Number of injuries and deaths from road crashes in the country is steadily increasing. The causes of road crashes and their magnitude of damage are multi-dimensional which even hinders the overall economic development of every country.
In the Bangladesh's recent economic context, the financial loss due to road crashes amounts to approximately 2.5% of the GDP amounting to about Tk 67,000 crore if the property damages are also taken into consideration.
The loss is likely higher than reported as it could not assess the financial impact of property damage or vehicle losses caused by accidents due to the unavailability of data, since much of the information on road accidents remains unpublished.
Therefore, the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing remarked that reforming road safety policies to prevent road crashes is now a demand of the time.
And road reform is not possible without the enactment of a road safety law.
They demand it at a youth workshop on the Global Safe System Approach held at the organization's conference room in Shyamoli, Dhaka on Monday.
According to the World Health Organization, road crashes are also one of the leading causes of death among people aged 5-29 years.
The workshop was conducted by Md. Monoarul Islam, Advocacy Officer at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and attended by Md. Mukhlesur Rahman, Deputy Director of the organization.
During the workshop, Estiak Emon, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Debate Federation, conducted a session on speed management on roads.
Additionally, Sharmeen Rahman, Project Coordinator at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, discussed the importance of enacting a road safety law.
