Motorcycle use spikes increasing risks on roads

Use of motorcycles has seen an exponential rise across the country while road safety experts and campaigners say that the popularity of motorised two-wheelers has negative implications on road safety.

A motorcycle ride involves the delicate skill of balancing while riders remain fully exposed, which makes them more vulnerable to danger on roads, they said, adding that the probability of fatal accidents involving motorcycles is higher.

They also said that the authorities should ensure that the laws and regulations are followed by all types of vehicles on roads in addition to keeping the infrastructure related to road transport in fairly good condition to make the roads safe for all, including motorbikes.

The authorities should give licences for driving motorcycles to the skilled drivers only who would keenly follow the traffic rules, they added.

Till August 12 this year, 16.26 lakh drivers were shown to have licences for driving motorcycles.

In May, 2019 out of total 40.18 lakh registered motor vehicles 26.23 lakh or about 65 per cent were issued to motorcycles and the number of driving licence against these motorcycles was 10.53 lakh, according to the BRTA.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority statistics shows that till June this year the number of registered motor vehicles across the country is 44.71 lakh out of which 29.91 lakh or around 67 per cent are motorcycles.

What spurred people in recent years to opt for motorbikes as a means of transport is that the roads in the capital remain choked with traffic while rural roads are always in a dilapidated condition, experts said, adding that the ridesharing services introduced bikes in a massive way, which also inspired many new users.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder told New Age recently that as per their observation, the number of motorcycles in the country was increasing due to ridesharing services.

Since the introduction of such services in 2016, more than one lakh motorcycles have been registered under different ridesharing companies in Bangladesh.

If in villages, monocycles have become a major means of transport, in the cities, especially in Dhaka, the presence of clusters of motorcycles has become a common sight at almost every intersection.

One of the major concerns of all motorcyclists is that the bigger vehicles, including trucks, buses, cars and even CNG-run auto-rickshaws do not run on lanes and care less about their safety on roads and highways.

Often due to dangerous driving by other vehicles, and at times, by motorcyclists themselves, serious accidents occur.  

After strict monitoring at present, most of the motorcyclists wear helmets but rate of fatality remains unchanged. 

According to the Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, since 2018, the number of road accidents involving motorcycles increased in the capital.

In June this year, as per a report of Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh, around 24 per cent fatal accidents involved motorcycles.

Professor Mizanur Rahman, director of the Accident Research Institute, told New Age on Friday that motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians were the vulnerable among the road users.

‘If the number of motorcycles increases on roads than accidents on roads will also increase,’ the professor pointed out, adding that in last two Eid festivals, around 10 per cent fatal accidents involved motorcycles since the presence of motorcycles on highways also increased.

‘It is a good thing that the number of driving licences for driving motorcycles is increasing, since many people are still driving these two-wheelers without any licence,’ he said. 

Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh secretary general Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said that recently in an accident, a motorcyclist was killed when a bus ran over his head at Kajla point of the Mayor Mohammad Hanif flyover.

The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet during the fatal accident, he informed.

He further said that the authorities should increase the number public transport to reduce the number of motorcycles and ensure training facilities for all drivers on roads.

Families United Against Road Accidents chairman Ekram Ahmed said that motorcycles were playing an important role as they could take passengers to their desired destinations while plying the roads at a quicker pace skirting round sever traffic congestion, especially in Dhaka.

BRTA should give licences to the people for driving motorcycles after proper evaluation of their skills, he said, adding that the motorcyclists should follow traffic rules to avoid accidents.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net