50% of Road Accidents Recorded on RHD Road Network

Bangla Press Desk:  A recent survey by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has found that around 50 per cent of road crashes occur on the department's road network.

The survey recorded 658 crashes on 10 national highways during the 18 months to June.

National Highway-1 (N1), the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor and the country's busiest highway, recorded the highest number of crashes, with 228 incidents resulting in 928 casualties.

National Highway-8 (N8), National Highway-2 (N2) and National Highway-5 (N5) recorded the second, third and fourth highest numbers of crashes, respectively.

The findings were presented at a dissemination seminar on RHD capacity and road safety at a city hotel on Monday.

The survey was conducted under an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project aimed at strengthening the RHD's capacity for road safety and maintenance. It used the Crash Data Management System, or iMAAP, to develop a systematic crash data collection and management system.

The RHD and the ADB jointly organised the seminar to share the findings and discuss reforms in road planning, design and asset management to make the country's road infrastructure safer.

Rail, Road Transport, Bridges and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam attended the programme as the chief guest and urged the authorities to make effective use of crash data in improving existing roads and designing future infrastructure.

“After a road accident occurs, we should collect all relevant information and data, analyse them and determine what needs to be done,” he told the gathering.

Based on evidence from crash data, future road and infrastructure projects should be designed and implemented with greater attention to safety, he said.

The minister also directed RHD officials to give adequate priority to road safety in road design and construction, saying that roads should be developed as safe national assets.

State Minister for Rail and Road Transport and Bridges Habibur Rashid, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Dr Ziaul Haque, and RHD Chief Engineer Mohammad Muniruzzaman also addressed the seminar.