Safer roads in Bangladesh: addressing the challenges of road infrastructure safety and linear settlements

Road traffic injuries are one of the major causes of mortality, morbidity and disability in Bangladesh. About one-fifth of injury related hospital admissions are due to road traffic accidents. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 20,000 deaths from road traffic crashes are estimated to occur annually in Bangladesh, while around 4000 deaths are officially reported. Nearly 80 percent of road traffic fatalities are attributed to Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)-pedestrians, bicyclists, motor cyclists and users of informal and unsafe motorized and non-motorized transport. It is the poor that are most seriously affected with consequences of plunging poor households into acute poverty. Indeed the tragic premature, healthy and costly lives, permanent disabilities and property damages are exacerbating poverty reduction efforts particularly in rural areas. About 70 percent of road accident fatalities occurred in rural areas including rural sections of national and regional highways. Heavy vehicles, especially buses and trucks are mostly involved in fatal accidents. The road environmental factors are particularly prevalent with major roadway defects in design and layout, shoulders, road sides, bridge and its approaches, delineation devices and lack of access controls and others. Unregulated private/business access to inter-urban highways leads to endless linear settlements resulting in high risks for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. This paper presents an overview of road safety in Bangladesh and argues that road infrastructure and environmental deficiencies are particularly prevalent in accidents and casualties. It emphasizes that engineering safety on the road is clearly a priority issue which indeed emerges as a serious challenge in Bangladesh. It then outlines some promising yet most urgent actions of road safety engineering improvements under the safe system approach with particular regard to the issue of addressing linear settlements along the high speed road networks both in the context of urban and rural areas.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.piarc.org/en/order-library/13949-en-Proceedings%20of%20the%20XXIVth%20World%20Road%20Congress,%20Mexico%20-%202011.htm
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of the World Road Association – PIARC.
• Corporate Authors:

  World Road Association (PIARC)

  La Grande Arche, Paroi Nord, Niveau 5
  F-92055 La Defense Cedex,   France 
• Authors:
  • Hoque, Mazharul
  • Smith, Greg
  • Mahmud, S M Sohel
• Conference:
  • 24th World Road Congress
  • Location: Mexico City , Mexico
  • Date: 2011-9-26 to 2011-9-30
• Publication Date: 2011

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: 24th World Road Congress Proceedings: Roads for a Better Life: Mobility, Sustainability and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Highway factors in crashes; Highway safety; Safety engineering; Traffic crashes; Vulnerable road users
• Geographic Terms: Bangladesh
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I80: Accident Studies; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01502680
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 2840602679
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 30 2013 11:06AM