In Bangladesh, deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes are a matter of concern and continuous tragedy. According to WHO’s ‘Global status report on road safety 2015’, each year over 21, 000 people die on our roads. Excessive and inappropriate speed is a key risk factor for road traffic collisions, contributing to nearly half of road traffic deaths in low- and middle-income countries. These deaths could be prevented with implementation of evidence based interventions for speed management which include:
- Building or modifying roads to include features that calm traffic such as speed breakers, roundabouts, speed signage and rumble strips
- Establishing speed limits appropriate to the function of each road
- Enforcing speed limits
- Installing in-vehicle technologies
- Raising awareness about the dangers of speeding
The overall goal of the week is to contribute to saving lives on the world’s roads which will help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.6: by 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents; and target 11.2: by 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all.
Bangladesh continues to make notable progress on road safety, most recently with Cabinet’s approval of the Road Transport Act 2017. In addition to national measures, city leaders have an essential role to play. By improving safety and reducing speed at the local level, our cities will be safer and healthier for all.