of road safety problems. The report concludes with recommendations for a national dialogue, improved road engineering, and community awareness programs to enhance road safety and mitigate future accidents.
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Road safety - Realities & Challenges
- 1. Road Safety inBangladesh Realities and Challenges Hossain Zillur Rahman Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC)
- 2. Why is roadsafety a major concern? • A new epidemic: 1.24 million annual deaths / 20-50 million non-fatal injuries • Consequences both humanitarian and economic 1-2% of GDP, 100 billion USD annual loss • Road fatalities are not inevitable 88 countries saw a drop while 87 saw a rise • Urgency of prioritizing 5 million lives can be saved annually through road safety measures
- 3. Research strategy • Scope •Assess magnitude of problem • Identify causal factors • Institutional landscape • Action priorities • Multi-disciplinary research team of experts and practitioners • Research strategy • In-depth analysis of official statistics • Review of international experiences • In-depth consultations with key stakeholders • Survey of drivers • Field research on four highway spots: Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Tangail
- 4. Vehicles and Roads Registeredvehicles (2010) Total 1624862 Cars/4-wheeled light vehicles 529215 Motorized 2/3 wheelers 975682 Heavy trucks 81561 Buses 38101 Source: Global Status Report on Road Safety, 2013 Length of road network, 2012 Total length 21365 km National highways 3580 km Regional highways 4276 km Zila & upazila roads 13509 km Source: Statistical yearbook, 2012
- 5. Magnitude of problem •Annual deaths 3137 (official statistics: average for 2002-2012) 5162 (2013: Nirapad sarak Chai; includes deaths en route and after release) • Fatality index (official statistics): - 20 deaths annually for each 10,000 vehicles (2011) - Decline from 75 deaths per 10,000 vehicles in 2000 • WHO: for each fatality, 20 non-fatal injuries • 3 Problems with data - Under-reporting - Non-fatal accidents ignored - No data on victim profile
- 6. Where do accidentsoccur? • Accident-prone districts Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla, Tangail, Sirajganj • 208 accident black spots (RHD list) • Accident-prone highway length: 57 km • Most accidents in congestion spots and inter- sections rather than isolated stretches
- 7. Accident-prone highway length 1.6 2.2 2.6 5.1 5.8 6.4 7.9 8.8 16.5 03 6 9 12 15 18 N3 Dhaka -Mymensingh N405 Bangabandhu Shetu (Jamuna Bridge) approach road N4 Gazipur-Tangail-Jamalpur N2 Dhaka-Sylhet N8 Daulatdia-Jhenaidah-Khulna N7 Nagarbari-Rajshahi N6 Nagarbari-Banglabandh N5 Dhaka-Aricha N1 Dhaka-Chittagong Highway Accident-prone length (km)
- 8. Classification of Accidentspots Bus stand, 40.90% Road inter-sections, 17.80% Bazar, 28.40% Others, 13.00%
- 9. Victims and perpetrators VictimsAccident types Perpetrators Pedestrians 41% Hit-and-run 42% Bus 38% Bus/car passengers 19% Head-on collision 19% Truck 31% 2/3 wheelers riders/passenger s 16% Over-turned 13% Motor-cycles 12% Truck/bus drivers/passeng er 14% Rear-end hit 9% Cars/jeeps 11% Cyclists 3% Side swipe 6% 3 wheelers 9%
- 10. Post-accident needs Short-term/immediate Long-term NeedIdeal provider Need Ideal provider • First aid Local people, vehicle staff, nearby medical centre, adjoining local govt reps • Compensation Courts, insurance companies • Transportatio n Local people, nearby medical centre, police, • Long-term treatment Family, government • Protect people & vehicles Police, local leaders • Assistive devices Family, community, insurance companies • Compensatio n for victim Vehicle owners, Insurance companies • IG skills for disabled NGOs, social entrepreneurs • Employment for alternative family member Government, community
- 11. Reality check onpost-crash facilities Post-crash care Availability • Emergency room based injury surveillance system No • Emergency access telephone number No • Seriously injured transported by ambulance <10% • Permanently disabled due to lack of facilities 13% • Emergency training for doctors No • Emergency training for nurses No • Trauma centres Severely inadequate
- 12. Driver profiles Variable Finding Age24-35 years: 47% 36-50 years: 48% Education 48% secondary or equivalent Only 8% wholly illiterate Earner 70% single earner families 22% two earner families Housing 41% rural residence/sleep in vehicles 33% rented house 21% in dormitories (‘mess’) Monthly income 47% - Tk 15-20 thousand 19% - Tk. 10-15 thousand 16% - Tk. 20-25 thousand 15% - Tk. 26-50 thousand Nature of income Trip-based; only 9% have fixed monthly income
- 13. Driver characteristics Characteristic Finding License• 97% report having license • 20% report obtaining license without test • 92% pay bribe and 54% face severe time delays in obtaining license Trade union • 80% are unionised Training • 81% learnt driving skills through informal process usually with a ‘mentor’ (ustad) • Learning hours with ustad 1500 • Commercial learning hours is 93 Cost of training • Informal process: approx Tk. 4000 • Formal process: approx Tk 6000 Confidence on learning • 70% fully confident Work-load • About 20% extremely over-worked with 6-7 days weekly and 13- 16 hours daily Accident penalty • 42% faced no penalty in case of accidents • 58% of incurred accidents minor in nature
- 14. 9 Causes ofaccidents • Reckless driving • Untrained drivers • Unfit vehicles • Simultaneous operation of motorized and non-motorized vehicles without separation and adequate rules • Vulnerable road-side activities • Faulty road design • Poor traffic enforcement • Lack of road safety awareness and risky pedestrian behavior • Culture of impunity and poor legal redress
- 15. Additional causes highlightedin field research • Mental, physical and financial pressures on drivers • General lack of road safety awareness • Absence of supplementary facilities on roads – hard shoulder, bus bays, helpful signal & markings, access roads • Failure to productively reconcile local economic growth needs with road safety needs
- 16. Laws and Institutions •MVO 1983 is updated version of 1913 law • Major new initiative on new law – RTTA, 2011 but yet to materialize • Institutions BRTA, Metropolitan, district and highway police, RTC, ARI, RHD, LGED
- 17. Perceptions on recentprogress and setbacks Perceptions on progress Perception % of response ---------------------------------------------- New roads built and 84% others repaired ---------------------------------------------------- Road dividers/introduction 34% of 1-way system ---------------------------------------------------- Building of fly-overs 32% & over-bridges ---------------------------------------------------- Increase in number of 21% highway police --------------------------------------------------- Some road curves have been 20% straightened Perceptions on setbacks Perceptions % of response ------------------------------------------------ Increased extortion on 62% highways by police/ ruling party activists ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Increased traffic of unlicensed 43% informal transports (nasimon/karimon/easy bikes) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Proliferation of road-side markets 39% ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Improper and irregular road 21% repair and maintenance ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Illegal truck stands & parking 20% on highway ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Proliferation of unfit vehicles on the roads 11% ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Lack of pedestrian awareness 8%
- 18. 6 findings thatmatter Incidents concentrated in accident spots Congestion spots and intersections main location of accidents Pedestrians and vulnerable road-users main victims Multiple causal factors necessitate holistic safety agenda Significant gaps in law and policy Political economy factors major impediment to success on safety agenda
- 19. 10 recommendations • Nationaldialogue on RTTA 2011 for early passage of an appropriately updated road traffic law • Regular updating of the list of accident black spots and priority action plan on black spot improvement • Improved road engineering solutions with priority attention to geometric standard, intersection design, grade separation, access control on highways, pedestrian facilities, regular maintenance and adoption of road safety audit approach • Introduction of an independent economic code for road safety projects in the budgetary process and mobilization of funds including donor assistance for such projects • Comprehensive study on optimal resolution of road-building and road-side economic activities
- 20. Recommendations contd. • Promotionof quality driving training schools • Scaling up a national road safety awareness program in partnership with civic platforms and NGOs active on the agenda. Such a program is to be targeted to drivers, vulnerable road-users and school children • Establishment of a National Traffic Training Academy along with a comprehensive review of current approach to traffic management by police • Promotion of effective community policing solutions to irrational traffic congestion and safe use of roads • Improving trauma facilities with priority attention to capacity building on emergency and critical care, institution of a universal emergency access number and affordable provision of assistive devices
- 21. 4 advocacy priorities Social communication targeted to drivers and vulnerable road users Awareness program targeted to school children Focused workshops with administrative departments – RHD, LGED, Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Health and local government bodies aimed at making such bodies more pro-active in realization of their road safety plans Policy advocacy on updated road transport and traffic legislation