ROAD SAFETY REPORTS Safety Reports.pdf · blackspot analysis) has been used. This will provide a benchmark on which to compare with future years and with which to compare with other

ROAD SAFETY REPORTS

Dhaka Metropolitan Police

Traffic Accident Analysis

Annual Report

1996

C O N T E N T S

Page

A Message from Inspector General of Police 1

A Message from Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner 2

SECTION 1 Introduction 3

SECTION 2 Traffic Accident Reporting System 4

Figure 1: Proposed Police Accident Data Units 6

SECTION 3 Analysis of the Data 7

Figure 2: Accidents by Day of Week 8

Figure 3: Accidents by Hour of Day 9

Figure 4: Accidents by Month 10

Figure 5: Accidents by Thana 11

Figure 6: Casualty by Age 13

Figure 7: Casualty by Class of Road User 14

Figure 8: Vehicles Involved and the Injuries of their Drivers 15

Figure 9: Drivers Involved in Accidents 16

Figure 10: Pedestrians Hit by Vehicles 17

Figure 11: Airport Road Dhaka 19

Figure 12: Airport Road-Biswa Road 20

Figure 13: Khilkhet Bus Stand 21

Figure 14: Chittagong Road, Dhaka 22

Figure 15: Vehicles and Casualties on Chittagong Road, Dhaka 24

Figure 16: Jatrabari Crossing 25

SECTION 4 Conclusion 26

SECTION 5 Appendix 27

3

1. Introduction

1.1 This report was produced for Dhaka Metropolitan Police by Quazi Zakaria Islam of IDC,S. Omar Faruk and M. Khurshid Hossain, Senior Assistant Police Commissioner, DMPHQ from the Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Second RoadRehabilitation and Maintenance Project (RRMP2). IDC is funded by the British ODA.

1.2 A new traffic accident report form, designed jointly by the Police and IDC, was introducedinto the Northern Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in June 1995. By January1996 the accident report form had been introduced to all thanas of DMP.

1.3 This report summarises the accident data collected by DMP for 1996, the first full year ofthe new city-wide accident reporting system. Without the full co-operation of DMP thisreport, and all other detailed accident investigation work, would not be possible.

1.4 The MAAPfive computer software package was developed by the Transport ResearchLaboratory (TRL)of the UK specifically for the storage and analysis of road accident data.It is in use in many countries of the world including a large number in Asia and has recentlybeen adopted by a number of UK police forces. The MAAPfive system has been installedat DMP HQ and much of this document consists of output from the MAAPfive system thathas been enhanced using Microsoft Office.

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2. Traffic Accident Reporting System

2.1 Serious traffic accidents are reported by the thana police. For each accident in the DMParea the new traffic accident report form is completed by a Sub-Inspector. The form is thendispatched to DMP HQ where the grid coordinates are added and the accident data istyped into a computer.

2.2 An accident data unit has been established at DMP HQ. At present this has just onemember of staff who is supervised by Assistant Commissioner of DMP.

2.3 A database of over 1200 traffic accidents has now been established of which 1001occurred during 1996. The MAAPfive system is being used to analyse this accidentdatabase and already the pattern of accidents in Dhaka is becoming apparent. The systemalready has been used to:-

• identify the types of accidents happening in Dhaka • identify the vehicle types most frequently involved in accidents • identify the type of people most likely to become casualties in a road accident • identify variations in the accident pattern between the 15 thanas of DMP • plot accidents on maps of the city • identify accident blackspots • identify characteristics of accidents at an accident blackspot

2.4 The level of support and co-operation from DMP has been excellent. The senior policeofficers have shown enthusiasm for the new accident reporting system as a method oftackling the very serious road safety problem in the city. As a direct result of the success ofthe system in DMP the Police have agreed to introduce the new accident reporting andanalysis system nation-wide by the end of 1997.

2.5 The computer system at DMP should remain unchanged as it is now established andworking well. In addition to this, five further data processing units should be establishedaround the country. These six units will be responsible for the processing and analysis of theaccident data in their area of responsibility as defined in the table below:-

Location of Unit Area of ResponsibilityDMP HQ DMPDhaka Range HQ Dhaka RangeChittagong Range HQ (or CMP HQ) Chittagong Range and CMPRajshahi Range HQ (or RMP HQ) Rajshahi Range and RMPKhulna Range HQ (or KMP HQ) Khulna Range, KMP and Barisal RangeSylhet Range HQ Sylhet Range

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, an accident data unit should be established at PoliceHQ to assemble the national accident database and to analyze the accident data at a nationallevel.

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2.6 The IDC project are able to support the establishing of the proposed accident data units bysupplying the necessary computers, computer software and staff training. In return theproject will be seeking suitable air conditioned accommodation for the computers and theassignment of at least one permanent staff member in each unit. These staff members shouldpreferably be civilians to prevent the fast rotation of police staff from undermining thecontinuity of the accident data system. The ideal staff member would be a computeroperator with good skills in reading and writing English. Overseas training may be providedby IDC to help develop a road safety expertise within the police.

2.7 There will be no data entry at Police HQ as the data will be received by computer diskettefrom the six regional teams as described in the flow chart in Figure 1. The member of staff atPolice HQ should be capable of coordinating the accident data system at a national leveland providing support and training to the regional teams.

6


Dhaka Range

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police(including Rajshahi Range)

Khulna Metropolitan Police(including Khulna & Barisal Range)

Chittagong Metropolitan Police(including Chittagong Range)

Sylhet Range

Police HQ, Dhaka

Figure 1 Police Accident Data Units

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3. Analysis of the Data 3.1 For the purposes of this report only data from 1996 (except for the detailed accident

blackspot analysis) has been used. This will provide a benchmark on which to compare with future years and with which to compare with other regions of the country.

3.2 The accident data has been analysed at a variety of levels as follows:-

• Accident, casualty and vehicle tables have been produced to show the overall nature and scale of the road safety problem in Dhaka. Charts have been produced from these tables to enable the data to be more easily interpreted.

• Accident locations have been analysed using the plotting facilities within MAAP5. From

these accident plots it is easy to identify accident blackspots. • Detailed studies are now being made to identify patterns at the accident blackspots

identified in the plots. For these detailed studies all the available data has been used rather than restricting the analysis to 1996 accidents only.

3.3 It should be stressed that this report contains only a small selection of the possible outputs

from the new accident data system. Further information can be obtained from the accident data unit at DMP HQ and in the future will be available from five further regional accident data units or from the co-ordinating accident data unit at Police HQ.

3.4 Figures 2, 3 and 4 show the distribution of accidents by day of week, hour of day and

month. They show the pattern for the whole of DMP for 1996. Figure 2 shows the distribution of accidents by day of week and reveals a slight peak on Thursday (the start of the weekend in Bangladesh) but otherwise the days of week are very similar. The highest number of fatal accidents also occurs on Thursdays.

3.5 The distribution of accidents by hour of day is displayed in Figure 3 and shows a peak in the

middle of the day (10am to 2pm) and again between 5pm and 6pm. The highest number of fatal accidents occurs between 6 and 7 in the morning and between 5 and 6 in the evening. Each column in the bar chart represents one hour. The number of accidents during the night is lower than during the day but there are a significant number occurring at all hours.

3.6 The distribution of accidents by month is displayed in Figure 4. It shows a surprisingly large

variation from month to month. This could be a genuine seasonal variation with the accident rates highest during the hottest months of the year but it is also likely to be a reflection of the political disturbances during the first few months of 1996 when economic activity was reduced dramatically. The month with the highest number of accidents during 1996 was November although the number of fatal accidents was higher in several other months.

3.7 The distribution of accidents across the 15 thanas of DMP is shown in Figure 5. It shows a

dramatic variation with Tejgaon having the most accidents. The highest severity of accidents is within Demra with about 60% of all the reported accidents involving a fatality and has the second highest number of accidents.

14

3.8 Figures 6 and 7 show characteristics of the casualties involved in accidents in DMP for 1996. Figure 6 shows the distribution of casualty ages and identifies the age group from 21 to 35, and in particular the age group from 26 to 30, as the most vulnerable. The data also reveals a significant number of child casualties. The breakdown by casualty sex reveals that over 80% are male although for casualties under 16 just over 60% are male.

3.9 Figure 7 shows the class of casualty in the accident and this is dominated by pedestrians

who make up 35% of all casualties and almost 62% of the fatalities. The other major casualty groups are from baby taxis and rickshaws. The bar chart on this figure should be compared to a similar chart on Figure 8 which shows the distribution of all the vehicles involved in accidents and is dominated by trucks and other large vehicles.

3.10 As discussed in section 3.9, Figure 8 shows the types of vehicles involved in accidents. It

also shows the injuries of the drivers of each type of vehicle. The dominant vehicle type for DMP is the heavy truck despite the large number of other vehicles on the roads of Dhaka. It is also very clear from the chart that although trucks are involved in many accidents their drivers are very rarely injured. On the other hand rickshaws are less frequently involved in accidents but their drivers (the rickshaw pullers) are very likely to be killed or injured.

3.11 Figure 9 shows the ages of drivers involved in accidents. In many cases the drivers ran

away from the scene of the accident but the pattern of driver age is still clear with most drivers being between 26 and 35. It should be noted that rickshaw pullers and cyclists are included as drivers in these analyses.

3.12 Pedestrians are the biggest single group of casualties in Dhaka. Figure 10 takes a closer

look at the pedestrian accident problem and shows the types of vehicles that hit each of the pedestrian casualties. It shows heavy trucks as the biggest vehicle group with bus, mini-bus and baby taxi also featuring strongly. The severity of the pedestrian injuries is also broken down for each of the vehicle types. This clearly shows that heavy trucks are not only the most frequent vehicle to hit pedestrians but there inflict the most severe injuries.

3.13 The second level of accident analysis is a study of the location of the accidents. It is well

established around the world that accidents do not occur evenly throughout a road network but tend to group in clusters or accident blackspots. In Dhaka this is especially true with the main roads accounting for the vast majority of the accidents in the city. Figures 11,12,13,14 and 16 include accident plots for various locations within Dhaka. On these plots the accidents are colour coded as follows:-

Fatal Accident Red circle Grievous Accident Green circle Simple Injury Accident Blue circle Motor Collisions Purple circle

3.14 Figure 11 shows a plot of accidents along Airport Road in Dhaka. This road is the main

highway from Dhaka to Mymensingh and the northern areas of Bangladesh. The accident plot reveals a total of 119 reported accidents along a 9.5km stretch of road. 46 of these accidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of 4.84 fatal accidents per kilometre per year. This rate should be compared with a rate of 0.1 fatal accidents per kilometre per

15

year on ‘A’ class roads in London1. The real danger of this road is therefore nearly 50 times greater than similar roads in London. A brief look along the Airport Road accident plot reveals a series of very serious accident clusters or blackspots. Two of these accident blackspots are investigated further in Figures 12 and 13.

3.15 Figure 12 shows a section of the accident plot on Airport Road centred on the intersection

with Biswa Road. Data used for this analysis is from June 1995 to December 1996. During this period a total of 39 accidents were recorded by DMP at or within 500m of the junction. Of these accidents 23 involved a fatality. This level of fatal accidents represents a blackspot of extreme seriousness. The types of accident occurring at this site is dominated by Vehicle-Pedestrian collisions. A more detailed investigation of the accidents at this site has been prepared by a road safety engineer. This has included a detailed accident plot within the junction and a ‘Stick Diagram’ to identify patterns within these accidents. Following in-depth analysis of this data the safety engineer has designed an accident countermeasure scheme which is expected to dramatically reduce the accidents at the site. The accident data system will monitor the accident rate to see if the scheme has been successful. An example of an accident analysis based on this data is included as Appendix - A in this report.

It has been suggested that this site is the worst accident blackspot in the world but now that

data is available for the whole of DMP another serious blackspot has been identified at Jatrabari Crossing on the Chittagong Road. Details of this blackspot are shown in Figure 16.

3.16 A further accident blackspot has been identified at Khilkhet bus stand just 1km north of the

Airport Road - Biswa Road junction. Figure 13 shows details of the accidents at Khilkhet and this reveals a very high proportion of fatal accidents and again the dominant Vehicle-Pedestrian collision type.

3.17 Figure 14 shows a plot of accidents along the Chittagong Road in Dhaka. This road is the

main highway from Dhaka to the south-east and the north-east of Bangladesh. The accident plot reveals a total of 52 reported accidents along a 5km stretch of road. 33 of these accidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of 6.6 fatal accidents per kilometre per year. This fatality rate is 65 times greater than similar roads in London. A brief look along the Chittagong Road accident plot reveals a site, Jatrabari crossing, that is a very serious accident blackspot. This is investigated further in Figure 16.

3.18 The data from the 52 accidents occurring along the 5km stretch of Chittagong Road was

further analysed to identify the types of vehicles involved and the type of casualties incurred. The results of this analysis is shown in Figure 15. The first chart indicates the types of vehicles involved and this is dominated by heavy trucks. The second chart indicates the types of casualty involved and this is again dominated by pedestrians.

3.19 Figure 16 shows the accident pattern at Jatrabari Crossing. There were 9 fatal accidents

1 London Research Centre: Levels of accident risk in Greater London, July 1996

16

at this junction during 1996 worse in the Dhaka-Chittagong Road DMP area. The most common type of accident is again a vehicle-pedestrian collision although there are 4 nos of rear-end collisions.

Accidents by Day of WeekDMP 1996

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

DAY ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total---ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 51³ 57³ 28³ 5³ 141Tue ³ 52³ 42³ 23³ 23³ 140Wed ³ 46³ 55³ 26³ 8³ 135Thu ³ 59³ 57³ 28³ 17³ 161Fri ³ 36³ 64³ 24³ 17³ 141Sat ³ 52³ 59³ 24³ 12³ 147Sun ³ 47³ 50³ 18³ 21³ 136ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 343³ 384³ 171³ 103³ 1001ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Total Number of Accidents on File = 1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

DAY ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total---ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 51³ 57³ 28³ 5³ 141Tue ³ 52³ 42³ 23³ 23³ 140Wed ³ 46³ 55³ 26³ 8³ 135Thu ³ 59³ 57³ 28³ 17³ 161Fri ³ 36³ 64³ 24³ 17³ 141Sat ³ 52³ 59³ 24³ 12³ 147Sun ³ 47³ 50³ 18³ 21³ 136ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 343³ 384³ 171³ 103³ 1001ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Total Number of Accidents on File = 1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)

Source: DMP Accident Data UnitFigure 28

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Source: DMP Accident Data Unit Figure 39

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TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 7³ 10³ 3³ 3³ 23 1 ³ 8³ 6³ 6³ 2³ 22 2 ³ 7³ 4³ 1³ 1³ 13 3 ³ 5³ 4³ 2³ 3³ 14 4 ³ 5³ 5³ 1³ 1³ 12 5 ³ 7³ 7³ 4³ 1³ 19 6 ³ 26³ 17³ 6³ 2³ 51 7 ³ 16³ 26³ 6³ 9³ 57 8 ³ 21³ 17³ 7³ 3³ 48 9 ³ 11³ 21³ 8³ 5³ 45 10 ³ 16³ 22³ 20³ 10³ 68 11 ³ 15³ 27³ 12³ 4³ 58 12 ³ 17³ 27³ 12³ 5³ 61 13 ³ 17³ 34³ 11³ 5³ 67 14 ³ 18³ 20³ 7³ 9³ 54 15 ³ 18³ 18³ 8³ 6³ 50 16 ³ 12³ 21³ 10³ 5³ 48 17 ³ 28³ 26³ 9³ 3³ 66 18 ³ 11³ 12³ 3³ 4³ 30 19 ³ 24³ 16³ 4³ 4³ 48 20 ³ 23³ 14³ 8³ 4³ 49 21 ³ 13³ 12³ 8³ 5³ 38 22 ³ 7³ 7³ 4³ 5³ 23 23 ³ 11³ 11³ 10³ 3³ 35--ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 343³ 384³ 170³ 102³ 999ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Accidents on File =1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)(Number of Unknown = 2)

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 7³ 10³ 3³ 3³ 23 1 ³ 8³ 6³ 6³ 2³ 22 2 ³ 7³ 4³ 1³ 1³ 13 3 ³ 5³ 4³ 2³ 3³ 14 4 ³ 5³ 5³ 1³ 1³ 12 5 ³ 7³ 7³ 4³ 1³ 19 6 ³ 26³ 17³ 6³ 2³ 51 7 ³ 16³ 26³ 6³ 9³ 57 8 ³ 21³ 17³ 7³ 3³ 48 9 ³ 11³ 21³ 8³ 5³ 45 10 ³ 16³ 22³ 20³ 10³ 68 11 ³ 15³ 27³ 12³ 4³ 58 12 ³ 17³ 27³ 12³ 5³ 61 13 ³ 17³ 34³ 11³ 5³ 67 14 ³ 18³ 20³ 7³ 9³ 54 15 ³ 18³ 18³ 8³ 6³ 50 16 ³ 12³ 21³ 10³ 5³ 48 17 ³ 28³ 26³ 9³ 3³ 66 18 ³ 11³ 12³ 3³ 4³ 30 19 ³ 24³ 16³ 4³ 4³ 48 20 ³ 23³ 14³ 8³ 4³ 49 21 ³ 13³ 12³ 8³ 5³ 38 22 ³ 7³ 7³ 4³ 5³ 23 23 ³ 11³ 11³ 10³ 3³ 35--ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 343³ 384³ 170³ 102³ 999ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Accidents on File =1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)(Number of Unknown = 2)

Accidents by MonthDMP 1996

Source: DMP Accident Data Unit

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

MONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 35³ 20³ 13³ 9³ 77 Feb ³ 27³ 22³ 7³ 7³ 63 Mar ³ 25³ 19³ 10³ 6³ 60 Apr ³ 29³ 22³ 29³ 7³ 87 May ³ 33³ 29³ 13³ 5³ 80 Jun ³ 27³ 35³ 19³ 13³ 94 Jul ³ 19³ 39³ 15³ 7³ 80 Aug ³ 34³ 31³ 13³ 9³ 87 Sep ³ 20³ 35³ 7³ 10³ 72 Oct ³ 27³ 47³ 9³ 11³ 94 Nov ³ 33³ 46³ 20³ 12³ 111 Dec ³ 34³ 39³ 16³ 7³ 96 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 343³ 384³ 171³ 103³ 1001 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Accidents on File = 1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

MONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 35³ 20³ 13³ 9³ 77 Feb ³ 27³ 22³ 7³ 7³ 63 Mar ³ 25³ 19³ 10³ 6³ 60 Apr ³ 29³ 22³ 29³ 7³ 87 May ³ 33³ 29³ 13³ 5³ 80 Jun ³ 27³ 35³ 19³ 13³ 94 Jul ³ 19³ 39³ 15³ 7³ 80 Aug ³ 34³ 31³ 13³ 9³ 87 Sep ³ 20³ 35³ 7³ 10³ 72 Oct ³ 27³ 47³ 9³ 11³ 94 Nov ³ 33³ 46³ 20³ 12³ 111 Dec ³ 34³ 39³ 16³ 7³ 96 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 343³ 384³ 171³ 103³ 1001 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Accidents on File = 1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)

Figure 4

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Accidents by ThanaDMP 1996

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

THANA ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄRamna ³ 14³ 53³ 28³ 9³ 104Motijhil³ 19³ 27³ 19³ 5³ 70Sabujbag³ 14³ 17³ 7³ 3³ 41Sutrapur³ 12³ 30³ 2³ 2³ 46Kotwali ³ 11³ 5³ 3³ 2³ 21Demra ³ 79³ 41³ 6³ 8³ 134Lalbagh ³ 1³ 6³ 0³ 0³ 7Dhanmand³ 6³ 12³ 4³ 1³ 23Tejgaon ³ 52³ 67³ 35³ 21³ 175Md.pur ³ 16³ 5³ 10³ 2³ 33Mirpur ³ 32³ 33³ 19³ 16³ 100Gulshan ³ 23³ 39³ 10³ 14³ 86Cantonmt³ 38³ 27³ 23³ 9³ 97Uttara ³ 21³ 14³ 4³ 10³ 49Pallabi ³ 5³ 8³ 1³ 1³ 15ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 343³ 384³ 171³ 103³ 1001ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

(Total Number of Accidents on File =1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)

ACCIDENT SEVERITY


(Total Number of Accidents on File =1252)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1001)


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Casualty by AgeDMP 1996


CASUALTY SEX CAS'TY AGE ³Male ³Femal³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 10³ 11³ 21 6-10 ³ 25³ 20³ 45 11-15 ³ 38³ 15³ 53 16-20 ³ 51³ 22³ 73 21-25 ³ 174³ 19³ 193 26-30 ³ 228³ 29³ 257 31-35 ³ 138³ 20³ 158 36-40 ³ 98³ 17³ 115 41-45 ³ 88³ 15³ 103 46-50 ³ 42³ 10³ 52 51-55 ³ 31³ 3³ 34 56-60 ³ 23³ 3³ 26 61-65 ³ 8³ 2³ 10 66-70 ³ 5³ 2³ 7 71-75 ³ 8³ 0³ 8 >75 ³ 5³ 0³ 5 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 972³ 188³ 1160 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

(Total Number of Casualties on File = 1625)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1271)(Number of Unknown = 111)

CASUALTY SEX CAS'TY AGE ³Male ³Femal³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 10³ 11³ 21 6-10 ³ 25³ 20³ 45 11-15 ³ 38³ 15³ 53 16-20 ³ 51³ 22³ 73 21-25 ³ 174³ 19³ 193 26-30 ³ 228³ 29³ 257 31-35 ³ 138³ 20³ 158 36-40 ³ 98³ 17³ 115 41-45 ³ 88³ 15³ 103 46-50 ³ 42³ 10³ 52 51-55 ³ 31³ 3³ 34 56-60 ³ 23³ 3³ 26 61-65 ³ 8³ 2³ 10 66-70 ³ 5³ 2³ 7 71-75 ³ 8³ 0³ 8 >75 ³ 5³ 0³ 5 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 972³ 188³ 1160 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

(Total Number of Casualties on File = 1625)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1271)(Number of Unknown = 111)

Figure 6

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Casualty by Class of Road UserDMP 1996


CASUALTY INJURY CASUALTY CLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Ped'n ³ 238³ 158³ 38³ 434 Cycle ³ 19³ 13³ 3³ 35 RickS ³ 51³ 96³ 50³ 197 PushC ³ 1³ 8³ 1³ 10 M/Cyc ³ 10³ 32³ 13³ 55 BabyT ³ 48³ 125³ 39³ 212 Tempo ³ 27³ 45³ 15³ 87 MicrB ³ 3³ 11³ 4³ 18 MiniB ³ 13³ 22³ 4³ 39 Bus ³ 8³ 7³ 7³ 22 Car ³ 6³ 38³ 49³ 93 Jeep ³ 0³ 5³ 2³ 7 PickU ³ 1³ 2³ 6³ 9 Truck ³ 4³ 4³ 1³ 9 HeavT ³ 18³ 13³ 9³ 40 Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Other ³ 2³ 1³ 0³ 3 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 449³ 580³ 241³ 1270 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Casualties on File = 1625)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1271)(Number of Unknown = 1)

CASUALTY INJURY CASUALTY CLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Ped'n ³ 238³ 158³ 38³ 434 Cycle ³ 19³ 13³ 3³ 35 RickS ³ 51³ 96³ 50³ 197 PushC ³ 1³ 8³ 1³ 10 M/Cyc ³ 10³ 32³ 13³ 55 BabyT ³ 48³ 125³ 39³ 212 Tempo ³ 27³ 45³ 15³ 87 MicrB ³ 3³ 11³ 4³ 18 MiniB ³ 13³ 22³ 4³ 39 Bus ³ 8³ 7³ 7³ 22 Car ³ 6³ 38³ 49³ 93 Jeep ³ 0³ 5³ 2³ 7 PickU ³ 1³ 2³ 6³ 9 Truck ³ 4³ 4³ 1³ 9 HeavT ³ 18³ 13³ 9³ 40 Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Other ³ 2³ 1³ 0³ 3 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 449³ 580³ 241³ 1270 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Total Number of Casualties on File = 1625)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1271)(Number of Unknown = 1)

Figure 7

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14

Vehicles Involved and theInjuries of their Drivers

DMP 1996


USER DRIVER INJURYCLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³NoInj³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCycle ³ 15³ 10³ 3³ 2³ 30RickS ³ 21³ 43³ 39³ 37³ 140PushC ³ 0³ 8³ 1³ 2³ 11M/Cyc ³ 8³ 23³ 14³ 9³ 54BabyT ³ 10³ 53³ 37³ 127³ 227Tempo ³ 3³ 7³ 4³ 66³ 80MicrB ³ 0³ 4³ 6³ 51³ 61MiniB ³ 1³ 3³ 1³ 216³ 221Bus ³ 0³ 0³ 2³ 149³ 151Car ³ 0³ 14³ 29³ 164³ 207Jeep ³ 0³ 1³ 1³ 19³ 21PickU ³ 1³ 0³ 4³ 18³ 23Truck ³ 0³ 1³ 1³ 14³ 16HeavT ³ 0³ 1³ 3³ 299³ 303Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 3³ 3OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 4³ 4Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 1³ 3ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 60³ 169³ 145³ 1181³ 1555ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

(Total Number of Vehicles on File = 1955)(Number satisfying the conditions = 1565)(Number of Unknown = 10)

USER DRIVER INJURYCLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³NoInj³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCycle ³ 15³ 10³ 3³ 2³ 30RickS ³ 21³ 43³ 39³ 37³ 140PushC ³ 0³ 8³ 1³ 2³ 11M/Cyc ³ 8³ 23³ 14³ 9³ 54BabyT ³ 10³ 53³ 37³ 127³ 227Tempo ³ 3³ 7³ 4³ 66³ 80MicrB ³ 0³ 4³ 6³ 51³ 61MiniB ³ 1³ 3³ 1³ 216³ 221Bus ³ 0³ 0³ 2³ 149³ 151Car ³ 0³ 14³ 29³ 164³ 207Jeep ³ 0³ 1³ 1³ 19³ 21PickU ³ 1³ 0³ 4³ 18³ 23Truck ³ 0³ 1³ 1³ 14³ 16HeavT ³ 0³ 1³ 3³ 299³ 303Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 3³ 3OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 4³ 4Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 1³ 3ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 60³ 169³ 145³ 1181³ 1555ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Figure 8

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Drivers Involved in AccidentsDMP 1996


DRIVER SEX

AGE ³Male ³Femal³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 11-15 ³ 4³ 0³ 4 16-20 ³ 25³ 0³ 25 21-25 ³ 163³ 1³ 164 26-30 ³ 304³ 0³ 304 31-35 ³ 238³ 0³ 238 36-40 ³ 110³ 0³ 110 41-45 ³ 49³ 0³ 49 46-50 ³ 8³ 0³ 8 51-55 ³ 6³ 0³ 6 56-60 ³ 3³ 0³ 3 61-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 66-70 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 71-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 910³ 1³ 911 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


DRIVER SEX

AGE ³Male ³Femal³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 11-15 ³ 4³ 0³ 4 16-20 ³ 25³ 0³ 25 21-25 ³ 163³ 1³ 164 26-30 ³ 304³ 0³ 304 31-35 ³ 238³ 0³ 238 36-40 ³ 110³ 0³ 110 41-45 ³ 49³ 0³ 49 46-50 ³ 8³ 0³ 8 51-55 ³ 6³ 0³ 6 56-60 ³ 3³ 0³ 3 61-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 66-70 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 71-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 910³ 1³ 911 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Figure 9

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16

Airport Road, DhakaDMP 1996

Airport RoadTongi Bridge

to Staff Road Level Crossing

Length of Road = 9.5km




Number of AccidentsFatal = 46Grevious = 36Simple = 21Collision = 16Total = 119

Number of AccidentsFatal = 46Grevious = 36Simple = 21Collision = 16Total = 119

Fatal Accidents = 4.84/km/year

This is 50 times higher than major roads in London



Figure 1119

Airport Road - Biswa RoadAccidents Reported by DMP June 1995-December 1996

Figure 1220

Khilkhet Bus StandAccidents Reported by DMP June 1995 - December 1996

Figure 1321

Chittagong Road, DhakaDMP 1996

Number of Accidents Fatal = 33

Grevious = 13

Simple = 2

Collision = 4

Total = 52

Number of Accidents Fatal = 33

Grevious = 13

Simple = 2

Collision = 4

Total = 52

Chittagong RoadJatrabari Crossing

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Figure 1422

Jatrabari Crossing

To Chittagong

Vehicles and Casualties onChittagong Road, Dhaka

DMP 1996


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Jatrabari Crossing DMP 1996

Figure 1625

4. Conclusions

4.1 The road accident situation in Dhaka is extremely severe and is the responsibility ofmany agencies. The Police have taken great strides towards improving thesituation by establishing a new accident reporting and analysis system. This is nowproviding the basic information required to carry out effective publicity, educationand enforcement campaigns. It will also provide engineers with the details requiredto carry out an accident blackspot identification and treatment programme.

4.2 The new accident reporting system is not simply a bureaucratic exercise. The datais already being used and is will be having a serious impact on the number ofaccidents at the worst accident blackspots in the coming months. The accidentsoccurring at blackspots may be primarily due to bad driving but engineeringmeasures can be used to improve road user behaviour and thus eliminate many ofthe accidents in the future. Improvement in the road design at accident blackspotswill not only save lives but it will reduce the number of police officers required topatrol the site.

4.3 The number of accidents reported to the police in DMP in 1996 was 1001 althoughit is well established that many non-fatal accidents do not get reported to the policeso the actual total is actually much higher. The number of fatalities recorded inroad accidents is a more reliable statistic and during 1996 this totalled 343. Thescale of the accident problem in Dhaka can now be fully realised

4.4 The most striking feature of the accident data for DMP in 1996 is the large numberof fatal accidents on the main arterial routes out of the city. The number of fatalaccidents per kilometre is extremely high with rates 65 times higher than Londonbeing recorded on the Dhaka-Chittagong road within DMP. When the relativelylow traffic volumes are considered the fatality rate per vehicle kilometre is likely tobe staggeringly high.

4.5 Accident blackspots have been identified within DMP with accident ratesunmatched anywhere in the world. The opportunity now exists to implement data-led accident remedial schemes to dramatically reduce the carnage at theseblackspots.



Annual Report

1997

C O N T E N T S

Page

A Message from Inspector General of Police 1



Figure 1: Police Accident Data Units 4


Figure 2: Summary of Accidents and Casualties 6









Figure 11: Vehicles Hitting Pedestrians 17

Figure 12: Action of Pedestrian Casualties 18




Figure 16: Chittagong Road Dhaka 23

Figure 17: Darussalam Road 25


SECTION 5 Appendix-A 27

Appendix-B 32

2

1. Introduction

1.1 This report document was produced for Dhaka Metropolitan Police by Quazi ZakariaIslam and Graham Elliott from the Institutional Development Component (IDC) of theSecond Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project (RRMP2). IDC is funded by theBritish Government Department for International Development (DFID).

1.2 A new traffic accident report form, designed jointly by the Police and IDC, was introducedinto the Northern Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in June 1995. By January1996 the accident report form had been introduced to all thanas of DMP. By thebeginning of 1998 it had been introduced nation-wide. The accident report form, in bothEnglish and Bangla, is included as Appendix A of this report. Steps have been taken toadopt this form as a part of the FIR of accident cases.

1.3 This report summarises the accident data collected by DMP for 1997, the second full yearof the new city-wide accident reporting system. It closely follows the format established inthe first annual report for 1996 and includes data from this year for comparison. Withoutthe full co-operation of DMP this report, and all other detailed accident investigation work,would not be possible.

1.4 The MAAPfive computer software package was developed by the Transport ResearchLaboratory of the UK (TRL) specifically for the storage and analysis of road accident data.It is in use in many countries of the world including a large number in Asia and has recentlybeen adopted by a number of UK police forces. The MAAPfive system has been installedat DMP HQ and much of this document consists of output from the MAAPfive system thathas been enhanced using Microsoft Office.

3


2.1 The Police are responsible for reporting all road accidents but they are only able to reportthose brought to their attention. Accordingly the data analysis in this document refers toreported traffic accidents only. It is believed there are many more traffic accidents in DMP.For each accident in the DMP area the new traffic accident report form is completed by aSub-Inspector. The form is then dispatched to DMP HQ where the grid coordinates areadded and the accident data is typed into a computer.

2.2 An accident data unit was established at DMP HQ in 1996. Five further regional accidentdata units were established during early 1998. These units are responsible for theprocessing and analysis of the accident data in their area of responsibility as defined in thetable below:-

Location of Unit Area of ResponsibilityDhaka Metropolitan Police DMP

Dhaka Range Dhaka RangeChittagong Metropolitan Police Chittagong Range and CMPRajshahi Metropolitan Police Rajshahi Range and RMPKhulna Metropolitan Police Khulna Range, KMP and Barisal Range

Sylhet Range Sylhet Range

Additionally, an accident data unit has been established at Police HQ to assemble thenational accident database and to analyses the accident data at a national level. Datashould be sent from the regional accident units to the Police HQ as shown in the flow chartin Figure 1.

2.3 A database of over 2000 traffic accidents has now been established of which 1123occurred during 1997 within DMP. The MAAPfive system is being used to analyse thisaccident database and already the pattern of accidents in Dhaka is becoming apparent. The accident data has been used to:-

• identify the types of accidents happening in Dhaka • identify the vehicle types most frequently involved in accidents • identify the type of people most likely to become casualties in a road accident • identify variations in the accident pattern between the 15 thanas of DMP • plot accidents on maps of the city • identify accident blackspots • identify characteristics of accidents at accident blackspots


Dhaka Range

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police(including Rajshahi Range)

Khulna Metropolitan Police(including Khulna & Barisal Range)

Chittagong Metropolitan Police(including Chittagong Range)

Sylhet Range

Police HQ, Dhaka

Figure 1 Police Accident Data Units

5

3. Analysis of the Data

3.1 This report uses data from 1997 from DMP although data from 1996 is frequently addedto allow a comparison to be made.

3.2 The accident data has been analysed at a variety of levels as follows:-

• Accident, casualty and vehicle tables have been produced to show the overall natureand scale of the road safety problem in Dhaka. Charts have been produced from thesetables to enable the data to be more easily interpreted.

• Accident locations have been analysed using the plotting facilities within MAAP5.

From these accident plots it is easy to identify accident blackspots. • Detailed studies are now being made to identify patterns at the accident blackspots

identified in the plots.

3.3 It should be stressed that this report contains only a small selection of the possible outputsfrom the new accident data system. Further information can be obtained from the accidentdata unit at DMP HQ and in the future will be available from five further regional accidentdata units, from the accident data unit at Police HQ and from the National Road SafetyCouncil (NRSC).

3.4 The number of accidents reported by DMP in 1997 was 1123 compared to 1001 in 1996. This represents an increase of 12%. The number of fatal accidents rose from 343 to 363(6% increase) while the number of grievous accidents rose from 384 to 474 (23%increase). The number of reported casualties increased from 1271 in 1996 to 1378 in1997 (8% increase). The number of deaths increased from 369 to 374 (1% increase)while the number of grievous injuries increased from 529 to 731 (38% increase). Thesedetails are shown in Figure 2.

Accident Analysis

3.5 Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the distribution of accidents by day of week, hour of day andmonth. They show the pattern for the whole of DMP for 1997 with data from 1996included for comparison purposes. Figure 3 shows the distribution of accidents by day ofweek and reveals a slight peak on Thursday (the start of the weekend in Bangladesh) butotherwise the days of week are broadly similar. The highest number of both fatal andgrievous accidents also occurs on Thursdays.

3.6 The distribution of accidents by hour of day is displayed in Figure 4 and shows a broadpeak in the day time between 6am and 9pm. Each column in the bar chart represents a onehour time period. Although the number of accidents during the night is lower than duringthe day there are a significant number occurring at all hours. It is notable that the number ofaccidents drops at 9am and at 6pm for both 1996 and 1997. This is possibly due to peaksin traffic congestion which reduces vehicle speeds at these times. It should also be notedthat there are significantly more night-time accidents in 1997 than there were in 1996. Thehighest number of fatal accidents occurs between 6pm and 7pm when total number of

6

accidents is relatively low.

3.7 The distribution of accidents by month is displayed in Figure 5. It shows a surprisingly largevariation from month to month with the most severe month having almost 1.75 times asmany accidents as the least severe month. There is probably some genuine seasonalvariation with the accident rates but it is also likely to reflect political and economic activityas this effects not only the volume of traffic but also the ability of the police to deal withaccidents.

The first five months of the year recorded 43% more accidents in 1997 compared with thesame period of 1996. This is due mainly to the political problems in the first few months of1996. The last seven months of the year, however, recorded fewer accidents in 1997. The month with the highest number of accidents during 1997 was April although Mayrecorded the most fatal accidents.

3.8 The distribution of accidents across the 15 thanas of DMP is shown in Figure 6. It shows adramatic variation with Tejgaon again having the most accidents. The lowest number ofaccidents was recorded in Kotwali in Old Dhaka. Tejgaon recorded over 17 times moreaccidents than Kotwali during 1997. The highest number of fatal accidents occur in Demrawhere almost 50% of the reported accidents involve a fatality. In Tejgaon, by contrast,25% of reported accidents involve a fatality.

Casualty Analysis

3.9 Figures 7 and 8 show characteristics of the casualties involved in accidents in DMP for1997. Figure 7 shows the distribution of casualty ages and identifies the age group from 21to 35, and in particular the age group from 26 to 30, as the most vulnerable. The data alsoreveals a significant number of child casualties with 14% under the age 16 compared to10% for the previous year. The breakdown by casualty sex reveals that over 83% aremale although for child casualties 67% are male.

In 1996 9% of casualties were recorded as having unknown age. In 1997 this had risen to38%. This was due to non-use of the new accident report form and the subsequent lack ofdetailed information collected from the FIR. This problem must be rectified if a usefuldatabase is to be established.

3.10 Figure 8 shows the class of casualty in the accident and this is dominated by pedestrianswho make up 36% of all casualties and 65% of the fatalities. The other major casualtygroups are from baby taxis and rickshaws. The bar chart on this figure should becompared to a similar chart on Figure 9 which shows the distribution of all the vehiclesinvolved in accidents and is dominated by trucks and other large vehicles.

Driver and Vehicle Analysis

3.11 As discussed in section 3.10, Figure 9 shows the types of vehicles involved in accidents. Italso shows the injuries of the drivers of each type of vehicle. The dominant vehicle type forDMP accidents is the heavy truck despite the large number of other vehicles on the roadsof Dhaka. It is also very clear from the table that although trucks are involved in many

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accidents their drivers are very rarely injured. On the other hand rickshaws are lessfrequently involved in accidents but their drivers (the rickshaw pullers) are very likely to bekilled or injured.

3.12 Figure 10 shows the ages of drivers involved in accidents. In many cases the drivers ranaway from the scene of the accident but the pattern of driver age is still clear with mostdrivers being between 26 and 35. It should be noted that rickshaw pullers and cyclists areincluded as drivers in these analyses.

In 1996 42% of drivers were recorded as having unknown age. In 1997 this had risen to70%. This was due to non-use of the new accident report form and the subsequent lack ofdetailed information collected from the FIR. This problem must be rectified if a usefuldatabase is to be established.

Pedestrian Accidents

3.13 Pedestrians are the biggest single group of casualties in Dhaka. Figure 11 takes a closerlook at the pedestrian accident problem and shows the types of vehicles that hit each of thepedestrian casualties. It shows heavy trucks as the biggest vehicle group with mini-bus alsofeaturing strongly. The severity of the pedestrian injuries is also broken down for each ofthe vehicle types. This clearly shows that heavy trucks are not only the most frequentvehicle to hit pedestrians (25% of all pedestrian casualties) but they inflict the most severeinjuries (34% of all pedestrian deaths).

3.14 Figure 12 shows the action of the pedestrian when they were hit. It shows that mostpedestrians were either hit when crossing the road or when walking along the roadside.Both of these actions indicate a lack of safe pedestrian facilities.

Analysis of Accident Locations

3.15 The second level of accident analysis is a study of the location of the accidents. It is wellestablished around the world that accidents do not occur evenly throughout a road networkbut tend to group in clusters or accident blackspots. In Dhaka this is especially true withthe arterial roads accounting for the vast majority of the accidents in the city. The 1996annual report looked at two sites and two routes with a high frequency of accidents andthese locations will be investigated further in this report to demonstrate some simplemonitoring techniques.

In Figures 12,13,14 and 15 accidents are plotted with colour coding as follows:-

Fatal Accident Red circleGrievous Accident Green circleSimple Injury Accident Blue circleMotor Collisions Purple circle

3.16 Figure 13 shows a plot of accidents along Airport Road in Dhaka. This road is the mainhighway from Dhaka to Mymensingh and the northern areas on Bangladesh. The accidentplot reveals a total of 130 reported accidents along a 9.5km stretch of road. 62 of these

8

accidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of 6.5 fatal accidents per kilometre peryear. This rate can be compared with a rate of 0.1 fatal accidents per kilometre per year on‘A’ class roads in London1. The real danger of this road is therefore 65 times greater thansimilar roads in London where the traffic volumes are considerably higher. The number offatal accidents on this section of road increased by 35% in 1997 while the number ofgrievous accidents increased by 47%.

3.17 Figure 14 shows a section of the accident plot on Airport Road centred on the intersectionwith Biswa Road. During 1996 there were 18 accidents recorded at this site of which 11involved a fatality. In 1997 the number of reported accidents fell to 10 of which 3 werefatal. This appears to represents an good improvement since the site was first identified assevere accident blackspot in early 1996 and is even more notable when seen against thegeneral increase in accidents on Airport Road.

In January 1997 the police presence at Airport Road / Biswa Road was increased from 3constables to 4 constables. More significantly the constables were, for the first time, giveninstructions to improve pedestrian safety. The timing of this change in police deploymentcoincides with the reduction in accidents at the site. The improved enforcement proceduresare a direct result of the data analysis from the DMP MAAPfive system and are anexample of how the police can implement an immediate and effective accident reductionscheme. However, there are still a large number of serious accidents occurring at the siteand a longer term engineering countermeasure is urgently required to reduce the number ofaccidents still further and to release police manpower for deployment at other severeaccident blackspots.

The ability to monitor the effectiveness of any measures introduced is essential. TheMAAPfive system allows, for the first time, such monitoring to be undertaken.

3.18 A further accident blackspot was identified at Khilkhet bus stand just 1km north of theAirport Road - Biswa Road junction. Figure 15 shows details of the accidents at Khilkhetand this reveals a very proportion of fatal accidents. Vehicle-Pedestrian collisions remainthe dominant type of accident at the site. During 1996 there were 10 accidents recordedat this site of which 4 involved a fatality. In 1997 the number of reported accidents rose to13 of which 8 involved a fatality. A pedestrian over-bridge was provided in late 1997 andthe effect of this should be carefully monitored. The over-bridge has enabled the police toreduce their manpower commitments at the site and early indications are that the number ofaccidents has dramatically reduced.

3.19 Figure 16 shows a plot of accidents along the Chittagong Road in Dhaka. This road is themain highway from Dhaka to south east and the north east of Bangladesh. The accidentplot reveals a total of 65 reported accidents along a 5km stretch of road. 29 of theseaccidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of 5.8 fatal accidents per kilometre peryear.

This section of road has been the subject a route study by the Roads and HighwaysDepartment Road Safety Engineering Training Class. Extracts from the preliminaryaccident analysis for the route is included as Appendix B of this report. This analysis willbe continued further and an engineering remedial scheme will be proposed. Well designed

1 London Research Centre: Levels of accident risk in Greater London, July 1996

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accident countermeasure schemes can be extremely effective at reducing the numbers ofaccidents and often involve only a modest capital cost.

3.20 Figure 17 shows a plot of accidents on Darussalam Road in Mirpur. It is included notbecause it has a high rate of accidents but because the frequency of head-on collisions.Most main roads in Dhaka now have central dividers and these eliminate the majority ofhead-on collisions. It is also different from the main arterial roads in that the main casualtytype are from baby taxis. A road divider was constructed in Darussalam Road at the endof 1997. Figure 17 uses two years of accident data from the road prior to the constructionof the road divider. Next years accident report will investigate the accident rate and thetypes of accidents occurring on Darussalam Road and will compare the ‘before’ data with12 months from the period after the scheme was completed.

Summary of Accidents and CasualtiesDMP 1996 & 1997

1996/97 Accidents YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 343³ 363³ 706Griev ³ 384³ 474³ 858Simpl ³ 171³ 117³ 288Colln ³ 103³ 169³ 272ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 343³ 363³ 706Griev ³ 384³ 474³ 858Simpl ³ 171³ 117³ 288Colln ³ 103³ 169³ 272ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


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1996/97 Casualties YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 369³ 374³ 743Griev ³ 529³ 731³ 1260Simpl ³ 373³ 273³ 646ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1271³ 1378³ 2649ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1996/97 Casualties YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 369³ 374³ 743Griev ³ 529³ 731³ 1260Simpl ³ 373³ 273³ 646ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1271³ 1378³ 2649ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

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Accidents by Day of WeekDMP 1997


1997 Accidents ACCIDENT SEVERITYDAY OFWEEK ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 47³ 54³ 19³ 19³ 139Tue ³ 60³ 74³ 16³ 25³ 175Wed ³ 46³ 63³ 12³ 32³ 153Thu ³ 61³ 94³ 18³ 25³ 198Fri ³ 49³ 74³ 24³ 24³ 171Sat ³ 49³ 61³ 14³ 24³ 148Sun ³ 51³ 54³ 14³ 20³ 139ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1997 Accidents ACCIDENT SEVERITYDAY OFWEEK ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 47³ 54³ 19³ 19³ 139Tue ³ 60³ 74³ 16³ 25³ 175Wed ³ 46³ 63³ 12³ 32³ 153Thu ³ 61³ 94³ 18³ 25³ 198Fri ³ 49³ 74³ 24³ 24³ 171Sat ³ 49³ 61³ 14³ 24³ 148Sun ³ 51³ 54³ 14³ 20³ 139ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1996/97 Accidents YEARDAY OFWEEK ³ 96³ 97³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 141³ 139³ 280Tue ³ 140³ 175³ 315Wed ³ 135³ 153³ 288Thu ³ 161³ 198³ 359Fri ³ 141³ 171³ 312Sat ³ 147³ 148³ 295Sun ³ 136³ 139³ 275ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1996/97 Accidents YEARDAY OFWEEK ³ 96³ 97³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 141³ 139³ 280Tue ³ 140³ 175³ 315Wed ³ 135³ 153³ 288Thu ³ 161³ 198³ 359Fri ³ 141³ 171³ 312Sat ³ 147³ 148³ 295Sun ³ 136³ 139³ 275ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


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1997 Accidents ACCIDENT SEVERITY

TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 10³ 10³ 3³ 8³ 31 1 ³ 8³ 5³ 0³ 5³ 18 2 ³ 7³ 5³ 2³ 4³ 18 3 ³ 5³ 3³ 1³ 10³ 19 4 ³ 6³ 2³ 1³ 4³ 13 5 ³ 14³ 9³ 4³ 4³ 31 6 ³ 14³ 22³ 7³ 4³ 47 7 ³ 23³ 30³ 5³ 4³ 62 8 ³ 26³ 29³ 5³ 5³ 65 9 ³ 15³ 19³ 6³ 8³ 48 10 ³ 22³ 28³ 5³ 9³ 64 11 ³ 15³ 32³ 7³ 7³ 61 12 ³ 17³ 27³ 6³ 6³ 56 13 ³ 19³ 24³ 8³ 10³ 61 14 ³ 18³ 35³ 9³ 5³ 67 15 ³ 12³ 27³ 6³ 10³ 55 16 ³ 15³ 26³ 8³ 13³ 62 17 ³ 12³ 25³ 4³ 11³ 52 18 ³ 25³ 8³ 6³ 3! 42 19 ³ 22³ 35³ 2³ 9³ 68 20 ³ 20³ 14³ 3³ 7³ 44 21 ³ 13³ 24³ 7³ 10³ 54 22 ³ 11³ 19³ 6³ 6³ 42 23 ³ 14³ 16³ 6³ 7³ 43 ---ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 10³ 10³ 3³ 8³ 31 1 ³ 8³ 5³ 0³ 5³ 18 2 ³ 7³ 5³ 2³ 4³ 18 3 ³ 5³ 3³ 1³ 10³ 19 4 ³ 6³ 2³ 1³ 4³ 13 5 ³ 14³ 9³ 4³ 4³ 31 6 ³ 14³ 22³ 7³ 4³ 47 7 ³ 23³ 30³ 5³ 4³ 62 8 ³ 26³ 29³ 5³ 5³ 65 9 ³ 15³ 19³ 6³ 8³ 48 10 ³ 22³ 28³ 5³ 9³ 64 11 ³ 15³ 32³ 7³ 7³ 61 12 ³ 17³ 27³ 6³ 6³ 56 13 ³ 19³ 24³ 8³ 10³ 61 14 ³ 18³ 35³ 9³ 5³ 67 15 ³ 12³ 27³ 6³ 10³ 55 16 ³ 15³ 26³ 8³ 13³ 62 17 ³ 12³ 25³ 4³ 11³ 52 18 ³ 25³ 8³ 6³ 3! 42 19 ³ 22³ 35³ 2³ 9³ 68 20 ³ 20³ 14³ 3³ 7³ 44 21 ³ 13³ 24³ 7³ 10³ 54 22 ³ 11³ 19³ 6³ 6³ 42 23 ³ 14³ 16³ 6³ 7³ 43 ---ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


TIME ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 22³ 31³ 53 1 ³ 22³ 18³ 40 2 ³ 12³ 18³ 30 3 ³ 13³ 19³ 32 4 ³ 11³ 13³ 24 5 ³ 16³ 31³ 47 6 ³ 47³ 47³ 94 7 ³ 56³ 62³ 118 8 ³ 45³ 65³ 110 9 ³ 45³ 48³ 93 10 ³ 67³ 64³ 131 11 ³ 57³ 61³ 118 12 ³ 61³ 56³ 117 13 ³ 67³ 61³ 128 14 ³ 55³ 67³ 122 15 ³ 51³ 55³ 106 16 ³ 49³ 62³ 111 17 ³ 70³ 52³ 122 18 ³ 34³ 42³ 76 19 ³ 49³ 68³ 117 20 ³ 52³ 44³ 96 21 ³ 38³ 54³ 92 22 ³ 24³ 42³ 66 23 ³ 36³ 43³ 79ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 999³ 1123³ 2122ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

(Number of Unknown = 2)


TIME ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 22³ 31³ 53 1 ³ 22³ 18³ 40 2 ³ 12³ 18³ 30 3 ³ 13³ 19³ 32 4 ³ 11³ 13³ 24 5 ³ 16³ 31³ 47 6 ³ 47³ 47³ 94 7 ³ 56³ 62³ 118 8 ³ 45³ 65³ 110 9 ³ 45³ 48³ 93 10 ³ 67³ 64³ 131 11 ³ 57³ 61³ 118 12 ³ 61³ 56³ 117 13 ³ 67³ 61³ 128 14 ³ 55³ 67³ 122 15 ³ 51³ 55³ 106 16 ³ 49³ 62³ 111 17 ³ 70³ 52³ 122 18 ³ 34³ 42³ 76 19 ³ 49³ 68³ 117 20 ³ 52³ 44³ 96 21 ³ 38³ 54³ 92 22 ³ 24³ 42³ 66 23 ³ 36³ 43³ 79ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 999³ 1123³ 2122ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


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1997 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITYMONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 35³ 42³ 13³ 17³ 107 Feb ³ 24³ 41³ 12³ 14³ 91 Mar ³ 31³ 48³ 13³ 17³ 109 Apr ³ 40³ 50³ 13³ 15³ 118 May ³ 44³ 40³ 9³ 10³ 103 Jun ³ 18³ 29³ 10³ 11³ 68 Jul ³ 25³ 44³ 11³ 18³ 98 Aug ³ 34³ 40³ 12³ 11³ 97 Sep ³ 30³ 29³ 14³ 8³ 81 Oct ³ 27³ 43³ 4³ 19³ 93 Nov ³ 28³ 31³ 3³ 11³ 73 Dec ³ 27³ 37³ 3³ 18³ 85ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1997 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITYMONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 35³ 42³ 13³ 17³ 107 Feb ³ 24³ 41³ 12³ 14³ 91 Mar ³ 31³ 48³ 13³ 17³ 109 Apr ³ 40³ 50³ 13³ 15³ 118 May ³ 44³ 40³ 9³ 10³ 103 Jun ³ 18³ 29³ 10³ 11³ 68 Jul ³ 25³ 44³ 11³ 18³ 98 Aug ³ 34³ 40³ 12³ 11³ 97 Sep ³ 30³ 29³ 14³ 8³ 81 Oct ³ 27³ 43³ 4³ 19³ 93 Nov ³ 28³ 31³ 3³ 11³ 73 Dec ³ 27³ 37³ 3³ 18³ 85ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 363³ 474³ 117³ 169³ 1123ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 77³ 107³ 184 Feb ³ 63³ 91³ 154 Mar ³ 60³ 109³ 169 Apr ³ 87³ 118³ 205 May ³ 80³ 103³ 183 Jun ³ 94³ 68³ 162 Jul ³ 80³ 98³ 178 Aug ³ 87³ 97³ 184 Sep ³ 72³ 81³ 153 Oct ³ 94³ 93³ 187 Nov ³ 111³ 73³ 184 Dec ³ 96³ 85³ 181ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ


MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 77³ 107³ 184 Feb ³ 63³ 91³ 154 Mar ³ 60³ 109³ 169 Apr ³ 87³ 118³ 205 May ³ 80³ 103³ 183 Jun ³ 94³ 68³ 162 Jul ³ 80³ 98³ 178 Aug ³ 87³ 97³ 184 Sep ³ 72³ 81³ 153 Oct ³ 94³ 93³ 187 Nov ³ 111³ 73³ 184 Dec ³ 96³ 85³ 181ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ

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Accidents by Month

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THANA ³ 96³ 97³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄRamna ³ 104³ 137³ 241Motijhil³ 70³ 85³ 155Sabujbag³ 41³ 62³ 103Sutrapur³ 46³ 49³ 95Kotwali ³ 21³ 11³ 32Demra ³ 134³ 137³ 271Lalbagh ³ 7³ 25³ 32Dhanmand³ 23³ 31³ 54Tejgaon ³ 175³ 189³ 364Md.pur ³ 33³ 34³ 67Mirpur ³ 100³ 114³ 214Gulshan ³ 86³ 80³ 166Cantonmt³ 97³ 98³ 195Uttara ³ 49³ 57³ 106Pallabi ³ 15³ 14³ 29ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


THANA ³ 96³ 97³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄRamna ³ 104³ 137³ 241Motijhil³ 70³ 85³ 155Sabujbag³ 41³ 62³ 103Sutrapur³ 46³ 49³ 95Kotwali ³ 21³ 11³ 32Demra ³ 134³ 137³ 271Lalbagh ³ 7³ 25³ 32Dhanmand³ 23³ 31³ 54Tejgaon ³ 175³ 189³ 364Md.pur ³ 33³ 34³ 67Mirpur ³ 100³ 114³ 214Gulshan ³ 86³ 80³ 166Cantonmt³ 97³ 98³ 195Uttara ³ 49³ 57³ 106Pallabi ³ 15³ 14³ 29ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 2124ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

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1997


Casualties in 1997Accidents

CASUALTY SEXCASUALTYAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 17³ 6³ 23 6-10 ³ 32³ 20³ 5211-15 ³ 33³ 14³ 4716-20 ³ 59³ 18³ 7721-25 ³ 116³ 14³ 13026-30 ³ 154³ 15³ 16931-35 ³ 104³ 16³ 12036-40 ³ 70³ 14³ 8441-45 ³ 55³ 8³ 6346-50 ³ 35³ 6³ 4151-55 ³ 10³ 7³ 1756-60 ³ 11³ 7³ 1861-65 ³ 8³ 1³ 966-70 ³ 5³ 1³ 671-75 ³ 2³ 0³ 2 >75 ³ 2³ 0³ 2ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 713³ 147³ 860ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



CASUALTY SEXCASUALTYAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 17³ 6³ 23 6-10 ³ 32³ 20³ 5211-15 ³ 33³ 14³ 4716-20 ³ 59³ 18³ 7721-25 ³ 116³ 14³ 13026-30 ³ 154³ 15³ 16931-35 ³ 104³ 16³ 12036-40 ³ 70³ 14³ 8441-45 ³ 55³ 8³ 6346-50 ³ 35³ 6³ 4151-55 ³ 10³ 7³ 1756-60 ³ 11³ 7³ 1861-65 ³ 8³ 1³ 966-70 ³ 5³ 1³ 671-75 ³ 2³ 0³ 2 >75 ³ 2³ 0³ 2ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 713³ 147³ 860ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



Casualties in 1996/97Accidents

YEARCASUALTYAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 21³ 23³ 44 6-10 ³ 45³ 52³ 9711-15 ³ 53³ 47³ 10016-20 ³ 73³ 77³ 15021-25 ³ 193³ 130³ 32326-30 ³ 257³ 169³ 42631-35 ³ 158³ 120³ 27836-40 ³ 115³ 84³ 19941-45 ³ 103³ 63³ 16646-50 ³ 52³ 41³ 9351-55 ³ 34³ 17³ 5156-60 ³ 26³ 18³ 4461-65 ³ 10³ 9³ 1966-70 ³ 7³ 6³ 1371-75 ³ 8³ 2³ 10 >75 ³ 5³ 2³ 7ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1160³ 860³ 2020ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Casualties in 1996/97Accidents

YEARCASUALTYAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 21³ 23³ 44 6-10 ³ 45³ 52³ 9711-15 ³ 53³ 47³ 10016-20 ³ 73³ 77³ 15021-25 ³ 193³ 130³ 32326-30 ³ 257³ 169³ 42631-35 ³ 158³ 120³ 27836-40 ³ 115³ 84³ 19941-45 ³ 103³ 63³ 16646-50 ³ 52³ 41³ 9351-55 ³ 34³ 17³ 5156-60 ³ 26³ 18³ 4461-65 ³ 10³ 9³ 1966-70 ³ 7³ 6³ 1371-75 ³ 8³ 2³ 10 >75 ³ 5³ 2³ 7ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1160³ 860³ 2020ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Many unknown casualty ages in 1997 due to reporting problems

0-5

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0

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>75

Age of Casualties

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0

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5

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71-7

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>75

Age of Casualties

Comparison with 1996 data not shown

due to reporting problems in 1997


DMP 1998

Vehicles in 1997 Accidents

DRIVER INJURYVEHICLETYPE ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³NoInj³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCycle ³ 9³ 14³ 0³ 0³ 23RickS ³ 30³ 92³ 26³ 27³ 175PushC ³ 5³ 6³ 1³ 1³ 13M/Cyc ³ 8³ 22³ 4³ 11³ 45BabyT ³ 9³ 90³ 21³ 129³ 249Tempo ³ 5³ 17³ 3³ 96³ 121MicrB ³ 0³ 10³ 1³ 75³ 86MiniB ³ 1³ 3³ 0³ 278³ 282Bus ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 210³ 211Car ³ 2³ 24³ 15³ 204³ 245Jeep ³ 0³ 2³ 2³ 27³ 31PickU ³ 0³ 1³ 2³ 28³ 31Truck ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 10³ 12HeavT ³ 0³ 0³ 2³ 328³ 330Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 4³ 4OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 1³ 1Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 1³ 1Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 0³ 1ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 70³ 284³ 77³ 1430³ 1861ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 16)




Cyc

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1996

1997

Cyc

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1996

1997


Drivers in 1997Accidents

DRIVER SEXDRIVERAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 1³ 0³ 111-15 ³ 0³ 0³ 016-20 ³ 13³ 0³ 1321-25 ³ 94³ 0³ 9426-30 ³ 161³ 1³ 16231-35 ³ 141³ 0³ 14136-40 ³ 89³ 0³ 8941-45 ³ 22³ 0³ 2246-50 ³ 4³ 0³ 451-55 ³ 1³ 0³ 156-60 ³ 0³ 0³ 061-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 1³ 0³ 171-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 527³ 1³ 528ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



DRIVER SEXDRIVERAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 1³ 0³ 111-15 ³ 0³ 0³ 016-20 ³ 13³ 0³ 1321-25 ³ 94³ 0³ 9426-30 ³ 161³ 1³ 16231-35 ³ 141³ 0³ 14136-40 ³ 89³ 0³ 8941-45 ³ 22³ 0³ 2246-50 ³ 4³ 0³ 451-55 ³ 1³ 0³ 156-60 ³ 0³ 0³ 061-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 1³ 0³ 171-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 527³ 1³ 528ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



Drivers in 1996/97Accidents

YEARDRIVERAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 0³ 1³ 111-15 ³ 4³ 0³ 416-20 ³ 25³ 13³ 3821-25 ³ 163³ 94³ 25726-30 ³ 304³ 162³ 46631-35 ³ 239³ 141³ 38036-40 ³ 110³ 89³ 19941-45 ³ 49³ 22³ 7146-50 ³ 8³ 4³ 1251-55 ³ 6³ 1³ 756-60 ³ 3³ 0³ 361-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 0³ 1³ 171-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 911³ 528³ 1439ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Drivers in 1996/97Accidents

YEARDRIVERAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 0³ 1³ 111-15 ³ 4³ 0³ 416-20 ³ 25³ 13³ 3821-25 ³ 163³ 94³ 25726-30 ³ 304³ 162³ 46631-35 ³ 239³ 141³ 38036-40 ³ 110³ 89³ 19941-45 ³ 49³ 22³ 7146-50 ³ 8³ 4³ 1251-55 ³ 6³ 1³ 756-60 ³ 3³ 0³ 361-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 0³ 1³ 171-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 911³ 528³ 1439ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Many unknown driverages in 1997 due to reporting problems

0-5

6-1

0

11-1

5

16-2

0

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

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51-5

5

56-6

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Ages of Drivers Involved in Accidents (1997 only)

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>75

Ages of Drivers Involved in Accidents (1997 only)

Comparison with 1996 data not shown

due to reporting problems in 1997

Vehicles Hitting PedestriansDMP 1997

Pedestrian Casualties in1997 Accidents

PEDESTRIAN INJURYVEHICLETYPE ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄCycle ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0RickS ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 1PushC ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0M/Cyc ³ 3³ 4³ 2³ 9BabyT ³ 17³ 31³ 10³ 58Tempo ³ 8³ 16³ 6³ 30MicrB ³ 10³ 4³ 2³ 16MiniB ³ 52³ 46³ 6³ 104Bus ³ 31³ 23³ 4³ 58Car ³ 30³ 33³ 9³ 72Jeep ³ 2³ 2³ 0³ 4PickU ³ 1³ 5³ 1³ 7Truck ³ 4³ 3³ 0³ 7HeavT ³ 84³ 36³ 6³ 126Artic ³ 2³ 1³ 0³ 3OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Tract ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 1Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 244³ 206³ 46³ 496ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ






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Pedestrian Casualties by Vehicle Type

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

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Simple

Grievous

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Action of Pedestrian CasualtiesDMP 1997

Pedestrian Casualties in 1997Accidents

YEARPEDESTRIAN ACTION ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄNo Action ³ 77³ 49³ 126Crossing Road ³ 170³ 234³ 404Walking along Road ³ 27³ 22³ 49Walking on Roadside ³ 151³ 191³ 342Play in Road ³ 7³ 1³ 8ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 432³ 497³ 929ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


Pedestrian Casualties in 1997Accidents

YEARPEDESTRIAN ACTION ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄNo Action ³ 77³ 49³ 126Crossing Road ³ 170³ 234³ 404Walking along Road ³ 27³ 22³ 49Walking on Roadside ³ 151³ 191³ 342Play in Road ³ 7³ 1³ 8ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 432³ 497³ 929ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



Non

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Action of Pedestrian Casualties

1996

1997

Non

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Action of Pedestrian Casualties

1996

1997

Airport Road, DhakaDMP 1996 & 1997


toStaff Road Level Crossing





Number of Accidents 1996 1997Fatal 46 62Grevious 36 53Simple 21 8Collision 16 7Total 119 130



This is 35% higher than on thesame road in 1996 and 65 timeshigher than major roads inLondon



Figure 13Source: DMP Accident Data Unit

Airport Road - Biswa Road(within 200m of intersection)

DMP 1996 & 1997

Monthly numbers ofaccidents at the site

MONTH YEAR ³ 1996³ 1997³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 4³ 0³ 4 Feb ³ 2³ 0³ 2 Mar ³ 1³ 1³ 2 Apr ³ 1³ 1³ 2 May ³ 2³ 0³ 2 Jun ³ 0³ 0³ 0 Jul ³ 0³ 0³ 0 Aug ³ 0³ 3³ 3 Sep ³ 2³ 1³ 3 Oct ³ 2³ 2³ 4 Nov ³ 1³ 1³ 2 Dec ³ 3³ 1³ 4ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 18³ 10³ 28ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



Severity of accidents at thesite in 1996 and 1997

YEAR ACCIDENT SEVERITY ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 96 ³ 11³ 4³ 2³ 1³ 18 97 ³ 3³ 5³ 2³ 0³ 10ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 14³ 9³ 4³ 1³ 28ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



Figure 14

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q40

1

2

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7

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arte

rly

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iden

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1996 1997

Improved Police Enforcement Starts Here


Khilkhet Bus StandDMP 1996 & 1997










Chittagong Road, Dhaka DMP 1996 & 1997


to

End of DMP Area



to

End of DMP Area



Note: The number of fatal accidents fell in 1997 butthe number of grievous accidents more than doubled


Note: The number of fatal accidents fell in 1997 butthe number of grievous accidents more than doubled

Figure 16




Darussalam RoadDMP 1996 & 1997

Figure 17

Ped

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Class of Casualty

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

Hea

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Collision Type

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Simple

Grievous

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Hea

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Collision Type

Collision

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

High number of Head-On Collisions


26

4. Conclusions

4.1 The road accident situation in Dhaka is extremely severe and is the responsibility of manyagencies. The Police have taken great strides towards improving the situation byestablishing a new accident reporting and analysis system. This is now delivering the basicinformation required to carry out effective publicity, education and enforcement campaigns. It is also providing engineers with the details required to carry out an accident blackspotidentification and treatment programme.

4.2 The new accident reporting system is not simply a bureaucratic exercise. The data isalready being used and data-led countermeasures will be having a serious impact on thenumber of accidents at the worst accident blackspots in the coming months. The accidentsoccurring at blackspots maybe primarily due to bad driving but engineering measures canbe used to improve road user behaviour and thus eliminate many of the accidents in thefuture. Improvement in the road design at accident blackspots will not only save lives but itwill reduce the number of police officers required to patrol the site.

4.3 The number of accidents reported to the police in DMP in 1997 was 1123 although it iswell established that many non-fatal accidents do not get reported to the police so theactual total is actually much higher. The number of fatalities recorded in road accidents is amore reliable statistic and during 1997 this totalled 374. These numbers represent asignificant increase in the number of accidents compared to 1996.

4.4 The most striking feature of the accident data for DMP in both 1996 and 1997 is the largenumber of fatal accidents on the main arterial routes out of the city. The number of fatalaccidents per kilometre are extremely high with rates 65 times higher than London beingrecorded on the Dhaka-Chittagong road within DMP. When the relatively low trafficvolumes are considered the fatality rate per vehicle kilometre is likely to be staggeringlyhigh.

4.5 Accident blackspots have been identified within DMP with alarmingly high accident rates.These sites can now be monitored and if action has been taken the effectiveness can beascertained. The highest profile accident blackspot site at Airport Road/Biswa Road hasexperienced a decrease in accidents which is even more noticeable when set against abackground of rising accident rates on Airport Road as whole. This shows that the Policeare able to act quickly and effectively to reduce both the number and severity of accidentsoccurring at a blackspot. The opportunity now exists to implement data-led accidentremedial schemes throughout the city.



Annual Report1998

An accident at Airport Road

Biswa Road Crossing

C O N T E N T S

Page

A Message from Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner 1


















Figure 15: Darussalam Road 21


1. Introduction

1.1 This report was produced for Dhaka Metropolitan Police by Quazi Zakaria

Islam, Road Safety Specialist from the Institutional Development

Component of the Third Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project.

The sincere assistance of M. A. Jalil, D.C (North) Traffic and co-operation

from all other units of Dhaka Metropolitan Police is gratefully

acknowledged.

1.2 All the traffic accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police are

recorded on the Accident Report Form and these are analyzed in DMP

headquarters. It is believed that a large proportion of all traffic accidents is

not reported to the Police. Consequently the analysis presented here is

only part of the picture – the real situation is worse.

1.3 Traffic accidents in Dhaka were first studied in 1996. The objectives were

to discover the main types of accidents, the frequency of accidents by

hour, day, month and to identify the worst accident spots.

1.4 The present study is a follow-up one and is designed specifically to assess

the changes since 1996.

1.5 The tables and figures included in this report correspond as closely as

possible to those included in earlier reports.

2


2.1 Based on the recommendation of the 1996 study, the proposed reporting

system has been installed in all Thanas of the six divisional head quarters

of Police in Dhaka.


3.1 This report has been compiled from data collected from all the police

stations of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. It shows the present accident

situation and the change since 1996 and 1997.

3.2 In 1998 there were 1202 accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (Figure - 1). This represents an increase of 8% over the 1115

accidents recorded during 1997. In 1998, 420 persons died (+12% of

1997) and 1001 were grievously injured (+ 37% of 1997).

3.3 The distribution of accidents by day of the week is shown in Figure 2. Most

accidents happened on Wednesdays (16%). Monday was the next worst

day. Overall there is not much variation between days of the week.

3.4 More than half of the accidents occur during the working hours (0800 -

1800) of the day (Figure 3). Early morning (0600 - 0800) and early evening

(1800 - 2000) are also bad times for accidents. There is no one time of the

day, which is much worse than others are.

3


2.1 Based on the recommendation of the 1996 study, the proposed reporting

system has been installed in all Thanas of the six divisional head quarters

of Police in Dhaka.


3.1 This report has been compiled from data collected from all the police

stations of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. It shows the present accident

situation and the change since 1996 and 1997.

3.2 In 1998 there were 1202 accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (Figure - 1). This represents an increase of 8% over the 1115

accidents recorded during 1997. In 1998, 420 persons died (+12% of

1997) and 1001 were grievously injured (+ 37% of 1997).

3.3 The distribution of accidents by day of the week is shown in Figure 2. Most

accidents happened on Wednesdays (16%). Monday was the next worst

day. Overall there is not much variation between days of the week.

3.4 More than half of the accidents occur during the working hours (0800 -

1800) of the day (Figure 3). Early morning (0600 - 0800) and early evening

(1800 - 2000) are also bad times for accidents. There is no one time of the

day, which is much worse than others are.

3

3.5 The worst month in 1998 was July (10%), (Figure 4). The month with the

lowest number of accidents was November, when only 7% of accidents

occurred. June was the worst month for fatal accidents.

3.6 Tejgaon Thana had the highest number of accidents over the period 1996

- 98 (Figure 5). Pallabi Thana had the lowest total, perhaps because it is

less developed.

3.7 Age was recorded only for 70% of the casualties (62% in 1997). Most

casualties are in the 21 - 35 age group (Figure 6). There are significant

casualties in the age group 6-10 years. More than 84% of victims are

male.

3.8 Pedestrians and Rickshaw riders are the most frequent victims (36% and

18% respectively). This is similar to previous years. In 1998 36% of all

those killed on the roads of Dhaka were pedestrians. Figure 7 shows that

pedestrian casualties have increased at a faster rate than other casualties

do.

3.9 Heavy trucks were the most common types of vehicle to be involved in

accidents. This is similar to the situation in 1997 and 1996. Only 2 of the

truck drivers were injured.

3.10 Most of the drivers were within the 26-30 age group (Figure 9). 31-35 age

group drivers also represent significant numbers (26%).

7

3.11 The most common type of accident was one where a pedestrian was hit by

a vehicle. With regard to the vehicle type associated with pedestrian

casualties, the majority (24%) were injured by being hit by Trucks, 18%

were hit by Bus, 16% by Minibus and 12% by Car (Figure 10).

3.12 The accident situation on the Airport Road (Staff Road Level Crossing to

Tongi Bridge) continues to get worse. There are a number of accident

black spots identified in the previous study. Figure 11 gives information on

these.

3.13 One of the worst accident spots on the Airport Road is the Biswa Road

intersection (Figure 12). Accident numbers dropped in 1997 but have risen

again to 15 (including 7 fatal accidents). Pedestrians’ accidents are

dominant at this intersection. It is important to take all possible safety

measures to tackle the situation.

3.14 The situation at Khilkhet Bus Stand - another well-known accident spot

has got worse despite the construction of a pedestrian over-bridge (Figure

13).

3.15 The Chittagong Road in Dhaka is the main highway from Dhaka to south -

east and the north - east of Bangladesh. A plot of accidents along this road

reveals a total of 79 reported accidents along a 5km stretch of road (Figure

14). 32 of these accidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of

6.2 fatal accidents per kilometre per year.

14

3.16 Figure 15 shows a plot of accidents on Darussalam Road in Mirpur. A road

divider was constructed in Darussalam Road at the end of 1997. If we look

at the types of accidents occurring on Darussalam Road it will be observed

that before the construction of the road divider there was an average of 5

head-on collisions per year, but in 1998 (after the divider was installed)

there were none. The total number of casualties dropped by 30%, but the

number of pedestrians injured nearly doubled. Perhaps crossing the road

is now more dangerous because the divider enables vehicles to travel

faster. These findings show the usefulness of the DMP accident reporting

system. The accident situation on this road will be monitored and this will

show whether further safety measures are needed.

20

Summary of Accidents andCasualtiesDMP 1996 - 1998

1996-1998 Accidents YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 343³ 363³ 399³ 1105Griev ³ 384³ 474³ 593³ 1451Simpl ³ 171³ 117³ 64³ 352Colln ³ 103³ 169³ 146³ 418ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄ


SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 343³ 363³ 399³ 1105Griev ³ 384³ 474³ 593³ 1451Simpl ³ 171³ 117³ 64³ 352Colln ³ 103³ 169³ 146³ 418ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄ


1996-1998 Casualties YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 369³ 374³ 420³ 1163Griev ³ 529³ 731³ 1001³ 2261Simpl ³ 373³ 273³ 135³ 781ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1271³ 1378³ 1556³ 4205ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄ

1996-1998 Casualties YEAR

SEVERITY³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄFatal ³ 369³ 374³ 420³ 1163Griev ³ 529³ 731³ 1001³ 2261Simpl ³ 373³ 273³ 135³ 781ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1271³ 1378³ 1556³ 4205ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄ

Figure 1


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1998 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITY DAY OF WEEK ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Mon ³ 61³ 88³ 14³ 26³ 189 Tue ³ 59³ 72³ 7³ 23³ 161 Wed ³ 65³ 90³ 9³ 30³ 194 Thu ³ 61³ 79³ 11³ 22³ 173 Fri ³ 39³ 98³ 3³ 18³ 158 Sat ³ 49³ 94³ 9³ 10³ 162 Sun ³ 65³ 72³ 11³ 17³ 165 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1998 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITY DAY OF WEEK ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Mon ³ 61³ 88³ 14³ 26³ 189 Tue ³ 59³ 72³ 7³ 23³ 161 Wed ³ 65³ 90³ 9³ 30³ 194 Thu ³ 61³ 79³ 11³ 22³ 173 Fri ³ 39³ 98³ 3³ 18³ 158 Sat ³ 49³ 94³ 9³ 10³ 162 Sun ³ 65³ 72³ 11³ 17³ 165 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1996-98 Accidents

YEARDAY OFWEEK ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 141³ 139³ 189³ 469Tue ³ 140³ 175³ 161³ 476Wed ³ 135³ 153³ 194³ 482Thu ³ 161³ 198³ 173³ 532Fri ³ 141³ 171³ 158³ 470Sat ³ 147³ 148³ 162³ 457Sun ³ 136³ 139³ 165³ 440ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1996-98 Accidents

YEARDAY OFWEEK ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄMon ³ 141³ 139³ 189³ 469Tue ³ 140³ 175³ 161³ 476Wed ³ 135³ 153³ 194³ 482Thu ³ 161³ 198³ 173³ 532Fri ³ 141³ 171³ 158³ 470Sat ³ 147³ 148³ 162³ 457Sun ³ 136³ 139³ 165³ 440ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



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TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 13³ 5³ 3³ 7³ 28 1 ³ 9³ 8³ 1³ 1³ 19 2 ³ 6³ 7³ 0³ 4³ 17 3 ³ 9³ 8³ 2³ 4³ 23 4 ³ 13³ 9³ 0³ 4³ 26 5 ³ 13³ 11³ 1³ 0³ 25 6 ³ 29³ 29³ 1³ 5³ 64 7 ³ 24³ 31³ 1³ 4³ 60 8 ³ 21³ 30³ 3³ 7³ 61 9 ³ 18³ 34³ 3³ 9³ 64 10 ³ 21³ 40³ 3³ 13³ 77 11 ³ 25³ 45³ 7³ 6³ 83 12 ³ 18³ 37³ 7³ 11³ 73 13 ³ 18³ 31³ 4³ 4³ 57 14 ³ 24³ 40³ 3³ 7³ 74 15 ³ 15³ 30³ 5³ 12³ 62 16 ³ 11³ 38³ 4³ 12³ 65 17 ³ 13³ 32³ 3³ 3³ 51 18 ³ 10³ 29³ 0³ 9³ 48 19 ³ 26³ 22³ 3³ 4³ 55 20 ³ 19³ 23³ 2³ 10³ 54 21 ³ 20³ 18³ 2³ 3³ 43 22 ³ 9³ 22³ 3³ 3³ 37 23 ³ 15³ 13³ 3³ 4³ 35 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 592³ 64³ 146³ 1201 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 1)


TIME ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 13³ 5³ 3³ 7³ 28 1 ³ 9³ 8³ 1³ 1³ 19 2 ³ 6³ 7³ 0³ 4³ 17 3 ³ 9³ 8³ 2³ 4³ 23 4 ³ 13³ 9³ 0³ 4³ 26 5 ³ 13³ 11³ 1³ 0³ 25 6 ³ 29³ 29³ 1³ 5³ 64 7 ³ 24³ 31³ 1³ 4³ 60 8 ³ 21³ 30³ 3³ 7³ 61 9 ³ 18³ 34³ 3³ 9³ 64 10 ³ 21³ 40³ 3³ 13³ 77 11 ³ 25³ 45³ 7³ 6³ 83 12 ³ 18³ 37³ 7³ 11³ 73 13 ³ 18³ 31³ 4³ 4³ 57 14 ³ 24³ 40³ 3³ 7³ 74 15 ³ 15³ 30³ 5³ 12³ 62 16 ³ 11³ 38³ 4³ 12³ 65 17 ³ 13³ 32³ 3³ 3³ 51 18 ³ 10³ 29³ 0³ 9³ 48 19 ³ 26³ 22³ 3³ 4³ 55 20 ³ 19³ 23³ 2³ 10³ 54 21 ³ 20³ 18³ 2³ 3³ 43 22 ³ 9³ 22³ 3³ 3³ 37 23 ³ 15³ 13³ 3³ 4³ 35 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 592³ 64³ 146³ 1201 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 1)


TIME ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 22³ 31³ 28³ 81 1 ³ 22³ 18³ 19³ 59 2 ³ 12³ 18³ 17³ 47 3 ³ 13³ 19³ 23³ 55 4 ³ 11³ 13³ 26³ 50 5 ³ 16³ 31³ 25³ 72 6 ³ 47³ 47³ 64³ 158 7 ³ 56³ 62³ 60³ 178 8 ³ 45³ 65³ 61³ 171 9 ³ 45³ 48³ 64³ 15710 ³ 67³ 64³ 77³ 20811 ³ 57³ 61³ 83³ 20112 ³ 61³ 56³ 73³ 19013 ³ 67³ 61³ 57³ 18514 ³ 55³ 67³ 74³ 19615 ³ 51³ 55³ 62³ 16816 ³ 49³ 62³ 65³ 17617 ³ 70³ 52³ 51³ 17318 ³ 34³ 42³ 48³ 12419 ³ 49³ 68³ 55³ 17220 ³ 52³ 44³ 54³ 15021 ³ 38³ 54³ 43³ 13522 ³ 24³ 42³ 37³ 10323 ³ 36³ 43³ 35³ 114ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal³ 999³ 1123³ 1201³ 3323ÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ (Number of Unknown = 3)


TIME ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0 ³ 22³ 31³ 28³ 81 1 ³ 22³ 18³ 19³ 59 2 ³ 12³ 18³ 17³ 47 3 ³ 13³ 19³ 23³ 55 4 ³ 11³ 13³ 26³ 50 5 ³ 16³ 31³ 25³ 72 6 ³ 47³ 47³ 64³ 158 7 ³ 56³ 62³ 60³ 178 8 ³ 45³ 65³ 61³ 171 9 ³ 45³ 48³ 64³ 15710 ³ 67³ 64³ 77³ 20811 ³ 57³ 61³ 83³ 20112 ³ 61³ 56³ 73³ 19013 ³ 67³ 61³ 57³ 18514 ³ 55³ 67³ 74³ 19615 ³ 51³ 55³ 62³ 16816 ³ 49³ 62³ 65³ 17617 ³ 70³ 52³ 51³ 17318 ³ 34³ 42³ 48³ 12419 ³ 49³ 68³ 55³ 17220 ³ 52³ 44³ 54³ 15021 ³ 38³ 54³ 43³ 13522 ³ 24³ 42³ 37³ 10323 ³ 36³ 43³ 35³ 114ÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal³ 999³ 1123³ 1201³ 3323ÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ (Number of Unknown = 3)



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8


MONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 24³ 44³ 6³ 9³ 83 Feb ³ 27³ 52³ 0³ 18³ 97 Mar ³ 39³ 51³ 3³ 9³ 102 Apr ³ 40³ 36³ 3³ 17³ 96 May ³ 30³ 61³ 3³ 12³ 106 Jun ³ 43³ 50³ 10³ 6³ 109 Jul ³ 34³ 69³ 3³ 11³ 117 Aug ³ 37³ 48³ 9³ 21³ 115 Sep ³ 30³ 51³ 6³ 11³ 98 Oct ³ 28³ 46³ 5³ 9³ 88 Nov ³ 25³ 39³ 3³ 11³ 78 Dec ³ 42³ 46³ 13³ 12³ 113ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


MONTH ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 24³ 44³ 6³ 9³ 83 Feb ³ 27³ 52³ 0³ 18³ 97 Mar ³ 39³ 51³ 3³ 9³ 102 Apr ³ 40³ 36³ 3³ 17³ 96 May ³ 30³ 61³ 3³ 12³ 106 Jun ³ 43³ 50³ 10³ 6³ 109 Jul ³ 34³ 69³ 3³ 11³ 117 Aug ³ 37³ 48³ 9³ 21³ 115 Sep ³ 30³ 51³ 6³ 11³ 98 Oct ³ 28³ 46³ 5³ 9³ 88 Nov ³ 25³ 39³ 3³ 11³ 78 Dec ³ 42³ 46³ 13³ 12³ 113ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 77³ 107³ 83³ 267 Feb ³ 63³ 91³ 97³ 251 Mar ³ 60³ 109³ 102³ 271 Apr ³ 87³ 118³ 96³ 301 May ³ 80³ 103³ 106³ 289 Jun ³ 94³ 68³ 109³ 271 Jul ³ 80³ 98³ 117³ 295 Aug ³ 87³ 97³ 115³ 299 Sep ³ 72³ 81³ 98³ 251 Oct ³ 94³ 93³ 88³ 275 Nov ³ 111³ 73³ 78³ 262 Dec ³ 96³ 85³ 113³ 294ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 77³ 107³ 83³ 267 Feb ³ 63³ 91³ 97³ 251 Mar ³ 60³ 109³ 102³ 271 Apr ³ 87³ 118³ 96³ 301 May ³ 80³ 103³ 106³ 289 Jun ³ 94³ 68³ 109³ 271 Jul ³ 80³ 98³ 117³ 295 Aug ³ 87³ 97³ 115³ 299 Sep ³ 72³ 81³ 98³ 251 Oct ³ 94³ 93³ 88³ 275 Nov ³ 111³ 73³ 78³ 262 Dec ³ 96³ 85³ 113³ 294ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


1998 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

THANA ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Ramna ³ 30³ 115³ 24³ 34³ 203 Motijhil³ 23³ 29³ 5³ 14³ 71 Sabujbag³ 14³ 25³ 0³ 4³ 43 Sutrapur³ 11³ 25³ 0³ 5³ 41 Kotwali ³ 5³ 10³ 4³ 1³ 20 Demra ³ 85³ 86³ 3³ 12³ 186 Lalbagh ³ 4³ 8³ 3³ 1³ 16 Dhanmand³ 11³ 34³ 0³ 6³ 51 Tejgaon ³ 57³ 86³ 9³ 39³ 191 Md.pur ³ 7³ 6³ 1³ 2³ 16 Mirpur ³ 35³ 35³ 1³ 6³ 77 Gulshan ³ 28³ 36³ 9³ 4³ 77 Cantonmt³ 66³ 60³ 1³ 11³ 138 Uttara ³ 19³ 33³ 4³ 6³ 62 Pallabi ³ 4³ 5³ 0³ 1³ 10 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

1998 Accidents

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

THANA ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ Total ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Ramna ³ 30³ 115³ 24³ 34³ 203 Motijhil³ 23³ 29³ 5³ 14³ 71 Sabujbag³ 14³ 25³ 0³ 4³ 43 Sutrapur³ 11³ 25³ 0³ 5³ 41 Kotwali ³ 5³ 10³ 4³ 1³ 20 Demra ³ 85³ 86³ 3³ 12³ 186 Lalbagh ³ 4³ 8³ 3³ 1³ 16 Dhanmand³ 11³ 34³ 0³ 6³ 51 Tejgaon ³ 57³ 86³ 9³ 39³ 191 Md.pur ³ 7³ 6³ 1³ 2³ 16 Mirpur ³ 35³ 35³ 1³ 6³ 77 Gulshan ³ 28³ 36³ 9³ 4³ 77 Cantonmt³ 66³ 60³ 1³ 11³ 138 Uttara ³ 19³ 33³ 4³ 6³ 62 Pallabi ³ 4³ 5³ 0³ 1³ 10 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 399³ 593³ 64³ 146³ 1202 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



THANA ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄRamna ³ 104³ 137³ 203³ 444Motijhil³ 70³ 85³ 71³ 226Sabujbag³ 41³ 62³ 43³ 146Sutrapur³ 46³ 49³ 41³ 136Kotwali ³ 21³ 11³ 20³ 52Demra ³ 134³ 137³ 186³ 457Lalbagh ³ 7³ 25³ 16³ 48Dhanmand³ 23³ 31³ 51³ 105Tejgaon ³ 175³ 189³ 191³ 555Md.pur ³ 33³ 34³ 16³ 83Mirpur ³ 100³ 114³ 77³ 291Gulshan ³ 86³ 80³ 77³ 243Cantonmt³ 97³ 98³ 138³ 333Uttara ³ 49³ 57³ 62³ 168Pallabi ³ 15³ 14³ 10³ 39ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ


THANA ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄRamna ³ 104³ 137³ 203³ 444Motijhil³ 70³ 85³ 71³ 226Sabujbag³ 41³ 62³ 43³ 146Sutrapur³ 46³ 49³ 41³ 136Kotwali ³ 21³ 11³ 20³ 52Demra ³ 134³ 137³ 186³ 457Lalbagh ³ 7³ 25³ 16³ 48Dhanmand³ 23³ 31³ 51³ 105Tejgaon ³ 175³ 189³ 191³ 555Md.pur ³ 33³ 34³ 16³ 83Mirpur ³ 100³ 114³ 77³ 291Gulshan ³ 86³ 80³ 77³ 243Cantonmt³ 97³ 98³ 138³ 333Uttara ³ 49³ 57³ 62³ 168Pallabi ³ 15³ 14³ 10³ 39ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1001³ 1123³ 1202³ 3326ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Ram

na

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Accidents by Thana

1996

1997

1998

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Accidents by Thana

1996

1997

1998

9



CASUALTY SEXCASUALTYAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 19³ 7³ 26 6-10 ³ 43³ 24³ 6711-15 ³ 47³ 10³ 5716-20 ³ 77³ 28³ 10521-25 ³ 155³ 19³ 17426-30 ³ 207³ 27³ 23431-35 ³ 154³ 16³ 17036-40 ³ 80³ 7³ 8741-45 ³ 57³ 3³ 6046-50 ³ 28³ 16³ 4451-55 ³ 9³ 3³ 1256-60 ³ 14³ 5³ 1961-65 ³ 12³ 3³ 1566-70 ³ 6³ 2³ 871-75 ³ 3³ 0³ 3 >75 ³ 1³ 0³ 1ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 912³ 170³ 1082ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 474)


CASUALTY SEXCASUALTYAGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 19³ 7³ 26 6-10 ³ 43³ 24³ 6711-15 ³ 47³ 10³ 5716-20 ³ 77³ 28³ 10521-25 ³ 155³ 19³ 17426-30 ³ 207³ 27³ 23431-35 ³ 154³ 16³ 17036-40 ³ 80³ 7³ 8741-45 ³ 57³ 3³ 6046-50 ³ 28³ 16³ 4451-55 ³ 9³ 3³ 1256-60 ³ 14³ 5³ 1961-65 ³ 12³ 3³ 1566-70 ³ 6³ 2³ 871-75 ³ 3³ 0³ 3 >75 ³ 1³ 0³ 1ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 912³ 170³ 1082ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 474)


Casualties in 1996-98Accidents

YEARCASUALTYAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 21³ 23³ 26³ 70 6-10 ³ 45³ 52³ 67³ 16411-15 ³ 53³ 47³ 57³ 15716-20 ³ 73³ 77³ 105³ 25521-25 ³ 193³ 130³ 174³ 49726-30 ³ 257³ 169³ 234³ 66031-35 ³ 158³ 120³ 170³ 44836-40 ³ 115³ 84³ 87³ 28641-45 ³ 103³ 63³ 60³ 22646-50 ³ 52³ 41³ 44³ 13751-55 ³ 34³ 17³ 12³ 6356-60 ³ 26³ 18³ 19³ 6361-65 ³ 10³ 9³ 15³ 3466-70 ³ 7³ 6³ 8³ 2171-75 ³ 8³ 2³ 3³ 13 >75 ³ 5³ 2³ 1³ 8ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1160³ 860³ 1082³ 3102ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 1103)


YEARCASUALTYAGE ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 21³ 23³ 26³ 70 6-10 ³ 45³ 52³ 67³ 16411-15 ³ 53³ 47³ 57³ 15716-20 ³ 73³ 77³ 105³ 25521-25 ³ 193³ 130³ 174³ 49726-30 ³ 257³ 169³ 234³ 66031-35 ³ 158³ 120³ 170³ 44836-40 ³ 115³ 84³ 87³ 28641-45 ³ 103³ 63³ 60³ 22646-50 ³ 52³ 41³ 44³ 13751-55 ³ 34³ 17³ 12³ 6356-60 ³ 26³ 18³ 19³ 6361-65 ³ 10³ 9³ 15³ 3466-70 ³ 7³ 6³ 8³ 2171-75 ³ 8³ 2³ 3³ 13 >75 ³ 5³ 2³ 1³ 8ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1160³ 860³ 1082³ 3102ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 1103)

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Age of Casualties

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Age of Casualties

1996

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Many unknown casualty ages in 1997& 98 due to

reporting problems

10

Casualty by Class ofRoad User

DMP 1998


CASUALTY INJURYCASUALTYCLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄPed'n ³ 254³ 291³ 13³ 558Cycle ³ 9³ 19³ 0³ 28RickS ³ 51³ 195³ 31³ 277PushC ³ 6³ 15³ 1³ 22M/Cyc ³ 8³ 29³ 4³ 41BabyT ³ 26³ 206³ 34³ 266Tempo ³ 23³ 53³ 3³ 79MicrB ³ 2³ 28³ 2³ 32MiniB ³ 15³ 28³ 3³ 46Bus ³ 10³ 42³ 2³ 54Car ³ 5³ 62³ 30³ 97Jeep ³ 0³ 4³ 5³ 9PickU ³ 0³ 14³ 5³ 19Truck ³ 3³ 3³ 0³ 6HeavT ³ 8³ 6³ 2³ 16Artic ³ 0³ 5³ 0³ 5OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 1ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 420³ 1001³ 135³ 1556ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


CASUALTY INJURYCASUALTYCLASS ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄPed'n ³ 254³ 291³ 13³ 558Cycle ³ 9³ 19³ 0³ 28RickS ³ 51³ 195³ 31³ 277PushC ³ 6³ 15³ 1³ 22M/Cyc ³ 8³ 29³ 4³ 41BabyT ³ 26³ 206³ 34³ 266Tempo ³ 23³ 53³ 3³ 79MicrB ³ 2³ 28³ 2³ 32MiniB ³ 15³ 28³ 3³ 46Bus ³ 10³ 42³ 2³ 54Car ³ 5³ 62³ 30³ 97Jeep ³ 0³ 4³ 5³ 9PickU ³ 0³ 14³ 5³ 19Truck ³ 3³ 3³ 0³ 6HeavT ³ 8³ 6³ 2³ 16Artic ³ 0³ 5³ 0³ 5OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 0³ 1³ 0³ 1ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 420³ 1001³ 135³ 1556ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ



YEARCASUALTYCLASS ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄPed'n ³ 433³ 497³ 558³ 1488Cycle ³ 35³ 28³ 28³ 91RickS ³ 198³ 229³ 277³ 704PushC ³ 10³ 11³ 22³ 43M/Cyc ³ 55³ 54³ 41³ 150BabyT ³ 212³ 251³ 266³ 729Tempo ³ 87³ 82³ 79³ 248MicrB ³ 18³ 18³ 32³ 68MiniB ³ 39³ 39³ 46³ 124Bus ³ 22³ 10³ 54³ 86Car ³ 93³ 89³ 97³ 279Jeep ³ 7³ 12³ 9³ 28PickU ³ 9³ 14³ 19³ 42Truck ³ 9³ 1³ 6³ 16HeavT ³ 40³ 43³ 16³ 99Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 5³ 5OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 3³ 0³ 1³ 4ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1270³ 1378³ 1556³ 4204ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ


YEARCASUALTYCLASS ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄPed'n ³ 433³ 497³ 558³ 1488Cycle ³ 35³ 28³ 28³ 91RickS ³ 198³ 229³ 277³ 704PushC ³ 10³ 11³ 22³ 43M/Cyc ³ 55³ 54³ 41³ 150BabyT ³ 212³ 251³ 266³ 729Tempo ³ 87³ 82³ 79³ 248MicrB ³ 18³ 18³ 32³ 68MiniB ³ 39³ 39³ 46³ 124Bus ³ 22³ 10³ 54³ 86Car ³ 93³ 89³ 97³ 279Jeep ³ 7³ 12³ 9³ 28PickU ³ 9³ 14³ 19³ 42Truck ³ 9³ 1³ 6³ 16HeavT ³ 40³ 43³ 16³ 99Artic ³ 0³ 0³ 5³ 5OilT ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Tract ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Animl ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0Other ³ 3³ 0³ 1³ 4ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 1270³ 1378³ 1556³ 4204ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Ped

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DMP 1998






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12



DRIVER SEX DRIVER AGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 1³ 0³ 111-15 ³ 1³ 0³ 116-20 ³ 43³ 0³ 4321-25 ³ 141³ 0³ 14126-30 ³ 292³ 0³ 29231-35 ³ 250³ 0³ 25036-40 ³ 172³ 0³ 17241-45 ³ 62³ 0³ 6246-50 ³ 8³ 0³ 851-55 ³ 1³ 0³ 156-60 ³ 2³ 0³ 261-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 0³ 0³ 071-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 973³ 0³ 973ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 904)


DRIVER SEX DRIVER AGE ³Male ³Femal³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 0-5 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 6-10 ³ 1³ 0³ 111-15 ³ 1³ 0³ 116-20 ³ 43³ 0³ 4321-25 ³ 141³ 0³ 14126-30 ³ 292³ 0³ 29231-35 ³ 250³ 0³ 25036-40 ³ 172³ 0³ 17241-45 ³ 62³ 0³ 6246-50 ³ 8³ 0³ 851-55 ³ 1³ 0³ 156-60 ³ 2³ 0³ 261-65 ³ 0³ 0³ 066-70 ³ 0³ 0³ 071-75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0 >75 ³ 0³ 0³ 0ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 973³ 0³ 973ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ(Number of Unknown = 904)


Many unknown driverages in 1998 due to reporting problems

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Ages of Drivers Involved in Accidents

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Ages of Drivers Involved in Accidents

13

Vehicles Hitting PedestriansDMP 1998








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15

Airport Road, DhakaDMP 1996 - 1998











Figure 11Source: DMP Accident Data Unit16

On these plots the accidents arecolour coded as follows:-

Fatal Accident Red circleGrievous Accident Green circleSimple Injury Blue circleMotor Collisions Purple circle



Number of Accidents 1996 1997 1998Fatal 46 62 69Grievous 36 53 72Simple 2 8 5Collision 6 7 16Total 119 130 162



DMP 1996 - 1998


YEAR

MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 4³ 0³ 2³ 6 Feb ³ 2³ 0³ 6³ 8 Mar ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 2 Apr ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 2 May ³ 2³ 0³ 2³ 4 Jun ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Jul ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Aug ³ 0³ 3³ 1³ 4 Sep ³ 2³ 1³ 0³ 3 Oct ³ 2³ 2³ 1³ 5 Nov ³ 1³ 1³ 2³ 4 Dec ³ 3³ 1³ 1³ 5ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 18³ 10³ 15³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


YEAR

MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 4³ 0³ 2³ 6 Feb ³ 2³ 0³ 6³ 8 Mar ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 2 Apr ³ 1³ 1³ 0³ 2 May ³ 2³ 0³ 2³ 4 Jun ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Jul ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Aug ³ 0³ 3³ 1³ 4 Sep ³ 2³ 1³ 0³ 3 Oct ³ 2³ 2³ 1³ 5 Nov ³ 1³ 1³ 2³ 4 Dec ³ 3³ 1³ 1³ 5ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 18³ 10³ 15³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Severity of accidents at the site 1996-1998

ACCIDENT SEVERITY

YEAR ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1996 ³ 11³ 4³ 2³ 1³ 18 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ 1997 ³ 3³ 5³ 2³ 0³ 10 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ 1998 ³ 7³ 6³ 0³ 2³ 15ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 21³ 15³ 4³ 3³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


ACCIDENT SEVERITY

YEAR ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1996 ³ 11³ 4³ 2³ 1³ 18 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ 1997 ³ 3³ 5³ 2³ 0³ 10 ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ 1998 ³ 7³ 6³ 0³ 2³ 15ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 21³ 15³ 4³ 3³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Figure 12Source: DMP Accident Data Unit 17

Khilkhet Bus StandDMP 1996 - 1998


YEAR

MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 2³ 3³ 0³ 5 Feb ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Mar ³ 1³ 1³ 1³ 3 Apr ³ 0³ 1³ 5³ 6 May ³ 1³ 2³ 0³ 3 Jun ³ 0³ 1³ 2³ 3 Jul ³ 0³ 0³ 4³ 4 Aug ³ 0³ 1³ 2³ 3 Sep ³ 2³ 1³ 3³ 6 Oct ³ 2³ 3³ 0³ 5 Nov ³ 1³ 0³ 1³ 2 Dec ³ 1³ 0³ 2³ 3ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 10³ 13³ 20³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ


YEAR

MONTH ³ 1996³ 1997³ 1998³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄ Jan ³ 2³ 3³ 0³ 5 Feb ³ 0³ 0³ 0³ 0 Mar ³ 1³ 1³ 1³ 3 Apr ³ 0³ 1³ 5³ 6 May ³ 1³ 2³ 0³ 3 Jun ³ 0³ 1³ 2³ 3 Jul ³ 0³ 0³ 4³ 4 Aug ³ 0³ 1³ 2³ 3 Sep ³ 2³ 1³ 3³ 6 Oct ³ 2³ 3³ 0³ 5 Nov ³ 1³ 0³ 1³ 2 Dec ³ 1³ 0³ 2³ 3ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄTotal ³ 10³ 13³ 20³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Severity of accidents at the site 1996 - 1998

ACCIDENT SEVERITY YEAR ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1996 ³ 4³ 4³ 1³ 1³ 10 1997 ³ 8³ 2³ 1³ 2³ 13 1998 ³ 6³ 11³ 1³ 2³ 20ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 18³ 17³ 3³ 5³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Severity of accidents at the site 1996 - 1998

ACCIDENT SEVERITY YEAR ³Fatal³Griev³Simpl³Colln³ TotalÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1996 ³ 4³ 4³ 1³ 1³ 10 1997 ³ 8³ 2³ 1³ 2³ 13 1998 ³ 6³ 11³ 1³ 2³ 20ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Total ³ 18³ 17³ 3³ 5³ 43ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Figure 13Source: DMP Accident Data Unit18

Chittagong Road, Dhaka DMP 1996 - 1998


to

End of DMP Area



to

End of DMP Area



Note: The number of accidents increased 21.5% in 1998but the number of grievous accidents increased 34.5


Note: The number of accidents increased 21.5% in 1998but the number of grievous accidents increased 34.5

Figure 14Source: DMP Accident Data Unit 19



Darussalam RoadDMP 1996 - 1998

Figure 15

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High number of Head-On Collisions

in 1996-97


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No Head-On Collisions in 1998

21

4. Conclusions

4.1 The number of registered motor vehicles in Bangladesh has increased

from 40,800 in 1971 to 491,168 in 1998. But the road networks, safety

measures and traffic awareness among the people is very inadequate

compared to this increase. To bring this situation under control is not only

the responsibility of Traffic Police but also other concerned organizations.

4.2 The increasing phenomenon of road accidents is alarming. In 1998, 3085

persons died on the roads in Bangladesh. The rate of road death per

10,000 registered vehicles was 63, which is one of the highest in the

world.

4.3 The accident reporting system that has been developed with DMP is not

just a bureaucratic exercise. If the reporting is properly functioning and the

information is generated and analyzed correctly, the concerned

organizations can identify the black spots, faulty road maintenance, traffic

systems, and the necessary steps can be taken. People’s participation is

also very important to make this a success.

4.4 This report shows that the vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists,

rickshaw and baby taxi passengers) continue to be the main victims of

road accidents in Dhaka.

4.5 The increase in road death in DMP area (12%) occurring over the last year

continues to draw attention to the fact that a sustained effort is required

from all those involved in the field of road safety, both as practitioners and

as road users.

22



Annual Report

1999

C O N T E N T S

Page





Table 1: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area: mode of travel by severity of casualty 5


Table 2: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Day of Week 8

Figure 3: Casualties by Day of Week 9

Table 3: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Driver Involved in Accidents 10


Table 4: 1999 Pedestrian Casualties in DMP Area by Vehicle Type 12


Table 5: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and time of day 14

Table 6: 1999 Accidents in DMP Area by Severity and Thana 16


Table 7: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Age group 18


Table 8: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Sex 20

Table 9: 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Junction detail 21

Table 10: Pedestrian Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Action 23






1 Introduction

1.1 This report was produced for Dhaka Metropolitan Police by Quazi Zakaria Islam, Road

Safety Specialist from the Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Third Road

Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project. IDC is funded by the British Government’s

Department for International Development (DFID).

1.2 This report summarizes the accident data collected on the Accident Report Form, which

has been adopted as a part of the FIR of accident cases. It is believed that a large

proportion of all traffic accidents remains unreported to the Police.

1.3 This report is a follow-up one and is designed specifically to assess the changes since

1996. The analysis presented here is part of the picture. Without the full co-operation of

DMP this report, and all other detailed accident investigation work, would not be

possible.

1.4 The absolute values within the tables of this report must be treated cautiously, because

the reporting system has not attained excellence up to desired level.

2

2 Traffic Accident Reporting System

2.1 In the DMP area, for each accident a Sub-Inspector in the Police station completes the

new traffic accident report form. The grid coordinates are added in DMP HQ where all

the forms are being collected from the Police stations. Then the accident data is typed

into a computer.

2.2 The data are presented in the report in two ways; firstly, to present a more detailed

picture of accident, casualty and vehicle factors during 1999 in DMP area, and secondly,

to show how the main accident, casualty, severity and vehicle trends in DMP compare

with previous years. The factors include severity of accident and casualty, junction

control, class of road user, age and sex of casualty and vehicle type.

3 Analysis of the Data

3.1 Data from 1996-1999 has been used for this report. The report contains only a small

selection of the possible outputs. Further information can be obtained from the accident

data unit at DMP HQ and from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC).

3.2 In 1999 there were 892 accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Figure 1).

A single accident often involves more than one person being injured. The 1079

casualties resulted from 892 accidents consisting of, 314 Fatal; 512 Grievous; and 253

Simple injury. Overall casualty figures fall by 31% in 1999 to 1079. Total number of death

was 314. This was the first fall in last few years and the total is 26% below the 1998

level.

3.3 In Table 1 it is clear that pedestrian was the dominant type of accident. The 417

pedestrian casualties in 1999 accounted for 39% of all casualties. Compared with 1998

casualties (Figure 2), this showed a decrease of 35%,

3


2.1 In the DMP area, for each accident a Sub-Inspector in the Police station completes the

new traffic accident report form. The grid coordinates are added in DMP HQ where all

the forms are being collected from the Police stations. Then the accident data is typed

into a computer.

2.2 The data are presented in the report in two ways; firstly, to present a more detailed

picture of accident, casualty and vehicle factors during 1999 in DMP area, and secondly,

to show how the main accident, casualty, severity and vehicle trends in DMP compare

with previous years. The factors include severity of accident and casualty, junction

control, class of road user, age and sex of casualty and vehicle type.


3.1 Data from 1996-1999 has been used for this report. The report contains only a small

selection of the possible outputs. Further information can be obtained from the accident

data unit at DMP HQ and from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC).

3.2 In 1999 there were 892 accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Figure 1).

A single accident often involves more than one person being injured. The 1079

casualties resulted from 892 accidents consisting of, 314 Fatal; 512 Grievous; and 253

Simple injury. Overall casualty figures fall by 31% in 1999 to 1079. Total number of death

was 314. This was the first fall in last few years and the total is 26% below the 1998

level.

3.3 In Table 1 it is clear that pedestrian was the dominant type of accident. The 417

pedestrian casualties in 1999 accounted for 39% of all casualties. Compared with 1998

casualties (Figure 2), this showed a decrease of 35%,

3

which is not similar to that recorded in the previous year. Pedestrian fatalities

decreased by 16% from 254 to 218, grievous injuries decreased by 45% to 162. But out

of a total 314 deaths 218 were the pedestrians i.e. almost 69 %. Rickshaw passenger

was the other major casualty class. The details class of casualty in the accident shown in

the Table.

3.4 Casualty accidents by day of the week are shown in Table 2. On Saturdays maximum

number of casualties happened which was followed by Mondays. The other days

of the week are broadly similar. The highest number of both fatal and grievous casualty

accidents also occurs on Saturdays. Year wise casualty data by day of week shown in

Figure 3.

3.5 Within the Dhaka Metropolitan Area there was a total of 1365 vehicles involved in the

1079 personnel injury accidents (Table 3), which represents a decrease of 27%

compared with 1998. Trucks accounted for 21% of all vehicles involved in accidents,

followed by bus (14%), minibus (12%), babytaxi and rickshaw (both 9%) shown in Figure

4.

3.6 Truck was the biggest vehicle group that hit the pedestrians. The Bus and Minibus also

are featuring strongly. The analysis in Table 4 shows that trucks are not only the most

frequent vehicles to hit pedestrians but they inflict the most severe injuries. The year wise

(1996-1999) variations are also shown in Figure 5.

3.7 Table 5 shows that although the number of accidents during the night is lower than

during the day there are a significant number occurring at all hours. It is notable that the

number of accidents drops at 9 a.m. and at 6 p.m. This is possibly due to peaks in traffic

congestion, which reduces vehicle speeds at these times. The highest number of fatal

accidents occurs between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. when total number of accident is also

high.

7

3.8 The highest casualty of accidents is within Demra with about 18 % of all reported

accidents involving a fatality and has the second highest number of accidents (Table 6).

It shows in Figure 6 a dramatic variation from 1996-1999 with Tejgaon having the most

accidents.

3.9 This section considers casualties where the age of the casualty was known, which in

1999 was 80% of all casualties (Table 7). The distribution of casualties by age group is

similar to that recorded in 1998 (Figure 7). The children in the under 11 age group are

almost 12 % of the casualty accidents. In 1999, there were 711 adult casualties aged

between 16 and 50 years, which is a decrease of 14% compared with 1998.

3.10 The distribution of casualties by sex shows in Table 8. There are considerable

differences in the distribution of casualties when the sex of the casualty is taken into

account. In 1999, males accounted for 85% of all casualties with females comprising

only 15%, and these proportions are very similar to those of the previous years. The

breakdown by casualty sex reveals that over 85 % are male although for child casualties

only 5 % are male.

3.11 Table 3 shows the dominant vehicle type for DMP accidents is the truck despite the

large number of other vehicles on the roads of Dhaka city. Though the trucks are involved

in many accidents but it shows that their drivers are very rarely injured. Where as

rickshaws is less frequently involved in accidents but the rickshaw-pullers is very likely to

be killed or injured. As in maximum cases the drivers ran away from the scene of the

accident, so the drivers’ age were recorded as having unknown.

3.12 Casualty accidents on the straight road continued to account for the majority of

accidents, amounting to 58% (Table 9). The number of casualty accidents at or within 30

meters of junction increased by 4% compared with 1998, although the proportion

decreased by 22%. The junction types with the largest proportion of accidents were “T”,

where 20% of all casualty accidents occurred and “crossroad” where 13% were

recorded.15

3.13 Due to lack of safe pedestrian facilities it shows in Table 10 that most pedestrians were

either hit when crossing the road or when walking along roadside. The other type of

pedestrian’s action shows in detail in the Table.

3.14 Airport Road is the main highway from Dhaka to Mymensingh and the northern areas of

Bangladesh (Figure 8). A total of 105 accidents were reported along this road of about

9.5-km length. 58 of these accidents involved a fatality making an accident rate of 6.1

fatal accidents per kilometre per year.

3.15 Pedestrians’ accidents are dominant at the Airport Road-Biswa Road inter section. The

accident situation on this intersection continues to get worse as no safety measures had

been taken since last 3 years. During the last 4 years (1996-1999) a total of 55

accidents were recorded by DMP within 300m of the junction (Figure 9). Of these

accidents 27 were fatal accidents.

3.16 Just 1 km north of the Airport Road-Biswa Road junction at Khilkhet bus stand a

pedestrian over-bridge was provided in late 1997. The effect of the over-bridge has

dramatically reduced the number of fatal accidents. Figure 10 shows details of the

accidents at Khilkhet. These findings show the usefulness of the DMP accident reporting

system.

3.17 The main highway from Dhaka to south-east and the north-east of Bangladesh is another

one of the identified blackspots. Along a 5-km stretch of road under the DMP area a

total of 68 accidents were recorded during 1999 (Figure 11). 26 of these accidents

involved a fatality making an accident rate of 5.2 fatal accidents per kilometre per year.

22

Summary of Accidents andCasualtiesDMP 1996 - 1999


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1996-1999 Accidents

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Severity 1996 1997 1998 1999 Tota l

Fa ta l 343 363 399 304 1409

Grievous 384 474 593 328 1779

Simple 171 117 64 122 474

Collision 103 169 146 138 556

T o t a l 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 0 2 8 9 2 4 2 1 8

1996-1999 Casualties

year

Severity 1996 1997 1998 1999 Tota l

Fa ta l 369 374 420 314 1477

Grievous 529 731 1001 512 2773

Simple 373 273 135 253 1034

T o t a l 1 2 7 1 1 3 7 8 1 5 5 6 1 0 7 9 5 2 8 4

4

Table 1 1999 Casualties in DMP Area : mode of travel by severity of casualty

Mode of Travel Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

Pedestrian 218 162 37 417 38.7

Cycle 8 11 1 20 1.9

Rickshaw 30 108 37 175 16.2

Pushcart 5 6 1 12 1.1

Motor Cycle 4 26 11 41 3.8

BabyTaxi 12 84 49 145 13.2

Tempo 5 16 18 39 3.6

Microbus 4 5 6 15 1.4

Minibus 6 19 7 32 3.0

Bus 9 10 21 40 3.7

Car 4 14 33 51 4.8

Jeep 0 2 2 4 0.4

Pickup 1 13 3 17 1.6

Truck 8 36 27 71 6.6

Total 314 512 253 1079 100%

Casualty by Class ofRoad User

DMP 1996-1999


0

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600Casualty by Class of Road User

19961997

19981999

YearCasualty

Class 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total

Pedestrian 434 497 558 417 1906

Cycle 35 28 28 20 111

Rickshaw 198 229 277 175 879

Pushcart 10 11 22 12 55

Motor Cycle 55 54 41 41 191

BabyTaxi 212 251 266 145 874

Tempo 87 82 79 39 287

Microbus 18 18 32 15 83

Minibus 39 39 46 32 156

Bus 22 10 54 40 126

Car 93 89 97 51 330

Jeep 7 12 9 4 32

Pickup 9 14 19 17 59

Truck 49 44 22 71 186

Other 3 0 6 0 9

Total 1271 1378 1556 1079 5284

6

Table 2 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Day of week

Day of Week Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

Monday 53 78 32 163 15.2

Tuesday 46 82 33 161 15.0

Wednesday 43 69 47 159 14.8

Thursday 36 68 37 141 13.1

Friday 45 60 30 135 12.5

Saturday 56 87 45 188 17.1

Sunday 35 68 29 132 12.3

Total 314 512 253 1079 100.0

Casualties by Day of WeekDMP 1996-1999


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1997

1998

1999

1996 - 1999 Casualties

Year

Day of Week 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total

Monday 212 159 231 163 765

Tuesday 148 210 187 161 706

Wednesday 179 168 237 159 743

Thursday 203 256 205 141 805

Friday 189 242 230 135 796

Saturday 187 173 250 188 798

Sunday 153 170 216 132 671

Total 1271 1378 1556 1079 5284

9

Table 3 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Driver involved in Accidents

Vehicle Type Fatal Grievous Simple No Injury Total (%)

Cycle 7 11 1 1 20 1.5

Rickshaw 21 59 27 20 127 9.3

Pushcart 5 2 1 0 8 0.6

Motor Cycle 3 19 8 9 39 2.9

Baby Taxi 6 35 26 60 127 9.3

Tempo 2 6 6 66 80 5.9

Microbus 1 2 1 53 57 4.2

Minibus 0 1 0 167 167 12.3

Bus 0 1 2 189 192 14.1

Car 1 5 10 165 181 13.3

Jeep 0 0 2 26 28 2.1

Pickup 0 4 1 34 39 2.9

Truck 1 5 2 284 292 21.3

Other 0 0 0 7 7 0.5

Total 47 150 87 1081 1365 100.0

Vehicles Involved and the Injuriesof their Drivers

DMP 1996-1999


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Vehicles involved in Accidents

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1997

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1999

Year

Vehicle Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 TotalCycle 30 28 23 20 101Rickshaw 140 158 175 120 600

Pushcart 11 8 13 8 40Motor Cycle 54 54 45 39 192

BabyTaxi 227 246 249 127 849Tempo 81 100 121 80 382Microbus 61 64 86 57 268

Minibus 221 254 282 168 925Bus 151 146 211 192 700Car 207 258 245 181 891

Jeep 21 45 31 28 125Pickup 23 18 31 39 111

Truck 320 368 342 292 1322Other 11 6 7 7 31Total 1558 1753 1861 1365 6537

11

Table 4 1999 Pedestrian Casualties in DMP Area by Vehicle Type

Vehicle Type Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

Motor Cycle 3 3 1 7 1.8

BabyTaxi 4 15 7 26 6.6

Tempo 11 22 6 39 9.9

Microbus 10 10 1 21 5.3

Minibus 19 25 4 48 12.2

Bus 53 22 5 80 20.3

Car 11 19 5 35 8.9

Jeep 3 3 0 6 1.5

Pickup 5 6 1 12 3.0

Truck 76 34 7 117 28.9

ArticulatedTruck

0 2 0 2 0.5

Other 3 1 0 4 1.0

Total 198 * 162 37 397 100.0

Number of Unknown 20

Vehicles Hitting Pedestrians DMP 1996-1999


Year

Vehicle Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total

Rickshaw 2 1 2 0 5

Motor Cycle 9 9 6 7 31

BabyTaxi 62 58 60 26 206

Tempo 17 30 46 39 132

Microbus 23 16 31 21 91

Minibus 77 104 87 48 316

Bus 66 58 97 80 301

Car 38 72 64 35 209

Jeep 3 4 6 6 19

Pickup 3 7 6 12 28

Truck 122 133 133 117 505

Other 5 4 3 6 18

Total 427 496 541 397* 1861

* Number of Unknown 20

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1999

13

Table 5 1999 casualties in DMP Area by Severity and time of day

Time Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

00.00-00.59 5 8 3 16 1.5

01.00-01.59 9 5 4 18 1.7 02.00-02.59 12 10 7 29 2.7 03.00-03.59 8 8 8 24 2.2 04.00-04.59 4 8 3 15 1.4 05.00-05.59 12 18 4 34 3.2 06.00-06.59 17 21 4 42 3.5 07.00-07.59 14 21 16 51 4.7 08.00-08.59 20 24 12 56 5.2 09.00-09.59 11 27 13 51 4.8 10.00-10.59 26 27 19 72 6.5 11.00-11.59 16 25 21 62 5.7 12.00-12.59 11 38 7 56 5.2 13.00-13.59 18 39 5 62 5.8 14.00-14.59 13 36 18 67 6.3 15.00-15.59 13 15 17 45 4.2 16.00-16.59 14 24 12 50 4.7 17.00-17.59 11 27 13 51 4.8 18.00-18.59 12 18 10 40 3.7 19.00-19.59 18 25 15 58 5.4 20.00-20.59 11 18 11 40 3.7 21.00-21.59 14 24 9 47 4.4 22.00-22.59 13 23 10 46 4.3 23.00-23.59 12 23 12 47 4.4 Total 314 512 253 1079 100.0

Table 6 1999 Accidents in DMP Area by Severity and Thana

Thana Fatal Grievous Simple Collision Total (%)

Ramna 33 57 34 52 176 19.7

Motijheel 8 33 14 13 68 7.6

Sabujbag 4 9 1 1 15 1.7

Sutrapur 4 7 1 2 14 1.6

Kotwali 4 6 0 1 11 1.2

Demra 55 48 21 15 139 15.6

Lalbag 1 0 0 2 3 0.3

Dhanmandi 5 8 7 2 22 2.5

Tejgaon 47 34 10 29 120 13.5

Mohammadpur 7 8 5 0 20 2.2

Mirpur 11 10 1 2 24 2.7

Gulshan 24 31 6 9 70 7.8

Cantonment 21 21 8 1 51 5.7

Uttara 32 23 4 4 63 7.1

Pallabi 4 2 1 0 7 0.8

Badda 21 7 1 0 29 3.3

Kafrul 8 11 3 4 26 2.9

Khilgaon 3 5 3 1 12 1.3

Hajaribag 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

Kamrangichar 0 1 0 0 1 0.1

Shyampur 12 7 2 0 21 2.4

Total 304 328 122 138 892 100.0

Accidents by ThanaDMP 1996-1999


0

50

100

150

200

250

Nu

mb

er o

f A

ccid

ents

Ram

na

Mot

ijhee

l

Sab

ujba

g

Sut

rapu

r

Kot

wal

i

Dem

ra

Lalb

ag

Dha

nman

di

Tej

gaon

Moh

amm

adpu

r

Mirp

ur

Gul

shan

Can

tonm

ent

Utta

ra

Pal

labi

Bad

da

Kaf

rul

Khi

lgao

n

Haj

arib

ag

Kam

rang

icha

r

Shy

ampu

r

Accidents by Thana

1996

1997

1998

1999

YearSl no Thana 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total1 Ramna 104 137 203 176 6202 Motijheel 70 85 71 68 2943 Sabujbag 41 62 43 15 1614 Sutrapur 46 49 41 14 1505 Kotwali 21 11 20 11 636 Demra 134 137 186 139 5967 Lalbag 7 25 16 3 518 Dhanmandi 23 31 51 22 1279 Tejgaon 175 189 191 120 67510 Mohammadpur 33 34 16 20 10311 Mirpur 100 114 77 24 31512 Gulshan 86 80 77 70 31313 Cantonment 97 98 138 51 38414 Uttara 49 57 62 63 23115 Pallabi 15 14 10 7 4616 Badda 0 0 0 29 2917 Kafrul 0 0 0 26 2618 Khilgaon 0 0 0 12 1219 Hajaribag 0 0 0 0 020 Kamrangichar 0 0 0 1 121 Shyampur 0 0 0 21 21

Total 1001 1123 1202 892 4218

Thana serial no. 16-21 started from 1999

17

Table 7 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by age group *

Age Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

0-5 12 5 1 18 2.1

6-10 21 17 3 41 4.8

11-15 19 19 5 43 4.9

16-20 33 46 22 101 11.6

21-25 33 70 34 137 15.7

26-30 47 86 44 177 20.4

31-35 23 58 35 116 13.5

36-40 14 48 24 86 10.0

41-45 26 20 10 56 6.5

46-50 27 9 2 38 4.2

51-55 9 3 3 15 1.7

56-60 11 6 1 18 2.1

61-65 3 5 2 10 1.2

66-70 5 3 0 8 0.9

71-75 1 0 0 1 0.1

>75 3 1 0 4 0.5

Total 287 396 186 869 100.0


Casualty by AgeDMP 1996-1999


Casualties in 1996-99 Accidents

Year

Casualty Age 1996 1997 1998 1999 Total

0-5 21 23 26 18 88

6-10 45 52 67 41 205

11-15 53 47 57 43 200

16-20 73 77 105 101 356

21-25 193 130 174 137 634

26-30 257 169 234 177 837

31-35 158 120 170 116 564

36-40 115 84 87 86 372

41-45 103 63 60 56 282

46-50 52 41 44 38 175

51-55 34 17 12 15 78

56-60 26 18 19 18 81

61-65 10 9 15 10 44

66-70 7 6 8 8 29

71-75 8 2 3 1 14

>75 5 2 1 4 12Total 1160 860 1082 869* 3971

*Number of Unknown 210

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Nu

mb

er o

f C

asu

alti

es

0-5

6-1

0

11-1

5

16-2

0

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

66-7

0

71-7

5

>75

Years

Age of Casualties

1996

1997

1998

1999

19

Table 8 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Sex

Casualty Age Male Female Total (%)

0-5 6 12 18 2.1

6-10 28 13 41 4.8

11-15 32 11 43 4.9

16-20 83 18 101 11.6

21-25 117 20 137 15.7

26-30 160 17 177 20.4

31-35 102 14 116 13.5

36-40 78 8 86 10.0

41-45 48 8 56 6.5

46-50 34 4 38 4.2

51-55 13 2 15 1.7

56-60 13 5 18 2.1

61-65 8 2 10 1.2

66-70 7 1 8 0.9

71-75 1 0 1 0.1

>75 3 1 4 0.5

Total 733 136 869* 100.0


Table 9 1999 Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Junction detail

Junction Type Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

Not Junction 200 291 135 626 58.5

Crossing 29 60 50 139 13.0

T-Junction 58 111 49 218 20.4

Staggered 1 1 1 3 0.3

Round-about 22 44 17 83 7.7

Railway crossing 0 2 1 3 0.3

Other 4 3 0 7 0.7

Total 314 512 253 1079 100.7

Table 10 Pedestrian Casualties in DMP Area by Severity and Action

Pedestrian action Fatal Grievous Simple Total

Not crossing 23 29 16 68

Crossing road 135 81 15 231

On Road 2 2 0 4

On footpath or edge 56 50 6 112

Playing on road 2 0 0 2

Total 218 162 37 417

23

16%

56%

1%

27%

0%

Not crossing

Crossing road

On Road

On footpath or edge

Playing on road









This is a dramatic change sincelast 4 years. The Fatal rate is16% less than on the same roadin 1998.


This is a dramatic change sincelast 4 years. The Fatal rate is16% less than on the same roadin 1998.






Number of Accidents 1996 1997 1998 1999Fatal 46 62 69 58Grievous 36 53 72 36Simple 2 8 5 8Collision 6 7 16 3Total 119 130 162 105

Number of Accidents 1996 1997 1998 1999Fatal 46 62 69 58Grievous 36 53 72 36Simple 2 8 5 8Collision 6 7 16 3Total 119 130 162 105

24


DMP 1996 - 1999



Accident Severity

Year Fatal Grievous Simple Collision Total1996 11 4 2 1 181997 3 5 2 0 101998 7 6 0 2 151999 6 5 0 1 12Total 27 20 4 4 55


YearM o n t h 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 1 9 9 8 1 9 9 9 T o t a lJ a n 4 0 2 0 6F e b 2 0 6 0 8Mar 1 1 0 1 3Apr 1 1 0 3 5May 2 0 2 1 5Jun 0 0 0 1 1Jul 0 0 0 4 1Aug 0 3 1 1 8S e p 2 1 0 0 4Oct 2 2 1 1 5N o v 1 1 2 0 5Dec 3 1 1 0 5T o t a l 1 8 1 0 1 5 1 2 5 5

25

Khilkhet Bus StandDMP 1996 - 1999



YearM o n t h 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 1 9 9 8 1 9 9 9 T o t a lJ a n 2 3 0 0 5F e b 0 0 0 0 0Mar 1 1 1 0 3Apr 0 1 5 1 7May 1 2 0 1 4Jun 0 1 2 0 3Ju l 0 0 4 0 4Aug 0 1 2 1 4S e p 2 1 3 1 7Oct 2 3 0 1 6N o v 1 0 1 0 2Dec 1 0 2 0 3T o t a l 1 0 13 2 0 5 4 8


Accident Severity

Year Fatal Grievous Simple Collision Total1996 4 4 1 1 101997 8 2 1 2 131998 6 11 1 2 201999 3 1 1 0 5Total 21 18 4 5 48

26

Chittagong Road, Dhaka DMP 1996 - 1999


to

End of DMP Area



to

End of DMP Area



Note: The number of accidents decreased 14% in 1999 butthe number of simple accidents increased from 0 to 12


Note: The number of accidents decreased 14% in 1999 butthe number of simple accidents increased from 0 to 12


Number of Accidents 1996 1997 1998 1999

Fatal 34 29 32 26

Grievous 12 29 39 22

Simple 2 3 0 12

Collision 4 4 8 8

Total 52 65 79 68

Number of Accidents 1996 1997 1998 1999

Fatal 34 29 32 26

Grievous 12 29 39 22

Simple 2 3 0 12

Collision 4 4 8 8

Total 52 65 79 68

27

4 Conclusions

4.1 The DMP area comprises of 21 Thanas of Dhaka city. It forms the largest of the

Metropolitan areas in Bangladesh and due to its large size and concentration of vehicles

and pedestrian activities, accounts for some 22 % of the total accidents in Bangladesh.

4.2 In 1999 in DMP the number of accidents reported to the Police was 892, it is well

established that many non-fatal accidents do not get reported to the police so the actual

number is actually much higher.

4.3 This reporting system (MAAP) is still a significant problem. If details of all road traffic

accidents in DMP area were available a fuller picture of the problems would be

possible.

4.4 This report provides background statistics on personal injury road traffic accidents

occurring within the DMP area to assist in policy formulation for road safety, traffic and

transport planning studies, including the production of road safety plans, and for

reference purposes. Some authorities have started engineering execution for solving the

above problems with help of these data.

4.5 In DMP area some accident black spots have been identified for engineering measures.

Improvement in the road design at these accident black spots will not only save lives but

also it will reduce the number of police officers required to patrol the site.

28

Bangladesh Police

Road Traffic Accidents

National Report

1998

C O N T E N T S

Page

A Message from the Inspector General of Police 1



SECTION 3 Comparison between official Police Statistics and MAAP data 4

Figure 1: Variation between MAAP data and official Police data 6



Figure 3: Accidents by Collision Type 9

Figure 4: Casualties by Class of Road User 10

Figure 5: Pedestrians Hit by Vehicles 11

Figure 6: Accidents by Light Conditions 12

Figure 7: Casualties by Age and Sex 13

Figure 8: Vehicles by Accident Severity 15

Figure 9: Accidents by Road Class 16

Figure 10: Collision Type by Road Class 17

SECTION 5 Conclusion 18 Explanation of Terms 19

2

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1. This report was produced for the Bangladesh Police by Quazi Zakaria Islam ofthe Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Third Road Rehabilitationand Maintenance Project (RRMP3). IDC is funded by the British Government’sDepartment for International Development (DFID).

1.2. The report presents an analysis of road traffic accidents in 1998, based on datacollected by the Bangladesh Police using a new computerized reporting system.It should be noted that the new reporting system was not fully operated throughoutthe country in 1998. Consequently the total number of accidents and casualtiesreported here is a considerable under-estimate, and regional comparisonscannot be made.

3

2 TRAFFIC ACCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM

2.1. Serious traffic accidents are reported by the Thana Police. Prior to theintroduction of the new accident reporting system only summary details ofaccidents were passed on to Police HQ, so it was not possible to produce usefulinformation on accidents in Bangladesh.

2.2. The new accident reporting system (MAAP- Microcomputer Accident AnalysisPackage) has been introduced in parallel to the existing procedures andconsists of the following components:-

• A new accident report form(ARF) has been introduced nation-wide (although ithas not been uniformly adopted across the country)

• Six regional Police Accident Data Units with the MAAP computer software havebeen established as follows:-

Location of Unit Area of Responsibility

DMP DMP

Dhaka Range Dhaka Range

CMP CMP and Chittagong Range

Rajshahi Range RMP and Rajshahi Range

KMP KMP, Khulna Range and Barisal Range


• Data is sent by diskette to the IDC office where it is assembled into a nationalaccident database.

2.3. The new accident reporting system has, for the first time, enabled the productionand dissemination of detailed accident reports. The absolute values within thetables of this report must be treated cautiously, because the reporting systemhas not been uniformly adopted. Despite this limitation the data is enormouslyvaluable and is particularly useful for identifying target groups for education,publicity and enforcement campaigns. There is still a long way to go to achieve asustainable, comprehensive and accurate accident data system but thefoundations are now in place and this report will be the first in a long series ofannual national accident reports.

4

3 COMPARISON BETWEEN OFFICIAL POLICE STATISTICS AND MAAP DATA

3.1 The official Police statistics give some basic information about the scale of theaccident problem in Bangladesh. A standard form is submitted by each of the 64districts and 4 Metropolitan police areas on a monthly basis and this data isassembled at Police HQ into the official Road Traffic Accident Statistics. Thesefigures are regularly produced and are used by a variety of agencies involved withroad safety. The statistics are extremely limited and do not take into account theunder-reporting of traffic accidents to the Police, which is believed to be very high. Despite these limitations the data was thought to be an accurate reflection ofthose accidents reported by the Police and as such are useful for a year to yearand region to region comparison.

3.2 The emergence of the new accident reporting procedures and a computerizedanalysis system (MAAP) has raised some serious doubts about the official Policestatistics. The new accident reporting system has been in use since 1997 but hasyet to be adopted uniformly across the whole country. This situation shouldimprove now that completion of the new ARF has become a mandatory duty forthe Police (since Sept 1999).

3.3 A comparison of the official Police statistics and the data from MAAP shows thatmany parts of the country are not yet adopting the new accident reporting system,but more significantly, it shows that in Sylhet and DMP, the number of accidentsreported using MAAP is significantly higher than the number indicated in theofficial Police statistics for these regions. The table below show the number offatalities and accident cases reported via the two systems for each Police Rangeand Metropolitan area. It also indicates the variation between the two systems,with positive values showing that MAAP reveals more accidents/casualties thanthe official Police statistics.

Fatalities Accident CasesPolice

Statistics1998

MAAPData1998

Variation PoliceStatistics

1998

MAAPData1998

Variation

DMP 230 420 +82% 939 1202 +28%CMP 115 132 +15% 267 233 -13%KMP 21 23 +10% 27 27 0%RMP 41 37 -10% 58 45 -22%Dhaka Range 942 386 -59% 1138 404 -64%Chittagong Range 561 162 -71% 755 156 -79%Sylhet Range 194 256 +32% 297 361 +22%Khulna Range 253 215 -15% 310 244 -21%Barisal Range 64 55 -14% 78 66 -15%Rajshahi Range 712 660 -10% 987 768 -22%TOTAL 3133 2346 -26% 4856 3506 -28%

5

3.4 In DMP there were 28% more accident cases reported via the MAAP system thanwere submitted to Police HQ for the compilation of the official statistics. In Sylhetthere were 22% more accident cases reported via the MAAP system. Whenanalysing fatalities, the MAAP system reveals 82% more deaths than the officialPolice statistics indicate for DMP and 32% more deaths for Sylhet Range.

3.5 Detailed investigation of one month’s accidents in DMP showed that over a thirdof all accidents reported by the Police failed to get into the official Police statisticseven though an FIR and an ARF had been completed. In DMP the error is due toinefficient data handling procedures which rely on daily telephone calls from theTraffic Division to each of the Thanas in DMP. The result of these phone calls arerecorded in a register and compiled into a monthly summary for passing on toPolice HQ. It is estimated that about 40% of reported accidents are not passedon to the Traffic Division in the daily telephone calls and are therefore excludedfrom the official statistics.

3.6 Investigation of the figures in Sylhet show that a different problem exists with thecompilation of official Police statistics. It seems that full months of data from aDistrict are occasionally omitted from the summary data submitted to Police HQ. This could be picked up quite easily by checking the variation in monthly total foreach District.

3.7 The variation between the two Police data sources (Figure 1) undermines thevalidity of the official Police statistics that have been used as a nationalbenchmark for many years. It reveals that the method involved in assembling theofficial statistics is prone to serious error. It should also be noted that considerablePolice resources go into collating the official statistics and that these resourcescould be better utilized getting the new accident report system fully operationalthroughout Bangladesh. It is expected that the new system will soon be officiallyadopted by the Police and it will then replace other reporting procedures.

6

Variation between MAAP data and official Police data, Bangladesh 1998

Figure 1

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Acc

iden

ts

DMP CMP KMP RMP DhakaRange

ChittagongRange

SylhetRange

KhulnaRange

BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

Police

MAAP

Variation in the numbers of ACCIDENTS between official Police Data and MAAP Data.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Fata

litie

s


ChittagongRange

SylhetRange

KhulnaRange

BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

Police

MAAP

Variation in the numbers of FATALITIES between official Police Data and MAAP Data.

7

4. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA

4.1 For the purposes of this report only data from 1998 (available from the Police AccidentData Units) has been used. This will provide a benchmark against which to measurechange in future years.

4.2 The accident data has been analysed in various ways. Accident and casualty tableshave been produced to show the overall nature and scale of the road safety problem inthe country. Charts have been produced from these tables to enable the data to bemore easily interpreted.

4.3 It should be stressed that this report contains only a small selection of the possibleoutputs from the new accident data system. Further information can be obtained fromthe six regional Accident Data Units or from Mr Zakaria Islam at IDC.

4.4 The total number of accidents reported by the Police stations in 1998 was 3506. Ofthese 3304 were Casualty accidents. The number of deaths was 2346 and 2276persons were grievously injured. These details are shown in Figure 2.

4.5 Figure 3 shows the type of the accidents and the dominate type was pedestrianaccidents. 46% of all accidents involved pedestrians. 53% of fatal accidents involvedpedestrians.

4.6 Pedestrians were the most frequent accident victims. Out of a total 2315 deaths 1193were the pedestrians i.e. almost 52%. The other major casualty class was buspassengers. Figure 4 shows the class of casualty in the accident.

4.7 Figure 5 takes a closer look at the pedestrian accident problem and shows the type ofvehicles that hit the pedestrians. It shows trucks as the biggest vehicle group with busand mini-bus also featuring strongly. The severity of the pedestrian injuries is alsobroken down for each of the vehicle types. This clearly shows that trucks are not onlythe most frequent vehicle to hit pedestrians but they inflict the most severe injuries.

4.8 The distribution of accidents by light condition is displayed in Figure 6. About 17% ofreported accidents happened during the hours of darkness.

4.9 Figure 7 shows the distribution of casualties by age and sex. Young adult males makeup nearly a third of the accident victims. The data also reveals a significant number ofchild casualties. The children in the under 11 age group are almost 10% of the totalcasualties. About 84% of casualties were male. In more than a quarter of cases the agewas not recorded, so the data must be used with caution.

4.10 Figure 8 shows the types of vehicles that were involved in casualty accidents. Over 55%of the vehicles were trucks and buses. This is probably because they are the mostcommon motorised vehicles on the roads of Bangladesh, outside the cities.Nevertheless, in fatal accidents their share increased to 63%.

4.11 The accident severity by class of road is shown in Figure 9. Of the reported accidents1430 (44%) occurred on national and regional roads, and 1314 (40%) on the city roads.The accidents on city roads were generally less severe (42% fatal) than those onnational and regional roads (73% fatal).

4.12 Figure 10 shows the distribution of the collision types by road class. Pedestrianaccidents predominate on all classes of road. In city roads there was a high proportionof rear-end collisions – this type of accident is typically caused by drivers failing to leavea sufficient gap between their vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Head-on collisions weremore common on national and regional roads.

Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit Figure 2

Number of Accidents and Casualties bySeverity

SEVERITY *Accidents Casualties

Fatal 1994 2346 Grievous 1123 2276 Simple 187 948

Total 3304 5570

Incomplete data

* Refers to casualty accidents only

Number of Accidents and Casualties bySeverity

SEVERITY *Accidents Casualties

Fatal 1994 2346 Grievous 1123 2276 Simple 187 948

Total 3304 5570

Incomplete data

* Refers to casualty accidents only

Summary of Accidents andCasualtiesBangladesh 1998

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500


Number of Accidents & Casualties by Severity

Accidents

Casualties

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500


Number of Accidents & Casualties by Severity

Accidents

Casualties

8

Accidents by Collision TypeBangladesh 1998

Figure 3

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Nu

mb

er o

f A

ccid

ents

Hea

dO

Rea

rE

90de

g

Sid

e

Ove

rT

Obj

1

Obj

2

Par

kV

Ped

'n

Ani

ml

Oth

er

Accidents by Collision Type

Fatal

Grievous

Simple

Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALHeadOn 249 162 36 447RearEnd 235 276 41 55290deg 32 16 4 52Side collision 88 102 25 215OverTurned 162 84 25 271Object on road 12 8 2 22Roadside object 32 14 7 53Parked vehicles 23 18 8 49Pedestrians 1048 420 35 1503Animal 0 0 0 0Other 101 23 4 128

TOTAL 1982 1123 187 3292

Incomplete Data(Number of Unknown 12)

Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit9

Casualties by Class of Road UserBangladesh 1998

Figure 4Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit

Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALPedestrian 1193 568 74 1835Cycle 83 55 6 144Rickshaw 111 258 59 428Pushcart 13 19 2 34M/Cycle 69 83 22 174BabyTaxi 84 299 83 466Tempo 131 151 98 380Micro Bus 26 80 36 142Mini Bus 91 119 79 289Bus 237 305 218 760Car 35 86 64 185Jeep 11 22 12 45Pick Up 20 38 25 83Truck 145 119 113 377Artic 1 5 1 7Oil Tanker 3 2 0 5Tractor 9 5 4 18Animal 1 1 1 3Other 52 29 30 111

TOTAL 2315 2244 927 5486

Incomplete Data

(Number of Unknown 84)

10

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Nu

mb

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f Cas

ual

ties

Ped

estri

an

Cyc

le

Ric

ksha

w

Pus

hcar

t

M/C

ycle

Bab

yTax

i

Tem

po

Mic

roB

us

Min

iBus Bus

Car

Jeep

Pick

Up

Tru

ck

Art

ic

OilT

anke

r

Tra

ctor

Ani

mal

Oth

er

Class of Road Users

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Nu

mb

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f Cas

ual

ties

Ped

estri

an

Cyc

le

Ric

ksha

w

Pus

hcar

t

M/C

ycle

Bab

yTax

i

Tem

po

Mic

roB

us

Min

iBus Bus

Car

Jeep

Pick

Up

Tru

ck

Art

ic

OilT

anke

r

Tra

ctor

Ani

mal

Oth

er

Class of Road Users

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

Pedestrians Hit by VehiclesBangladesh 1998

Figure 5

Note: In this Table Pedestrians are tabulated by the Vehicle that struck them

Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit

Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALCycle 3 1 0 4Rickshaw 4 1 0 5Pushcart 1 0 0 1M/Cycle 31 12 5 48BabyTaxi 25 58 5 88Tempo 42 47 7 96Micro Bus 65 46 2 113Mini Bus 128 59 7 194Bus 292 103 19 414Car 35 63 6 104Jeep 19 7 0 26Pick Up 16 10 1 27Truck 389 131 14 534Artic 1 1 0 2Oil Tanker 3 3 1 7Tractor 12 3 2 17Animal 1 0 0 1Other 22 2 4 28

TOTAL 1089 547 73 1709


11

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Nu

mb

er o

f P

edes

tria

n C

asu

alti

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Cyc

le

Ric

ksha

w

Pus

hcar

t

M/C

ycle

Bab

yTax

i

Tem

po

Mic

roB

us

Min

iBus

Bus Car

Jeep

Pick

Up

Tru

ck

Art

ic

OilT

Tra

ctor

Ani

mal

Oth

er

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

0

100

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600

Nu

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Pus

hcar

t

M/C

ycle

Bab

yTax

i

Tem

po

Mic

roB

us

Min

iBus

Bus Car

Jeep

Pick

Up

Tru

ck

Art

ic

OilT

Tra

ctor

Ani

mal

Oth

er

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

Accidents byLight Conditions

Bangladesh 1998

Figure 6

Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALDay 1386 808 133 2327Dawn/Dusk 261 121 17 399Night-Streetlight 168 143 19 330Night-No streetlight 168 51 16 235

TOTAL 1983 1123 185 3291


0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Num

ber

of A

ccid

ents


Accident by Light Conditions

Day

DawnD

N Lit

N UnL

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Num

ber

of A

ccid

ents


Accident by Light Conditions

Day

DawnD

N Lit

N UnL


Casualties by Age and SexBangladesh 1998

Figure 7

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Num

ber

of C

asua

ltie

s

0-5

6-1

0

11-1

5

16-2

0

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

66-7

0

71-7

5

>75

Years

Female

Male

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Num

ber

of C

asua

ltie

s

0-5

6-1

0

11-1

5

16-2

0

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

66-7

0

71-7

5

>75

Years

Female

Male


AGE Male Female TOTAL 0-5 81 38 119 6-10 177 130 30711-15 176 48 22416-20 271 74 34521-25 493 64 55726-30 721 82 80331-35 584 57 64136-40 386 39 42541-45 262 23 28546-50 129 40 16951-55 72 23 9556-60 72 25 9761-65 49 17 6666-70 48 8 5671-75 15 3 18 >75 17 10 27

TOTAL 3553 681 4234


13

Vehicles by Accident SeverityBangladesh 1998


Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALCycle 81 41 2 124Rickshaw 122 146 15 283Pushcart 15 11 0 26M/Cycle 91 73 15 179BabyTaxi 109 218 28 355Tempo 171 125 10 306Micro Bus 96 89 15 200Mini Bus 250 202 38 490Bus 557 248 50 855Car 68 138 47 253Jeep 31 23 6 60Pick Up 33 32 8 73Truck 756 318 52 1126Artic 4 4 0 8Oil Tanker 8 1 1 10Tractor 27 7 5 39Animal 2 1 0 3Other 75 18 4 97

TOTAL 2496 1695 296 4487


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Accidents by Vehicle Types

Simple

Grievous

Fatal

Accidents by Road ClassBangladesh 1998

Figure 9

Road Class Fatal Grievous Simple TOTALNational 768 219 66 1053Regional 273 87 17 377Feeder 249 89 20 358Rural 135 35 9 179City 553 688 73 1314

TOTAL 1978 1118 185 3281


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Collision Type by Road Class(Casualty accidents only)

Bangladesh 1998

Figure 10

National Regional Feeder Rural City TOTALHeadOn 200 50 50 18 126 444RearEnd 120 38 29 10 353 55090deg 13 1 8 1 29 52Side collision 64 15 25 4 105 213OverTurned 96 40 58 32 42 268Object on road 9 7 3 0 2 21Roadside object 27 5 12 3 6 53Parked vehicles 27 3 4 0 14 48Pedestrian 449 202 143 92 611 1497Animal 0 0 0 0 0 0Other 46 15 26 16 25 128

TOTAL 1051 376 358 176 1313 3274



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City

17

18

5 CONCLUSIONS

5.1 In 1998 a total 3133 persons died on the road accidents in Bangladesh. Thisfigure, which is from the official Police statistics, may be an underestimate. Therate of road death per 10,000 registered vehicles was 63, which is one of thehighest in the world. Mistakes by road users, vehicles defects and low-qualityroads are the key factors which produce accidents. The road safety situation inBangladesh is very bad, and it is everyone’s responsibility to work with theNational Road Safety Council to improve the situation.

5.2 The key to effective action is to know and understand the problem. The Policehave taken a big step forward by establishing a new accident reporting andanalysis system. This is now providing the basic information required to carryout effective publicity, education and enforcement campaigns. It is alreadybeing successfully used to identify and treat accident sites in several areas ofthe country.

5.3 It is clear from the data that the biggest problem is pedestrian accidents. Ourroad safety effort must focus on improving the safety of pedestrians and othervulnerable road users. Trucks and buses are involved in a very large proportionof all road accidents, so it makes sense to target training effort at truck and busdrivers – as well as perhaps trying to improve the safety of these vehicles. Theaccident data shows that excessive speed is a factor in most accidents, so self-enforcing ways of controlling speeds must be found. Road engineerstraditionally design for high speeds and high capacity but they are starting toconsider measures to encourage appropriate speeds through towns andvillages. The accident database provides the means to assess the effect ofspeed-reducing measures and in this way it will help road engineers developsafer road designs.

5.4 The new accident reporting system is central to the National Road SafetyCouncil’s strategy to promote road safety. Although not yet fully operational ithas provided much valuable information. Recording of accidents is a lot of workfor the Thana Police but with a little extra effort the accident database canbecome one of the most effective weapons in the fight against road accidentsin Bangladesh.

19

Explanation of Terms

Terms Explanation

ARF Accident Report Form

Casualty A person killed or injured in a road accident

Casualty Accident A road accident in which someone has been killed

or injured

Casualty Class Casualties grouped according to the type of

vehicle they were travelling in, e.g. bus

passengers

CMP Chittagong Metropolitan Police

DMP Dhaka Metropolitan Police

Fatal Casualty or Fatality A person who has been killed in a road accident or

who has died as a result of injuries sustained in a

road accident

Fatal Accident An accident with one or more fatal casualties

FIR First Information Report

Grievous Injury Casualty A person who has been injured sufficiently badly

to be kept in hospital overnight for treatment

Grievous Injury Accident An accident with one or more grievous injury

casualties but no fatalities

KMP Khulna Metropolitan Police

MAAP Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package

MCR Motor Collision Record - record of a road accident

resulting in vehicle damage but no casualties

RMP Rajshahi Metropolitan Police

RTA Road Traffic Accident

Simple Injury Casualty A person with minor injuries who did not need to

be kept in hospital overnight

Simple Injury Accident An accident with one or more simple injurycasualties, but no grievous injuries or fatalities

Bangladesh Police


National Report1999

Vehicles vs Accidentsfor the last 5 years

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C O N T E N T S

Page




Table 1: 1999 Comparison between Police Statistics and MAAP Data 5

Figure 1: Comparison between MAAP data and official Police Data 6

Table 2: 1999 Casualties by Severity and Collision Type 7


Table 3: 1999 Pedestrian Casualties by Vehicle Type 9

Figure 3: Pedestrian Hit by Vehicles 10

Table 4: 1999 Accident Vehicle Type and Maneuver 12

Table 5: 1999 Casualties by Severity and Age-group 13

Figure 4: Casualties by Age 14

Table 6: 1999 Casualties by Police Range and Metropolitan Area 16

Table 7: 1999 Casualties by Severity and Junction detail 17

Figure 5: Casualties by Area 18

Figure 6: Casualties by Light Conditions 19

Table 8: 1999 Casualties by Severity and Time of Day 21

Figure 7: Casualties by Severity and Time of Day 22

Table 9: Pedestrian Casualties by Severity and Location 23

Table 10: 199 Casualties by Severity and Road Class 24

Figure 8: Casualties by Road Class 25


1 Introduction

1.1 This report was produced for the Bangladesh Police by the Institutional Development

Component (IDC3) for Ministry of Communications (RHD, RRD and BRTA). IDC is funded

by the British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

1.2 In Bangladesh road users especially drivers do not appear to have sufficient knowledge

and skills to meet the minimum standards required for safe driving. Hence the road

accident situation continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate.

1.3 The construction of better roads, reduction in travel time and lower operating costs has

motivated citizens to purchase more vehicles. As kilometers traveled, speeds and vehicle

numbers have increased the number of road traffic accidents and deaths has increased at

an even faster rate.

1.4 The report provides statistics on personal injury road traffic accidents to assist in policy

formulation for road safety and traffic and transport planning studies.

2


2.1 The attendant circumstances, casualty and vehicle data associated with each personal

injury accident are recorded by police officers (FIR) as part of the national reporting

system required by the Police headquarters. All of the accident data collected is

processed using the MAAP (Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package) system. This

work is carried out by the Accident Data Unit (ADU) staff in Ranges/Metropolitan police

offices and forwarded to police headquarters on a monthly basis.

2.2 Only data available from the Police ADU has been used in this report. This data can be

examined in a wide range of formats, to suit user requirements as far as possible.

2.3 Data is presented regarding the accident circumstances, together with the vehicles

involved and the casualties arising from the accidents. The data is presented both in total

and is also analyzed by the various factors collected about each accident as part of the

national reporting system. This enables a comprehensive picture to be built up of

accidents occurring on roads.

2.4 The tables and figures included within this report correspond as closely as possible to

those included in previous reports.


3.1 This report uses data from 1999, although data from 1998 is frequently included to allow

comparisons to be made. The accident data has been analysed at a variety of levels, i.e.

accident, casualty and vehicle tables have been produced to show the overall nature and

scale of the road safety problem.

3


2.1 The attendant circumstances, casualty and vehicle data associated with each personal

injury accident are recorded by police officers (FIR) as part of the national reporting

system required by the Police headquarters. All of the accident data collected is

processed using the MAAP (Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package) system. This

work is carried out by the Accident Data Unit (ADU) staff in Ranges/Metropolitan police

offices and forwarded to police headquarters on a monthly basis.

2.2 Only data available from the Police ADU has been used in this report. This data can be

examined in a wide range of formats, to suit user requirements as far as possible.

2.3 Data is presented regarding the accident circumstances, together with the vehicles

involved and the casualties arising from the accidents. The data is presented both in total

and is also analyzed by the various factors collected about each accident as part of the

national reporting system. This enables a comprehensive picture to be built up of

accidents occurring on roads.

2.4 The tables and figures included within this report correspond as closely as possible to

those included in previous reports.


3.1 This report uses data from 1999, although data from 1998 is frequently included to allow

comparisons to be made. The accident data has been analysed at a variety of levels, i.e.

accident, casualty and vehicle tables have been produced to show the overall nature and

scale of the road safety problem.

3

3.2 The Police statistics show that the number of accidents has risen by 1.2% between 1998

(4,856) to 1999 (4,916). On average, 13 accidents occurred daily. There has also been a

5.8% increase in the number of fatalities from 1998 (3,133) to 1999 (3,314) i.e. on

average 9 people lost their lives everyday.

3.3 In this report some tables and figures may not fully tally with other comparable tables. This

is largely due to the fact that some accident reports have incomplete information. The

MAAP (Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package) classifies such figures as unknowns,

and as a result they are not included in the analysis.

3.4 The MAAP system shows that many parts of the country are not yet using the newly

introduced accident report form. Table 1 shows that in 1999 a total of 4,020 accidents

were reported to the ADU (Accident Data Unit) whilst the Police Statistics show 4,916

accidents in the same period. The MAAP data has now been included as part of the

official FIR form so it is expected that this system will improve in future years.

3.5 The negative behavior of some road users tends to increase unpleasant practices on the

roads. Pedestrians are the main contributors and victims of road accidents. Crossing of

the roads is done in a highly erratic and unpredictable fashion with little or no sign of

communication between pedestrians and motorists.

3.6 In 1999 there were 1,762 accidents involving collisions with pedestrians in which 1,780

vehicles were involved. From the 1,762 accidents the total number of casualties were

1,967 of which 1,369 were fatal. Table 2 and Figure 2 takes a closer look at the

pedestrian accident problem and Table 3 & Figure 3 shows the types of vehicles involved.

It shows Trucks (31.1%) as the biggest vehicle group with Bus and Minibus also featuring

strongly.

4

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users and their safety relies partly on the

alertness and care of motorists. In 1999 the available MAAP data showed there were

2,949 fatalities of which 1,369 were pedestrians. The total figure is 6,485 casualties of

which 1,967 (30.3%) were pedestrians (Table2).

3.7 Table 2 also shows that vehicles involved in head-on-collisions were 993 in 1999 which

resulted in 1,334 casualties whilst 455 people lost their lives, thus accounting for 15.3% of

the total number of fatalities. A total of 451 side-collision casualty accidents occurred

during the same period whilst the drivers were trying to overtake other vehicles, a very

common occurrence in Bangladesh. Comparatively head-on-collisions and rear-end

collisions accounted for 20% and 16%, respectively of the total number of accidents in

1999. But the deaths from head-on-collisions and rear-end collisions were 15% and 11%

respectively.

3.8 Table 4 indicates that maximum accidents occurred while the vehicles were moving

forward (83.4)%). The vehicles that were commonly involved in accidents while going

forward were Trucks. Buses and Minibuses are also involved in the same type of

accidents. Accidents due to overtaking the other vehicles accounted for 3.8%.

3.9 There are certain age groups, which are more prone to road traffic accidents, specifically

the 21-35 age group. This is because younger people are the most economically active in

the population and they are the most mobile. Table 5 considers casualties where the age

of the casualty was known, in 1999 there were only 74% of all casualties. The age group

21-35 years accounted for 46% of the casualties and 38% of the fatalities. In 1998 this

age group accounted for 47% of the casualties (Figure 4). The trend shows that there is

no significant improvement.

11

3.10 Dhaka Police Range had a larger percentage of the casualties and it accounted for 23%

of the casualties and 27% of the fatalities. Chittagong Police Range had 19% of the

casualties and 17% of the fatalities. Table 6 shows the variation of casualties in

Metropolitan areas and other Police Ranges. Accident casualties are very high in 4

Metropolitan (Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi) areas as well as the district

headquarters. The reasons being that these areas have more than a fair share of

economic activities, large population and therefore higher vehicle fleets. In these 4

Metropolitan areas 22.1% casualties were accounted for in 1999.

3.11 In 1999 about 83% of the accidents occurred where there is no form of junction control.

Considering junction types the largest proportion of accidents were “T” junctions, where

475 accidents occurred. The number of casualty accidents at or within 30 meters of “T”

and “crossroad” junctions is 7% and 4% respectively. Table 7 shows in detail the junction

type casualties.

3.12 Figure 5 indicates that urban areas have a large number of accidents but they result in

fewer fatalities when compared to rural areas. The urban areas accounted for 31.8% of

the total casualties but whereas for fatal accidents the number is 25.4%. So the casualty

accidents on urban roads are generally less severe than the rural roads.

3.13 Most of the accidents in 1999 occurred during the day (69.8%). Figure 6 shows that there

is a heavy usage of vehicles during the day, so during the night traffic volumes tend to go

down hence less accidents occur. Accidents in the dark accounted for 17.9% of the total

number of accidents, which is almost the same as it was in 1998.

15

3.14 Table 8 and Figure 7 shows from 09.00 to 12.00 hours casualty accidents tend to go up

since a large number of vehicles are on the road and pedestrians tend to be on the roads.

This period accounted for 21.9% of all the casualty accidents. The casualty accidents tend

to be lower at the early hours of the day that is from 00.00 up to 05.00 hours. 10.00-11.00

the peak hour of accidents accounted for 8.1% of the fatalities in which 15.5% vehicles

were involved.

3.15 A large number of pedestrians were struck while walking along the road or crossing the

road. It is the common in rural areas to see people playing, gossiping and carrying out

other domestic activities in busy traffic routes. Like other developing countries

Bangladesh has not yet been able to provide adequate recreational facilities for the rural

people. Table 9 analyses details of the pedestrian locations during the casualty accidents.

3.16 Table 10 illustrates that the National roads accounted for 44.0% of all the casualties while

City road accounted for 22.2%. For fatal cases the City road accounted for 15.7% of the

casualties while National roads accounted for 48.8%. Accident figures (Figure 8) tend to

indicate that National roads have a larger number of casualties but they result in fewer

fatalities when compared to City roads.

20

Table 1 1999 Comparison between Police Statistics and MAAP Data

Metropolitan Area/ Police Range Police Statistics

Fatalities

MAAP Data Variation Police Statistics

Accident Cases

MAAP Data Variation

DMP 188 314 +67% 813 892 +10%

CMP 116 104 -10% 198 147 -26%

KMP 34 22 -35% 40 40 0%

RMP 29 36 +24% 48 49 +2%

Dhaka Range 1013 810 -20% 1267 877 -31%

Chittagong Range 625 510 -18% 840 636 -24%

Sylhet Range 252 272 +8% 360 386 +7%

Khulna Range 308 167 -46% 347 177 -49%

Barisal Range 74 41 -44% 109 55 -49%

Rajshahi Range 675 675 0% 894 761 -15%

Total 3314 2951 -11% 4916 4020 -18%

5

Variation between MAAP data andofficial Police data, Bangladesh 1999


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BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

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1400

Acc

iden

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Ctg. Range SylhetRange

KhulnaRange

BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

Police

MAAP

Variation in the numbers of ACCIDENTS between official Police Data and MAAP Data

Variation in the numbers of FATALITIES between official Police Data and MAAP Data

6

Table 2 1999 Casualties by Severity and Collision type

Collision Type Injury Accidents

VehiclesInvolved

Fatal Grievous Simple Total * (%)

Head on 504 993 455 529 350 1334 20.6

Rear end 590 1187 321 454 267 1042 16.1

Right angle 23 45 11 34 10 55 0.8

Side swipe 219 423 154 179 118 451 7.0

Overturned 374 387 375 345 278 998 15.4

Hit object in road 23 24 13 23 10 46 0.7

Hit object off road 103 107 74 102 88 264 4.1

Hit parked vehicle 60 116 60 33 24 117 1.8

Hit pedestrian 1762 1780 1369 473 125 1967 30.3

Hit animal 1 1 0 2 5 7 0.1

Others 136 147 117 43 44 204 3.1

Total 3795 5210 2949 2217 1319 6485 100.0

*Number of Unknown = 2

7

Accidents by Collision TypeBangladesh 1998-1999

Figure 2

1998 1999* TotalHead on 447 524 971Rear end 552 677 1229Right angle 52 25 77Side swipe 215 277 492Overturned 271 377 648Object on road 22 32 54Roadside object 53 132 185Parked vehicles 49 70 119Hit pedestrians 1503 1762 3265Hit animal 0 1 1Others 128 141 269

Total 3292 4018 7310

Incomplete Data*Number of Unknown 2


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Hit

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1998

1999

8

Table 3 1999 Pedestrian Casualties by Vehicle Type

Vehicle Type Fatal Grievous Simple Total* (%)

Cycle 5 1 1 7 0.4

Motor Cycle 45 21 5 71 3.5

BabyTaxi 19 22 10 51 2.5

Tempo 57 47 9 113 5.7

Microbus 73 52 17 142 7.1

Minibus 134 45 14 193 9.7

Bus 376 91 26 493 24.6

Car 48 47 12 107 5.4

Jeep 27 13 4 44 2.2

Pickup 42 24 1 67 3.4

Truck 473 122 26 621 31.1

Articulated Truck 10 4 0 14 0.7

Oil Tanker 8 3 0 11 0.6

Tractor 12 8 2 22 1.1

Other 34 5 2 41 2.0

Total 1363 505 129 1997 100.0

* Number of Unknown = 93

Note: In this table Pedestrian Casualties are tabulated according to the vehicle/driver that struck them

9

Pedestrians Hit by VehiclesBangladesh 1998-1999

Figure 3



1998 1999* TotalCycle 4 7 11

Motor Cycle 48 71 119

BabyTaxi 88 51 139Tempo 96 113 209

Micro Bus 113 142 255Mini Bus 194 193 387

Bus 414 493 907

Car 104 107 211Jeep 26 44 70

Pick Up 27 67 94

Truck 534 621 1155Heavy Truck 373 121 494

Artic 2 14 16

Oil Tanker 7 11 18Tractor 17 22 39

Other 35 41 76

Total 1709 1997 3706


0

1 0 0

2 0 0

3 0 0

4 0 0

5 0 0

6 0 0

7 0 0

1 9 9 8

1 9 9 9

10

Table 4 1999 Accident by Vehicle Type and Maneuver

Vehicle Type LtTrn RtTrn UTurn Cross OverT Ahead Rever Start Stop Park Other Total*

Cycle 1 4 0 5 2 152 0 0 1 0 2 167

Rickshaw 0 3 1 6 0 249 0 0 0 25 0 284

Pushcart 1 0 0 2 0 14 0 0 0 4 0 21

Motorcycle 8 9 0 7 6 188 0 2 3 1 2 226

Babytaxi 10 10 1 8 4 214 0 0 7 4 2 260

Tempo 18 4 0 4 11 278 0 2 5 6 2 330

Microbus 4 4 0 2 7 235 3 3 3 2 6 269

Minibus 21 8 1 9 18 409 0 1 6 2 8 483

Bus 31 36 1 23 64 984 4 7 10 15 13 1188

Car 8 9 2 6 8 240 1 0 22 7 3 306

Jeep 4 11 2 1 5 91 0 1 3 3 2 123

Pickup 4 6 0 2 9 118 1 1 1 4 2 148

Truck 43 39 3 24 64 1235 9 2 10 28 8 1465

Artic-Truck 1 1 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 1 1 15

Oil Tanker 1 0 0 0 1 17 0 0 0 1 1 21

Tractor 1 0 0 2 1 41 0 0 0 0 5 50

Others 1 0 0 0 6 85 0 0 0 10 5 107

Total 157 144 11 101 206 4561 18 19 71 113 62 5463

* Number of Unknown = 154

12

Table 5 1999 Casualties by Severity and Age-group

Age Fatal Grievous Simple Total* (%)

0-5 74 27 11 112 2.3

6-10 226 56 22 304 6.3

11-15 153 74 34 261 5.4

16-20 190 129 78 397 8.3

21-25 244 252 160 656 13.6

26-30 328 309 188 825 17.2

31-35 298 277 155 730 15.2

36-40 180 169 124 473 9.9

41-45 153 111 80 344 7.1

46-50 125 78 24 227 4.7

51-55 93 31 17 141 2.9

56-60 91 31 12 134 2.8

61-65 57 19 9 85 1.8

66-70 59 16 2 77 1.6

71-75 14 2 0 16 0.3

>75 26 2 2 30 0.6

Total 2311 1583 918 4812 100.0


13

Casualties by AgeBangladesh 1998-1999

Figure 4Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit 14

Age 1998 1999* Total 0-5 119 112 231 6-10 307 304 61111-15 224 261 48516-20 345 397 74221-25 557 656 121326-30 803 825 162831-35 641 730 137136-40 425 473 89841-45 285 344 62946-50 169 227 39651-55 95 141 23656-60 97 134 23161-65 66 85 15166-70 56 77 13371-75 18 16 34 >75 27 30 57Total 4234 4812 9046

Incomplete Data


0

100

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600

700

800

900

Nu

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0-5

6-1

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5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

66-7

0

71-7

5

>75

Years

1998

1999

Table 6 1999 Casualties by Police Range and Metropolitan Area

Metropolitan Area/ Police Range

Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

DMP 314 512 253 1079 16.6

CMP 104 92 26 222 3.4

KMP 22 12 28 62 1.0

RMP 36 23 15 74 1.1

Dhaka Range 810 486 194 1490 23.0

Chittagong Range 510 418 297 1225 18.9

Sylhet Range 272 191 150 613 9.4

Khulna Range 167 118 117 402 6.2

Barisal Range 41 46 15 102 1.6

Rajshahi Range 675 319 224 1218 18.8

Total 2951 2217 1319 6487 100.0

16

Table 7 1999 Casualties by Severity and Junction detail

Junction Type InjuryAccidents

VehiclesInvolved

Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

Not Junction 3092 4210 2539 1789 1066 5394 83.2

Crossing 189 278 92 116 71 279 4.3

T-Junction 313 440 194 181 100 475 7.3

Staggered 24 32 16 19 25 60 1.0

Round-about 69 112 27 47 22 96 1.5

Railway crossing 6 7 2 4 2 8 0.1

Others 100 126 79 60 31 170 2.6

Total 3793 5205 2949 2216 1317 6482 100.0


17

Casualties by Area Bangladesh 1999


Fatal Grievous Simple Total* %

Urban 753 862 444 2059 31.8

Rural 2190 1350 872 4412 68.2

Total 2943 2212 1316 6471 100.0


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Casualties by Area

Urban

Rural

18

Casualties byLight Conditions

Bangladesh 1999

Figure 6

Fatal Grievous Simple Total*Day 2034 1581 923 4538Dawn/Dusk 387 264 139 790Night-Streetlight 166 203 117 486Night-No streetlight 362 167 140 669

Total 2949 2215 1319 6483



Casualty by Light Conditions

0

500

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1500

2000

2500


Num

ber

of C

asua

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s

Daylight

Dawn/Dusk

Night-light

Night-no light

19

Table 8 1999 Casualties by Severity and Time of day

Time Fatal Grievous Simple Total* (%)

00.00-00.59 28 20 13 61 1.0

01.00-01.59 54 30 18 102 1.6 02.00-02.59 39 38 28 105 1.6 03.00-03.59 60 36 24 120 1.9 04.00-04.59 49 52 27 128 2.0 05.00-05.59 81 62 26 169 2.6 06.00-06.59 108 64 20 192 3.0 07.00-07.59 119 70 50 239 3.7 08.00-08.59 129 110 79 318 4.9 09.00-09.59 175 155 71 401 6.1 10.00-10.59 238 157 104 499 7.7 11.00-11.59 223 190 103 516 7.9 12.00-12.59 184 182 97 463 7.2 13.00-13.59 191 151 72 414 6.4 14.00-14.59 193 147 84 424 6.6 15.00-15.59 185 120 90 395 6.1 16.00-16.59 193 109 69 371 5.7 17.00-17.59 172 152 94 418 6.4 18.00-18.59 102 61 54 217 3.4 19.00-19.59 129 96 50 275 4.3 20.00-20.59 89 56 52 197 3.0 21.00-21.59 67 50 32 149 2.3 22.00-22.59 64 45 31 140 2.2 23.00-23.59 63 60 30 153 2.4 Total 2935 2213 1318 6466 100.0


21

Casualties by Severityand Time of Day

Bangladesh 1998-1999


Sl no Time 1998 1999* Total1 00.00-00.59 81 61 142

2 01.00-01.59 89 102 1913 02.00-02.59 59 105 164

4 03.00-03.59 94 120 2145 04.00-04.59 105 128 2336 05.00-05.59 107 169 276

7 06.00-06.59 214 192 4068 07.00-07.59 285 239 524

9 08.00-08.59 320 318 63810 09.00-09.59 394 401 795

11 10.00-10.59 361 499 86012 11.00-11.59 419 516 93513 12.00-12.59 363 463 826

14 13.00-13.59 308 414 72215 14.00-14.59 335 424 759

16 15.00-15.59 311 395 70617 16.00-16.59 361 371 732

18 17.00-17.59 316 418 73419 18.00-18.59 205 217 42220 19.00-19.59 243 275 518

21 20.00-20.59 225 197 42222 21.00-21.59 162 149 31123 23.00-23.59 122 153 275

Total 5639 6466 12105

*Number of Unknown =21

0

50

100

150

200

250

Nu

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asu

alti

es

Fatal

Grievous

Simple

1999 Casualties by Time of Day

22

Table 9 Pedestrian Casualties by Severity and Location

Pedestrian Location Fatal Grievous Simple Total* %

On Pedestriancrossing

278 67 30 375 18.0

Within 50m of crossing 38 10 1 49 2.4

Central Island/divider 7 1 1 9 0.4

Road centre 381 131 31 543 26.0

Footpath 27 18 4 49 2.4

Road side 704 278 60 1042 50.0

Bus stop 6 3 8 17 0.8

Total 1441 508 135 2084 100.0


23

Table 10 1999 Casualties by Severity and Road Class

Road Class Fatal Grievous Simple Total (%)

National 1440 886 522 2848 44.0

Regional 411 305 198 914 14.1

Feeder 468 283 191 942 14.5

Rural 167 89 79 335 5.2

City 463 651 326 1440 22.2

Total 2949 2214 1316 6479 100.0


24

Casualties by Road ClassBangladesh 1998-1999

Figure 8

Road Class 1998 1999* Total

National 2071 2848 4919

Regional 687 914 1601

Feeder 614 942 1556

Rural 256 335 591

City 1974 1440 3414

Total 5602 6479 12081

Incomplete Data



0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Nu

mb

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asu

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Casualties by Road Class and Severity

Fatal 1998Fatal 1999

Grievous 1998

Grievous 1999Simple 1998

Simple 1999

25

4 Conclusions

4.1 The tables and graphical illustrations shown are those most commonly requested and by

no means represent an exhaustive list of possible analyses of the data. Additional

tabulations of accidents, casualty and vehicle factors associated with personal injury

accidents can be produced, tailored to individual needs by special computer runs.

4.2 The scope of the service can be wide ranging, tailored to the clients’ needs. It can include

technical advice relating to the identification of locations with poor accident records and

detailed analysis of the problems at such sites.

4.3 Vehicles affect everyone who comes into contact with a road. Unless there is a significant

general improvement, the situation will become worse as vehicle numbers continue to

increase and road designs permit higher speeds.

4.4 Road safety is a multidiscipline problem that requires the participation of many different

organizations and ministries co-ordinate by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC),

located within the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

26

Bangladesh Police


National Report

2000

C O N T E N T S

Page SECTION 1 Introduction 2 SECTION 2 Data Collection System 3

Table 1: Comparison between Police Statistics and MAAP Data 4

Figure 1: Comparison between MAAP data and Police Data 5




Figure 4: Pedestrian Hit by Vehicles 9

Figure 5: Pedestrian Casualties by Type of Action 10

Table 2: Accident Severity by Districts 12

Figure 6: Casualties by Age and Sex 13

Figure 7: Accident by Junction Type 14

Table 3: Accident Severity by Road Class 16

Figure 8: Casualties by Road Class 17

SECTION 4 DMP Accidents 19

Figure 9: Summary of Accidents and Casualties, DMP 20


Figure 11: Airport Road – Biswa Road 23

Figure 12: Chittagong Road, Dhaka 24

SECTION 5 Conclusions 25

1 Introduction

1.1 This report is produced for the Bangladesh Police by Quazi Zakaria Islam, Road

Safety Specialist from the Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Third

Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project. IDC is funded by the British

Government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

1.2 This is the third National Report presents statistics and analysis on road traffic

accidents. The analysis involving personal injury occurring all over the country

reported to the Police stations during 2000.

1.3 In order to build an accurate and comprehensive nationwide accident data base

and to use the data in developing remedial measures by the concerned agencies,

the MAAP (Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package) was introduced in 1998 to

all over the country.

1.4 In the report data are presented on the accidents, together with the vehicles

involved and the casualties arising from the accidents.

1.5 Like many other developing countries in Bangladesh lack of knowledge of road

safety rules itself can be a major factor towards nonobservance of such rules in

actual practice, which is responsible for the chaos and unsafe conditions on the

roads in most areas. People are devoid of training and education, which are

needed to promote road safety.

2

2 Data Collection System

2.1 Road accidents are reported by the Thana Police in a new accident report form,

which has been, introduced nation-wide. The data then entered in computer

(MAAP) at six police Accident Data Units. The Accident Data Unit staffs in

Ranges/ Metropolitan police office carries this work. The data is sent by diskette to

the police Headquarters where it is assembled into a national accident database.

2.2 Police Road Accident Database has been used to identify the black spots

locations. Accident data of all road has been retrieved using MAAP software. It has

been felt that police database (MAAP) does not contain all the accidents reported

to the police (Table and Figure-1).

2.3 The level of support from the senior police officers has been excellent. From the

field level officers if more cooperation can be given the number of data will be

increased and proper analysis could be done.

2.4 There is an urgent need for a program to improve our road safety rapidly and

significantly. State should encouraged and assist in developing priority safety

programs giving special attention to hazards on highways with high-accident

experience.

2.5 This report presents only a part of the results and analyses of the accidents

reported by the police for the year 2000.The information of the report was extracted

from the accident report forms and the collected data were transmitted and

subsequently processed by computer.

2.6 Accident data is first collected centrally and checked before being distributed to

the highway authorities for hazard location identification and the design of remedial

measures. The data collected has already been used to identify accident

blackspots and to help in the design of remedial measures.

3

Table 1 2000 Comparison between Police Statistics and MAAP Data

Metropolitan Area/

Police Range

Police Statistics

Fatalities

MAAP Data

Variation

Police Statistics

Accident Cases

MAAP Data

Variation

DMP 151

301 +99%

464 851 +83%

CMP 109 70 -36% 200 111 -44%

KMP 32 25 -22% 41 42 +2%

RMP 27 24 -11% 45 42 -7%

Dhaka Range 1032 799 -23% 1203 908 -24%

Chittagong Range 607 406 -33% 743 490 -34%

Sylhet Range 251 268 +7% 365 353 -3%

Khulna Range 366 355 -3% 394 386 -2%

Barisal Range 109 106 -10% 115 112 -3%

Rajshahi Range 746 704 -6% 786 675 -14%

Total 3430 3058 -24% 4356 3970 -9%

4

Variation in the numbers of ACCIDENTS between official police Data and MAAP data

Variation in the numbers of FATALITIES between official police Data and MAAP data

Variation between MAAP data and Police data, Bangladesh 2000

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200


Ctg.Rangge

SylhetRange

KhulnaRange

BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

Fata

litie

s

Police

MAAP

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

DMP C M P KMP RMP DhakaRange

Ctg.Rangge

SylhetRange

KhulnaRange

BarisalRange

RajshahiRange

Acc

iden

ts

Police MAAP

Figure 1Source: MAAP Accident Data Unit 5


3.1 During the year 2000 the total number of accidents were 3970 of which 2523 were

fatal accident cases. The number of injury (Grievous and Simple) cases and motor

collisions were 1238 and 209 respectively (Figure-2)

3.2 An analysis find that a total of 6543 persons were killed and injured in over 3970

reported road accidents in 2000. Out of 6543 numbers 3058 (46.7%) death

casualties, rest were grievous and simple injured persons (Figure-2).

3.3 The analysis of accident records reveals that the highest numbers of persons killed

were pedestrians and the killers were the heavy vehicles - buses and trucks. The

Figure-3 reflects the total picture of collision type of accident. In the study it can be

seen that accidents involving pedestrian have by far greatest number 1740

(43.8%). This is followed by rear end (684), head on (538) and overtaking (356).

The lack of pedestrian facilities like footpath or safe crossing zones and disrespect

of motorists for pedestrians at zebra crossing keep pedestrians permanently

exposed to danger. In city area the width of the walkways are not adequate. Also,

the sidewalks are not properly surfaced and kept from obstructions.

3.4 Figure-4 shows the pedestrian injury by type of vehicles. Trucks made the highest

(30.2%) injury and number of injury is 589 and classified the type of injury were as

fatal – 444, grievous –124 and simple – 21. Bus, Mini Bus and Micro Bus made

accident also high. Of the total pedestrian accidents, 47% “walking with and facing

traffic “, 24% involved “while crossing the road” and 20% “doing nothing” on the

road (Figure-5).

3.5 A person engaged as helper to the bus/ truck driver is initially most often very mild

and yielding. The moment he is given charge of driving a heavy vehicle, after the

passage of time, he becomes quite powerful because he thinks he is commanding

the power of the auto engine. The power makes the person

6

aggressive. This aggressive behavior in traffic operation is quite dangerous and

causes accidents. The pedestrians are the small fry in the traffic system and his

movement is curtailed due to the aggression and rage of heavy and fast vehicle

drivers.

3.6 Over the last decade, there has been considerable investment made in the

communication sector to upgrade the existing roads or to construct new roads.

With the improvement of road network every year more vehicles are coming on the

roads. The inevitable consequence is increased number of road accidents. This is

the scenario of the entire country. However, the accident data collected from

various districts do not reflect this scenario. District like Joypurhat, Kushtia, Narail

have very well established road network. The number of vehicles, both motorized

and nonmotorized, ply on the road is also high. However, police data shows that

the number of accidents occurred in each of these districts is limited to below ten –

three, one and six respectively (Table-2). So, in future emphasis should be given to

improve the data collection from the districts having poor contribution in the

database despite having well established road network.

3.7 Casualty age was recorded only for 70% of the casualties. Most casualties are in

the 26-35 age group and in particular the age group from 26 to 30 as the most

vulnerable (Figure-6). More than 84% of victims are male. As 30% of cases the

age was not recorded, so the data must be used with caution.

3.8 Variation of accident number regarding accident location indicates that about 81%

accidents occurred on the links. Of the remaining, 15% occurred on locations

designated as junctions (Figure-7). This gives an important message to the road

engineers – engineers should put more emphasis to address the link accidents

than the junction accidents.

3.9 When accident database was established, arrangements were made to collect

accident data only for the National and Regional roads. For the purpose of

identification of location of accident, road inventory survey of National and

11

Regional roads were conducted. However, now, road accident data from Feeder

and Rural roads are also coming to the data base. In 2000, of the total accident

reported, 23% are from Feeder and Rural roads (Table-3). So, it is recommended

that the inventory survey work of Feeder and Rural roads be done to accurately

locate the accident locations on these two road classes. Figure-8 shows the

casualties on several type of roads.

3.10 MAAP software is a handy tool for identifying hazardous locations (blackspot

location) on road network. As now three-year accident data is available, engineers

can use the MAAP data to identify the hazardous locations for implementing

accident remedial measure. MAAP can provide various tables both on accident

and casualties. In addition, a route wise plotting of accident in 100m resolution is

possible by using this software.

3.11 Effort has been made to identify blackspot locations on Dhaka-Aricha (National

Highway-5) section – one of the important roads in Bangladesh. Starting from

Aminbazar, a total of 229 accidents occurred on the 75 km section of highway in

last three years (1998-2000). Out of the total 229 accident cases 162 numbers are

fatal cases. These accidents resulted in 226 fatalities, 184 serious injuries and 58

minor injuries. Considering a minimum of 9 total accidents in three year period

spreading within 300m section of highway form a blackspot location, a total of four

blackspot locations have been identified in this section of highway.

Total casualties Accident Type Sl.

No.

Name of Place Total

Accident Fatal Grievous Simple Pedestrian Head on Rear End

1 Golorabazar

Busstand

11 10 8 0 6 1 0

2 Manikganj

Busstand

11 6 4 2 5 3 1

3 Baniajhuri

Busstand

9 6 5 2 5 1 2

4 Pukhuria

Busstand

13 8 15 11 8 0 1

15

3.12 An alternative consideration, taking lower number of total accident than 9, could

identify much higher number of blackspot locations. The accident prone

spots have been identified according to the nature of the accidents occurring there

over the past three years. It is to be mention that the fatality rate is high (71%)

primarily due to the movement of heavy traffic and goods carrying vehicles.

3.13 Accident underreporting is a worldwide problem. The problem is further intense in

Bangladesh. Only a small portion of total accident comes to the accident database.

Rahaman, Islam and Ahmed in their report (A study of road accidents on

Jamuna Bridge approach roads, 2001) analyzed the road accidents occurred on

Jamuna Bridge Approach Road in two year period –1999 and 2000. Accident

data was collected from the firm doing the maintenance work of Jamuna Bridge

and its connector roads. According to this analysis a total of 407 accidents

occurred on the bridge and on the two-connector roads. On the other hand police

database shows that a total of only 90 accidents reported in two-year period to the

two police stations (Jamuna East and Jamuna West), one at each ends of the

bridge. So only 22% of actual accident occurred are reported to the police and

eventually coming to the database.

18

Summary of Accidents and Casualties

Bangladesh 1998 - 2000


1998-2000 Accidents

year

Severity 1998 1999 2000 Total

Fatal 2000 2432 2523 6955

Grievous 1137 986 1029 3152

Simple 193 304 209 706

Collision 203 220 209 632

T o t a l 3 5 3 3 3 9 4 2 3 9 7 0 11445

1998-2000 Casualties

year

Severity 1998 1999 2000 Total

Fatal 2346 2951 3058 8355

Grievous 2276 2217 2270 6763

Simple 948 1319 1215 3482

T o t a l 5 5 7 0 6 4 8 7 6 5 4 3 1 8 6 0 0

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000N

um

be

r o

f A

cc

ide

nts


Accidents by Severity

1998

1999

2000

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

Fata l Grievous Simple

C a s u a l t i e s b y S e v e r i t y

1998

1999

2000

7

Accidents by Collision TypeBangladesh 1998-2000


Accident Severity by Collision Type, 2000

Collision Type Accident SeverityFatal Grievous Simple Collision Total

Head on 296 178 37 27 538Rear end 329 237 42 76 684Right angle 14 26 3 16 59Side swipe 86 57 22 31 196Overturned 235 86 32 3 356Hit object on road 10 9 1 12 32Hit roadside object 50 22 18 28 118Parked vehicles 37 22 7 10 76Hit pedestrian 1329 369 42 0 1740Hit animal 3 0 0 0 3Others 134 23 5 6 168Total 2523 1029 209 209 3970

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Nu

mb

er o

f A

ccid

ents

Hea

d on

Rea

r end

Rig

ht a

ngle

Sid

e sw

ipe

Ove

rtur

ned

Obj

ect o

n ro

ad

Roa

dsid

e ob

ject

Par

ked

vehi

cles

Hit

pede

stria

ns

Hit

anim

al

Oth

ers


1998

1999

2000

8

Pedestrians Hit by VehiclesBangladesh 2000

Figure 4



0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Num

ber

of C

asua

lties

Cyc

le

Ric

ksha

w

Pus

hcar

t

Mto

r C

ycle

Bab

yTax

i

Tem

po

Mic

ro B

us

Min

i Bus

Bus Car

Jeep

Pick

Up

Tru

ck

Art

ic

Oil

Tank

er

Tra

ctor

Oth

er

Type of Vehicles

Fatal

Grievous

Simple

Vehicle Type Pedestrian InjuryFatal Grievous Simple Total*

Cycle 3 5 0 8Rickshaw 1 1 0 2Pushcart 1 0 0 1Mtor Cycle 41 11 2 54BabyTaxi 22 21 2 45Tempo 45 25 11 81Micro Bus 85 47 13 145Mini Bus 157 66 11 234Bus 377 96 27 500Car 32 38 8 78Jeep 39 11 0 50Pick Up 30 14 4 48Truck 444 124 21 589Artic 6 3 0 9Oil Tanker 8 4 1 13Tractor 26 8 2 36Other 43 13 0 56Total 1360 487 102 1949


9

Pedestrians Casualties by Type of Action

Bangladesh 2000


Pedestrian Action Pedestrian InjuryFatal Grievous Simple Total

None 235 143 28 406Crossing Road 363 99 22 484On Road 125 33 5 163Edge of Road 689 219 45 953Playing on Road 20 3 2 25Total 1432 497 102 2031

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

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es

None Crossing Road On Road Edge of Road Playing onRoad

Fatal

Grievous

Simple

10

Name of Districts Fatal Grievous Simple Motor Collision TotalPanchagar 14 4 0 0 18Thakurgaon 24 2 0 1 27Dinajpur 44 7 2 1 54Nilphamari 23 5 0 0 28Rangpur 52 14 2 1 69Lalmonirhat 14 3 0 1 18Kurigram 19 3 1 0 23Gaibandha 31 4 0 0 35Bogra 25 3 2 3 33Jaipurhat 2 0 1 0 3Naogaon 54 12 3 0 69Nawabganj 25 1 2 0 28Rajshahi 50 19 1 2 72RMP 17 16 7 2 42Natore 38 10 1 0 49Sirajganj 72 19 4 3 98Pabna 41 6 2 2 51Kushtia 0 1 0 0 1Meherpur 10 4 0 0 14Chuadanga 18 1 1 1 21Jhenaida 51 8 0 0 59Magura 18 3 3 2 26Narail 3 3 0 0 6Jessore 70 22 3 1 96Satkhira 31 3 1 0 35Khulna 22 7 1 2 32Barguna 12 5 2 0 19KMP 25 13 3 1 42Bagerhat 65 18 12 1 96Patuakhali 7 1 3 0 11Pirojpur 9 2 1 0 12Jhalakathi 19 4 1 0 24Bhola 14 2 0 0 16Barisal 26 2 2 0 30Gopalganj 46 6 1 2 55Madaripur 19 6 2 0 27Shariatpur 5 5 0 1 11Faridpur 42 17 2 0 61Rajbari 21 11 1 1 34Manikganj 36 15 2 1 54Dhaka 50 8 2 0 60DMP 293 384 29 145 851Munshiganj 53 15 10 1 79Narayanganj 87 17 10 2 116Narshindi 60 15 0 3 78Gazipur 30 5 1 2 38Tangail 63 18 2 3 86Jamalpur 16 2 0 0 18Sherpur 18 4 1 0 23Mymensingh 75 20 3 1 99Kishorganj 29 10 2 0 41Netrakona 20 8 0 0 28Sunamganj 30 8 2 1 41Sylhet 97 44 13 2 156Moulavibazar 55 22 6 2 85Habiganj 53 10 6 2 71Brahmanbaria 44 15 8 1 68Comilla 49 24 3 2 78Chandpur 11 9 1 0 21Noakhali 27 8 3 0 38Feni 13 2 2 0 17Laksmipur 14 0 1 0 15Chittagong 83 35 15 1 134CMP 59 37 10 5 111Cox's bazar 48 9 2 2 61Khagrachhari 19 3 2 4 28Rangamati 6 7 3 1 17Bandarban 7 3 3 0 13Total 2523 1029 209 209 3970

12

Table 2 Accident Severity by Districts , 2000

Casualties by Age and SexBangladesh 2000


AGE Male Female Total* 0-5 92 45 137 6-10 181 129 31011-15 200 51 25116-20 290 60 35021-25 530 71 60126-30 652 75 72731-35 634 68 70236-40 451 55 50641-45 287 36 32346-50 186 33 21951-55 102 16 11856-60 106 24 13061-65 57 13 7066-70 57 19 7671-75 14 5 19 >75 17 4 21

Total 3856 704 4560


13

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Num

ber o

f Cas

ualti

es

0-5 6-10 11-15

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-45

46-50

51-55

56-60

61-65

66-70

71-75

>75

Years

Casualty by Sex and Age

Male

Female

Accidents by Junction TypeBangladesh 2000


Junction Type Accident SeverityFatal Grievous Simple Collision Total

Not Junction 2150 764 159 138 3211Crossing 76 94 10 28 208T-Junction 163 111 19 37 330Staggered 34 7 6 0 47Round-about 4 4 1 2 11Railway crossing 4 6 0 1 11Others 92 43 14 3 152Total 2523 1029 209 209 3970

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Num

ber

of A

ccid

ents

NotJunction

Crossing T-Junction Staggered Round-about

Railwaycrossing

Others

Fatal

Grievous

Simple

Collision

14

Table 3 2000 Accident Severity by Road Class

Road Class Fatal Grievous Simple Collision Total*

National 1086 304 87 35 1512

Regional 334 94 32 8 468

Feeder 493 127 29 7 656

Rural 192 41 10 2 245

City 412 463 51 157 1083

Total 2517 1029 209 209 3964


16

Casualties by Road ClassBangladesh 1998-2000

Figure 8

Road Class 1998 1999 2000* Total

National 2071 2848 2884 7803

Regional 687 914 848 2449

Feeder 614 942 1096 2652

Rural 256 335 380 971

City 1974 1440 1326 4740

Total 5602 6479 6534 18615

Incomplete Data



0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Nu

mb

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f C

asu

alti

es


Casualties by Road Class

1998

1999

2000

17

4 DMP Accidents

4.1 Unlike previous years, report on the accidents occurred within Dhaka Metropolitan

Police (DMP) Area, is published as an attachment of the National Report. A

numbers of tables as well as figures on DMP accidents have been presented.

However, persons/institutions interested in various other information, have been

requested to contact the Road Safety Cell.

4.2 Of the total accidents reported to police, 1046 (26%) occurred in four big

metropolitan cities: Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. While the number of

reported accidents in Dhaka Metropolitan Area has been decreasing over years,

the same has been increasing in other three cities. In 2000 a total of 851 accidents

was recorded in DMP area. This shows 5% decreases over year 1999.

4.3 In 2000 there were 851 accidents reported to the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. The

946 casualties resulted from 851 accidents consisting of, 301 fatal; 569 Grievous;

and 76 Simple injury (Figure 9). The Casualty figures fall by 12% in 2000 to 946.

4.4 There could have been several reasons for the reduction of number of reported

accidents: reduced vehicle speed due to increased traffic congestion in the city,

increase tendency of settlement of the accident events outside police interference,

increased police enforcement in few identified accident. However, further research

on this issue could revel the actual cause(s).

4.5 The accident situation on the Airport Road has been also decreasing. A total of

102 (Fatal, Grievous and Simple) accidents were reported along this road, of

which 43 involved the Fatal accident (Figure 10).

4.6 The junction between Airport Road and Bisaw Road was identified by expatriate

safety experts, as one of the worst accident blackspot locations in 1996. In 1996 a

total of 18 accidents occurred in this location and of which 11

19

were fatal. Pedestrians were involved in majority of accidents. But over the next few

years the number of reported accident in this location has been decreasing. Apart

from an increase of reported accident in 1998 over 1997, the same has been

decreasing over years. In 2000 a total of only 5 accidents were reported to occur in

this junction (Figure 11). Increased police enforcement could have been

contributing in the reduction of reported accident. This could claim as an

achievement of computerized data recording system, as had this spot not been

identified as location of higher than normal accident, improved enforcement

measure could have not taken by the police to reduce accident occurrence.

4.7 While accident on the once identified worst accident blackspot location has been

decreasing over years, no considerable change in the number of reported

accidents has been noticed in the 5 km section of N1 Dhaka-Chittagong Road,

from Jatrabari Crossing to end of DMP Area (Figure 12). Implementation of

remedial measure, devised by Road Safety Division of Roads and Highways

Department by using the MAAP data, could contribute in reduction of accident in

this section of highway. We recommend that the concerned authority take

necessary action in implementing the proposed remedial measure.

22

Summary of Accidents and Casualties

DMP 1996 - 2000


1996-2000 Accidents

yearSeverity 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 T o t a l

Fatal 343 363 399 304 293 1 7 0 2

Grievous 384 474 593 328 384 2 1 6 3

Simple 171 117 64 122 29 5 0 3

Collision 103 169 146 138 145 7 0 1

T o t a l 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 0 2 8 9 2 8 5 1 5 0 6 9

1996-2000 Casualtiesyear

Severity 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 T o t a l

Fata l 369 374 420 314 301 1 7 7 8

Grievous 529 731 1001 512 569 3 3 4 2

Simple 373 273 135 253 76 1 1 1 0

T o t a l 1 2 7 1 1 3 7 8 1 5 5 6 1 0 7 9 9 4 6 6 2 3 0

20






On these plots the accidents are colour coded as follows:-

Fatal Accident Red circle Grievous Accident Green circle Simple Injury Blue circle

Number of Accidents

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000Fatal 46 62 69 58 43Grievous 36 53 72 36 40Simple 2 8 5 8 5Total 113 123 146 102 88

21


DMP 1996 - 2000



Accident Severity

Year Fatal Grievous Simple Collision Total1996 11 4 2 1 181997 3 5 2 0 101998 7 6 0 2 151999 6 5 0 1 122000 3 1 0 1 5Total 30 21 4 5 60

23

Chittagong Road, Dhaka

DMP 1996 - 2000


toEnd of DMP Area



Number of Accidents1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Fatal 34 29 32 26 25Grievous 12 29 39 22 21Simple 2 3 0 12 1Collision 4 4 8 8 10 Total 52 65 79 68 57

24

5 Conclusions

5.1 The indispensable tool for any accident remedial measure is accident data. The

quality and quantity of accident data in the National Database have been improving

every year. The ascending trend of accident is a testimony of this claim. Engineers

are now widely using the data, provided by police, in a number of accident

remedial projects. We thank the police personnel / staff for their assistance and

request them to keep up the good work they are doing at present.

5.2 The database should be used at a national level to help decision-makers formulate

national policy, driving age legislation and other registration and to produce a

national action plan for improving safety. At present various road authorities in

Bangladesh are taking various measures to arrest the heavy growth of road

accident casualties on the road network.

5.3 Accident data is the base for measure the safety and is essential in order that

planners, engineers, police, education and publicity specialist and researchers are

all aware of the scale and nature of safety problems over a road network. The

accident database is of particular value in the accident reduction process at the

local level. Here it should be used to draw up local action plan where the worst

sites within the area of authority are identified.

5.4 Road users behavior in a number of developing countries clearly showed that road

user were much less disciplined than developed countries. The unstated

assumption is that injury and fatality rates in less motorized countries can be

controlled only if the road users, road designs and enforcement levels in these

countries mimic those obtaining in high motorized countries.

25

Road Accident Costing: A Draft Discussion Paper

1 IntroductionBackground and ObjectivesAccident CostingPrevious Accident Costing Studies in BangladeshStructure of Working Paper

2 RTA EstimatesUrban RTA and CasualtiesRural RTA and CasualtiesNationwide Total RTA and CasualtiesTotal RTA, including property damage only

3 RTA Cost ComponentsLost OutputMedical CostsHuman Costs (Pain, Grief and Suffering)Vehicle Related Damage CostsAdministration Costs

4 RTA Cost CalculationsRTA Cost ExclusionsAverage Accident Cost by SeverityNationwide RTA Costs

5 Conclusions

Summary

This Accident Costing Discussion Paper is part of IDC’s effort to produce a set of road user costswhich can be used systematically to facilitate An average accident cost will allow the safety impactsof road schemes to be assessed and should promote efficient and effective investment in road safetyfeatures.

While road user costs are commonly assumed to include vehicle operating costs, travel time costs andaccident costs are less frequently developed in motorising countries, due to data collection difficultyand the general impression that their costs are not significant.

While the overall objective is to develop realistic estimates of accident costs, both average unit costsand the total national cost, the purpose behind this discussion paper is to document the procedures andfigures currently being used. Many assumptions have been required and these assumptions arehighlighted to promote feedback which can either confirm or correct these assumptions.

Previous accident costings have been limited by a lack of data and the general guideline of 1% GNPhas been used to estimate national cost of road accidents. IDC’s vehicle operating and travel time costsurveys have both helped provide data on accident costs. The Lost Output method was used and theRTA casualty cost components considered here included foregone production, i.e. lost output, medicalcosts, and a component for pain, grief and suffering. The accident event related costs included vehicledamage costs, including loss of business earnings, and administration costs.

The total cost to the country depends not only on the unit rate but also the number of RTA by which itwill be multiplied. Only 20% of RTA were assumed reported and this was a conservative estimatewith hospital data indicating it could be as low as 10%. The total cost was estimated at Taka6,500,000,000 ($US 140 million) which is less than 0.5% of the recently revised GNP estimate.

The average injury road accident has been estimated to cost the country approximately Taka 240,000(US$5500). This average cost is based on an estimate of the total number of road accidents andcasualties as opposed to officially reported figures, and includes a very small amount for damage onlyaccidents (both reported and unreported).

These preliminary estimates are being published to stimulate feedback and suggestions on how toimprove data collection and/or analysis, especially in the critical areas of vehicle damage costs andRTA estimates.

RRMP-2 Accident CostsInstitutional Development Component Draft Discussion Paper

3\2\acccost\dp 8-Jan-013

ROAD ACCIDENT COSTING: A DRAFT DISCUSSION PAPER

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background and Objectives

A major objective of the IDC was the development of a standard set of Road User Costs: vehicleoperating costs (VOC), travel time costs (TTC) and accident costs (ACC), as these are a necessaryinput for road network planning. Previous Economics Workings Papers have been published on VOCand TTC and this is the first publication addressing ACC.

This discussion paper is intended to document the data sources, analysis procedures and present thecurrent working estimates. It is also intended to highlight the assumptions required, given the currentdata constraints, and promote discussion to ensure the subsequent Economics Working Paper onAccident Costs is based on acceptable figures. As many assumptions were required, a conservativebut realistic approach has been sought.

1.2 Accident Costing

For the last two decades, road accident costs have been generally assumed to cost a country 1%GNP. While this figure initially applied to both motorised and motorising countries, with the shifttowards the higher priced Willingness to Pay approach, road accident costs in motorised countries arenow estimated at a higher rate. In the Institution of Civil Engineer’s publication “A Vision for RoadSafety beyond 2000”, road accidents were quoted as costing the European Union 2.5% of its GNP ,the equivalent of approximately $US 200 billion. (ICE, 1996)

The 1% estimate has been previously used in Bangladesh but difficulty is expected in confirming thisfor Bangladesh as:• pedestrian accidents are the most common accident type and pedestrians are assumed to have

lower than average income.• low cost of living and high rate of under/unemployment in general• vehicle repairs are conducted locally and much is low cost “make-do” repairs.• severity of RTA under-reporting makes total number of RTA difficult to estimate let alone cost

In addition to their overall impact on the national economy, estimates of accident costs are also neededto measure the safety impacts of road schemes. The main objective of most road improvements is toreduce vehicle operating costs and journey time which in turn is most often achieved by increasingtravelling speeds. Increased speeds imply increased accidents with worsening severity and so safetyimpacts need to be considered.

1.2.1 Accident Costing Methodologies

The two basic accident costing methodologies are the Lost Output (or “human capital”) and theWillingness to Pay (WTP) approach. Lost Output focuses on the economical consequences of roadaccidents but also includes a component for the pain, grief and suffering caused by road accidents.



The WTP method, on the other hand, considers the value of prevention, i.e. how much people wouldpay to avoid an accident altogether, and accordingly produces much higher cost estimates than theLost Output Method. WTP has only been used in motorised countries and the Lost Output method hastraditionally been recommended for motorising countries whose primary objective is maximisingnational economic growth.

Lost Output methods can be further classified into Gross and Net Lost Output. As can be surmised,the Net Lost Output subtracts an estimate of personal consumption from the expected lost earnings ofa RTA Fatality. While Net Lost Output was used for the first few years of accident costing in the UK(1968-71), most countries rely on the Gross Output Method, although it should be noted that the currentUK WTP approach calculates foregone production using the net lost output method and assumes allforegone pleasure to be represented in the Human Costs Component.

For further background reference on the different accident costing methods, please refer to the TRLpublication Overseas Road Note 10.

1.3 Previous Accident Costing Studies in Bangladesh

Accident costs were previously estimated by the Road Materials and Standards Study (RMSS-Howard Humphreys et al, 1994). The analysis estimated the average cost of an injury RTA to beapproximately Taka 228,000 in 1992 prices (US$6444). This costing analysis was basically a “deskexercise” but hospital surveys were conducted to identify the total number of RTA and relatedcasualties, rather than just those police reported. The two main cost components were identified as lostoutput (45%) and vehicle related damage (40%), which included both vehicle damage and loss ofbusiness.

Accident costing work was begun under IDC in 1995 but was postponed due to the lack of availabledata, particularly the number of accidents, average incomes of RTA casualties and vehicle damagecosts.

1.4 Structure for Working Paper

This discussion paper is organised into five chapters:

• Introduction to accident costing• Estimating RTA• Accident cost components• Accident cost calculations• Conclusions and recommendations

Following this general introduction, the second chapter reviews the assumptions required to develop anestimate of the current number of RTA and the associated casualties. The factors considered in thevarious cost components, i.e. lost output, medical costs, are covered subsequently.

Chapter 4, Accident Cost Calculations, multiplies the individual cost components by the number ofRTA by severity to produce an estimate of the current cost of road accidents nationwide. Damageonly accidents are also estimated as it is common practice for average injury accident costs to includea factor for damage only accidents. It should also be noted that the cumulative cost of damage only



accidents currently exceeds that of fatal accidents in many motorised countries, including both theUSA and the UK.

2. RTA ESTIMATE

The total cost of road accidents should include both reported and unreported road accidents and not belimited to those officially reported as all accidents incur costs. While widescale under-reporting ofsimple RTA is accepted by all, many, including the Bangladesh Police, believe that fatal and grievousRTA are well reported. This has not been found to be the case as:

• Hospital records show many more RTA inpatients being treated than reported by police. Assumeover 4000 being hospitalised for RTA in DMP alone and while this is equivalent to national figuresfor grievous injuries, DMP is reported at only accounting for only 24% RTA and 13% of injuries.

• Comparison with those DMP fatal RTA reported in one newspaper during 1996 and 1997 foundthat approximately 30% of fatal RTA newspaper reported RTA were not in the DMP MAAPdatabase (including one where 9 killed in truck accident in Demra).

• Manual reporting system is prone to inaccuracy as seen by Police Headquarters reporting differentRTA and casualty figures than in MAAP. Police Headquarters reported over 30% more injuryroad accidents but approximately 30% less RTA casualties in Dhaka than did the computerisedMAAP system.

Accordingly, it was assumed that only 20% of casualty RTAs are included in the official policeaccident statistics for DMP. Conservative assumptions were made and it is possible that the actualfigure is twice as large and only 10% casualty RTA are being officially recorded. It was decided touse the top end of the range as a starting point.

It was also assumed that the level of under-reporting was consistent throughout Bangladesh. Whileunder-reporting tends to be worse in rural areas, the accident data from the Ranges was moreconsistent than the metropolitan areas and so the same under-reporting ratio has been applied.

• 27,565 casualty RTA estimated in Bangladesh in 1997 (5 X official figure)

It was also assumed that:• 33% RTA occur in urban/metropolitan areas• 67% RTA occur in rural areas (police ranges)

This accident distribution is similar to that being reported by the Police Headquarters where in 1997,31% of all reported RTA occurred in the four metropolitan areas.

The accident severity distribution within urban areas was to be based on the MAAP data for DMP buthad to be adjusted as simple accidents are rarely reported. The accident severity distribution assignedDhaka was assumed to apply for all metropolitan areas. The rural RTA severity distribution requiredmore estimation and is accordingly much more suspect.

Table 1: RTA Severity DistributionURBAN RURAL

Share RTA Share RTAFatal RTA 8% 740 25% 4693Grievous RTA 32% 2958 35% 6570



Simple RTA 60% 5098 40% 7508Total Casualty RTA 100% 8795 100% 18770

Casualty estimates varied for rural and urban RTA and so are discussed separately below.

2.1 Estimating Urban RTAs casualties

The number of RTA casualties was estimated by reviewing MAAP, Police HQ, newspaper andhospital data. Casualty estimates were also factored for possible duplication with casualty transfersbetween hospitals. Table 2 presents the RTA casualties which were estimated to have occurred withinDMP during 1997.

Table 2: DMP RTA Working EstimateNo. Fatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties

Fatal RTA 560 616 112 112 840Grievous RTA 2240 0 2240 1120 3360Simple RTA 4200 0 0 6300 6300Total Casualty RTA 7000 616 2352 7532 10500

Between the number of estimated RTAs and that of estimated RTA casualties, the casualty ratesshown in Table 3 were assumed for the DMP.

Table 3: DMP Casualty Ratio Working EstimateFatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties

Fatal RTA 1.1 .2 .2 1.5Grievous RTA 0 1 .5 1.5Simple RTA 0 0 1.5 1.5

As with the accident severity distribution, the DMP casualty rates were also assumed to apply for theother metropolitan areas. Table 4 shows the total number of urban casualties by severity typeestimated to have occurred in Bangladesh in 1997.

Table 4: Urban RTA Casualty Working EstimateNo. Fatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties




2.2 Estimating Rural RTA

For comparison purposes, the number ofestimated RTA occurring within the rural areas byrange is shown below. As described above, thesefigures were derived by multiplying the reportedfigure by a factor of 5.

Little data was available for estimating casualtynumbers from rural RTA. Newspaper RTA reports were considered and common sense applied. Anaverage casualty ratio of 3.5 was assumed, which is over twice that of the urban casualty rateestimate of 1.5.

Table 6: Rural Casualty Ratio Working EstimateFatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties

Fatal RTA 2 2 2 6Grievous RTA 2 2 4Simple RTA 1.5 1.5

Table 7: Rural RTA Working EstimateRTA Fatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties


2.3 Estimating Total Nationwide RTA and casualties

Table 8 presents the total number of estimated casualty RTA and casualties by location.

Table 8: Estimated Casualty RTA NationwideRTA Fatalities Grievous Simple Total Casualties

Urban RTA 8795 813 3106 9273 13193Rural RTA 18770 9385 22524 33786 65695Total Casualty RTA 27565 10198 25630 43059 78888

It should be pointed out that the severity ratio, i.e. the ratio of RTA injuries to fatality is less than 8:1compared with recent study recommendations in Indonesia of 25:1 and 52:1. (Downing, 1997) Theaccident costing exercise in Kerala, India found an injury to fatality rate of 21:1 (1992-93) (Chand,1995) so again, injuries could be much higher than is being estimated here.

Table 5: Estimated Rural RTARTA

Dhaka 5515Chittagong 3820Syhlet 2195Khulna 1680Barisal 590Rajshahi 4970Total 18770



The severity ratio will greatly depend upon the extent to which accidents are consistently reported asthe relative extent of under-reporting by accident severity is unknown. The percentages used in thisaccident costing are shown below. Fatal accidents are assumed to be the best reported with almosthalf all reported while only one out of every 15 simple RTA is believed reported to the police.

Table 9. Relative RTA reporting percentages assumedPolice Headquarters Costing Estimates Reporting percentage

Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural Totalfatal 422 2264 2686 740 4693 5432 57% 48% 49%grievous 748 1092 1840 2958 6570 9528 25% 17% 19%simple 521 398 919 5098 7508 12606 10% 5% 7%total 1691 3754 5445 8795 18770 27565 19% 20% 20%

Fatal RTA have traditionally been assumed to be the most well reported as this is the case inmotorised countries. However the reality of the situation in Bangladesh is that fatal RTA can beexpected to involve the highest compensation and so also the greatest incentive to avoid involving thepolice where compensation might be expected to be shared. Further research into the extent of under-reporting is required in Bangladesh before an accurate assessment of the accident situation can bemade and is discussed in the last chapter.

2.4 Estimating Total RTA, including property damage only accidents

Property damage (PDO) accidents have also been estimated as they too incur costs. Conservativefigures have been used with four PDO RTA being estimated for every urban casualty RTA and twoPDO RTA for every rural casualty RTA. This is lower than that ever used in the UK (early costingsassumed a 6:1 ratio and lower than that estimated for Nepal).

Table 10: Estimated Nationwide Total RTA (Casualty and PDO)RTA PDO multiplier estimated PDO Total RTA

Urban RTA 8795 4 35180 43975Rural RTA 18770 2 37540 56310Total Casualty RTA 27565 72720 100285

3. RTA COST COMPONENTS

As most injury RTAs include more than one casualty, RTA costing is traditionally divided into casualtyrelated costs: lost output, medical costs, pain, grief and suffering and event related costs: propertydamage and administration costs. RTA casualties are classified in three basic categories:

• Fatalities are limited to deaths occurring from and within 30 days of the RTA• Serious injuries include injuries which require hospitalisation, i.e. an overnight stay in a

hospital, to those RTA related deaths occurring after the first 30 days.• Slight injuries are those which require medical treatment but not hospitalisation.



3.1 Lost Output

Lost output refers to the loss of productive capacity to the economy. While most accident surveys relyon accident victim surveys or average wage rates to estimate lost output, average incomes formotorised transport users were already determined by the TTC surveys. Only the average income of apedestrian had to be calculated additionally and an average subsistence wage of Tk 1500 month wasassigned. Table 11 shows the average incomes estimated for the different road user types and therelative casualty share assumed.

Table 11: Average Income and RTA Casualty Share by Road User TypeTruck Bus Car Rickshaw Pedestrian

Average monthly income 5441 6083 15410 4686 1500Average annual income 65292 73000 184920 56232 18000RTA casualty share 5% 25% 5% 15% 50%

The net lost output is recommended for use with RTA fatalities Bangladesh for the following tworeasons:• Internal consistency: this component refers to the lost earnings whereas the 30% assumed for

personal consumption is valued for pleasure reasons which belongs under the PGS component.• More representative: As seen by the growing use of WTP, the human costs are being valued more

and more in comparison to the lost earnings. It is the loss of loved ones, rather than loss ofearnings, which is mourned when road accident fatalities occur.

It should be highlighted that the decision to use net output does not reduce the estimated overall cost ofa fatality as it is only a transfer of costs between the components.

The net lost output for a RTA fatality was calculated using the following:• average lost working years, 28

(average retirement age, 57 years, - average age of RTA fatality, 29years)• discount rate of 12% and average GDP per capita 3.1%• estimated average annual RTA income• 30% personal consumption

Recovery time

The lost output for RTA injuries was the daily wage multiplied by the number of days recovering.Based on studies in India and Indonesia, a 30 day recovery period was used for grievous injuries while2 days was used as the estimated average recovering time required for simple injuries. As a 25 dayworking month has been used in previous RHD economic analyses, the lost output for grievous injurieswill be 25 days will be valued at 100% and the remaining 5 days at 25%, i.e. leisure time. Both daysspent recuperating with simple injuries have been assumed to be working days.

Table 12 Lost Output Casualty Costsper casualty Fatal RTA Grievous RTA Simple RTA

cost no. cost no. cost no. costFatality 344085 1.7 584945 0 0 0 0Grievous 4217 1.4 5904 1.7 7169 0 0Simple 321 1.4 450 2.2 707 1.5 482Total 591298 7876 482



3.2 Medical Costs

The standard cost components of medical services received by RTA casualties include: first aid andrescue services (ambulance), hospital costs (food and bed, operations, x rays, medicine, doctorsservices), and subsequent rehabilitation costs (treatment, prosthetics).

Rescue services

In Bangladesh, very few of RTA casualties are transported by ambulance services or receive first aidtreatment as roadside first aid posts do not exist. Yet RTA casualties are still transported to medicalcentres or homes (the police usually transport the bodies of those who died at the scene) and thesetrips involve a cost. Given the lack of data on hospital transport costs, a token amount of Taka 100 isassigned to each RTA casualty to reflect transport cost.

Hospital care

Hospital costs are difficult to calculate and an average in-patient per day cost and average out-patientvisit cost are the best working estimates believed possible. The Centre for the Rehabilitation of theParalysed (CRP) estimates its monthly in-patient cost at Taka 12,000/month (up from 8000/monthwhen costs first began being monitored in 1990). Using the CRP’s figure, an average in-patient perday cost of Taka 400 will be used. Average in-patient length of stay is not known for RTA casualtiesonly and an average in-patient stay of 10 days is assumed.

Outpatient visit costs are estimated at 25% of the in-patient per day and outpatient visits will refer toall casualty treatment services, whether hospital or private clinic administered.

Table 13: Medical Costs per RTA Casualtyper casualty Fatal RTA Grievous RTA Simple RTA


3.3 Human Costs (Pain, grief and suffering)

A notional sum for “pain, grief and suffering” (PGS) was included in the first accident costing done inthe UK in 1967. At that time, the net output method was being introduced and in order to avoidobtaining a positive benefit from a retired person’s death, an amount equivalent to the discounted valueof a non-productive person’s expected future consumption was added (̂ 5000). A small sum wasalso added to serious injuries (̂ 200) but no such sum was added to minor injuries. PGS represented20% of the total cost of road accidents when first introduced.(Hopkin and O’Reilly, 1993)



When the UK converted to the gross output method in 1971, the PGS sum was maintained forfatalities, while it was more than doubled for serious injuries (̂ 500) and a ^10 value assigned toslight injuries (equivalent to 2% value for serious injury). The PGS values were regularly updated forinflation and GDP but were then increased by 50% in 1978 after the UK values were found to beconsiderably lower than those being used by other countries.

Prior to the adoption of WTP for injuries, in 1990, the PGS component accounted for 75% of a seriouscasualty’s costs and 65% of a slight injury’s total costs (still the equivalent of 2% serious injury PGS).(Hopkin and O’Reilly, 1993)

By comparison, the Road User Cost Study conducted in India in the early 1980’s estimated PGS at arelatively lower amount, 20% of total lost output. This percentage has been maintained in subsequentIndian costings and was also adopted for the 1995 Nepal accident costing and is proposed to be usedhere in Bangladesh as a default value.

As explained under Lost Output, the amount estimated for personal consumption (30% gross lostoutput) has been transferred to the traditional PGS Component. It is proposed here that the term“human costs” be used to refer to this expanded component.

To keep the relative amounts the same, i.e. 50% of gross lost output (30% personal consumption and20% PGS), the human cost component is valued at 70% net lost output (equivalent of 49% gross lostoutput as 70% of 70%(net lost output) = 49% gross lost output

Table 14: Human Costsper casualty Fatal RTA Grievous RTA Simple RTA


3.4 Vehicle Damage Costs

In addition to vehicle damage, this component should also includes other property damage costs andany lost business due to the vehicle being out of commission. In practice, it can be difficult to evencollect basic vehicle damage cost data.

Vehicle damage was known to be a major cost component and data collection was attempted fromthree different sources: VOC surveys, insurance company, and vehicle owners. The VOC surveyscollected data on accident costs but the sample size was small and appeared very top heavy. Themain private sector insurance company was contacted and claim data obtained but it was mainly fordamage only claims and with few commercial vehicles represented. Vehicle owners were alsocontacted by BRTA staff at the Mirpur registration office and surveyed on previous accident damagecosts and any lost earnings while the vehicle was out of commission. The wide range of vehicledamage costs is shown below.

Table 14: Vehicle Damage Claim CostsVehicle Operators Survey BRTA Vehicle Owner Surveys



RTA Truck Bus Car A’Rick Truck Bus Car A’Rick/mycPDO 38,000 20,000 850 1,500 N/A 7000 40000 45000Injury 300,000 147,500 N/A N/A 2000 15167 6050 5514Fatal 125,000 198,250 100,000 N/A 22500 8000 8000 N/ACasualty 212,500 167,800 100,000 N/A 15667 13375 6440 5514

In addition, vehicle claim data was provided by one large private insurance company which found the1997 average vehicle damage claim cost was Taka 43, 500 (265 claims). Very few casualties werementioned and it is assumed these costs were settled privately. Nor was there much variation withaverage car claims being 20% more than those of commercial vehicles and 30% more than averagemotorcycle claims.

Once average vehicle damage costs are determined, then the following other factors should beconsidered:• average vehicle type distribution in RTA• average number of vehicles involved in RTA• average number of vehicles damaged in RTA (many pedestrian accidents have been reported not

involving vehicle damage)• amount of loss transport capacity, i.e. business

As this analysis required many estimates and vehicle damage data was so inconsistent, it was decidedto adopt an interim average vehicle damage cost of Tk 50,000. This was based on an average vehicledamage cost of Tk 40,000 and Tk 10,000 lost business. Not forgetting the pedestrian accidents, it wasdecided to weight the vehicle related costs so that vehicle damage in grievous and fatal accidents cost1.5 and 2 times more than in simple accidents.

Table 15: Vehicle related costs (Taka)Unit costs

fatal 70000grievous 52500simple 35000pdo 1750

3.5 Administrative costs

Administrative costs include the “handling costs” incurred by police, insurance companies and courts ininvestigation road accidents as well as prosecution and the settlement of insurance claims. Early workin the UK assumed all reported road accidents resulted in an insurance claim and based the insuranceadministrative cost on 50% of all administrative costs. More recent work in the UK revealed that while75% of all reported serious RTA resulted in an insurance claim, less than 67% of slight RTA and lessthan 60% damage only accidents reported to the police resulted in an insurance claim.

Related police activity includes at the scene efforts as well as the initial reporting and any subsequentinvestigation and prosecution. This could include the officer in charge, the accident investigator, thevehicle examiner, and the Coroner’s office.



Given the level of under-reporting, the relatively few vehicle insurance claims (one of the leadingprivate sector insurance companies reported settling only 3 motor vehicle claims involving death orinjury in all of 1997), and the small number believed to go through the legal system, administrative costsare not assumed to be worth surveying in Bangladesh. However, as it is believed that many, if notmost of accidents are settled privately and these negotiations do take time, a token amount (Tk 500) issuggested for general administrative costs. The total administrative costs estimated should representthe following:

• police investigations (5500 RTA with 2700 Fatal, 1800 Grievous and 900 Simple)• post accident inspections (1300 conducted by BRTA 1997)• insurance claims (unknown amount)• court proceedings (unknown number or duration)• private negotiations (estimated 95,000)



4. RTA COST CALCULATIONS

4.1 RTA Cost Exclusions

RTA cost calculations are almost exclusively focused on the losses to society related to the victimhimself and not those of others close to the victim. Some of the other costs not commonly factored inaccident costings include.

1. loss of earnings of carer (i.e. family member must give up work to provide home care)2. work replacement cost, i.e. training3. travel time delay from accidents, including that from road blockades occasionally set up after

accidents4. accident scene clear up5. leisure time lost in the post working years.6. life expectancy reduced of RTA casualties.

Moreover, this preliminary accident costing exercise was limited to the three main casualty types, fatal,grievous and simple. It did not factor in those grievously injured who are left disabled and with reducedearning capability.

4.2 Average Accident Cost by Severity

Table 16 shows the cumulative cost of the various cost components to each RTA severity.

Table 16: Total accident cost by severity type and cost componentFatal Grievous Simple PDO

Lost output 591298 7876 482 0Medical costs 6190 7360 150 0PGS 354779 4726 289 0vehicle damage 70000 52500 35000 1750administration 500 500 500 500total 1022767 72961 36421 2250

According to these estimates, a fatal RTA costs 14 times that of a grievous RTA and 28 times morethan a simple RTA. Property damage only accidents have been estimated at only 6% of a simpleaccident. A grievous RTA is estimated at twice that of a simple RTA and this low ratio is due to thevehicle damage estimate currently being used as shown in Table 17

Table 17: Distribution of Cost ComponentsFatal Grievous Simple PDO

Lost output 58% 11% 1% 0%Medical costs 1% 10% 0% 0%PGS 35% 6% 1% 0%vehicle damage 7% 72% 96% 78%administration 0% 1% 1% 22%



total 100% 100% 100% 100%

4.3 Nationwide RTA Costs

The total cost of all road accidents, including PDO, has been conservatively estimated at Tk 6,873million (Tk 680 crore or US$142 million). This is less than half the recently revised GDP estimate butis still a very significant amount for Bangladesh to be losing every year. Road accidents are estimatedat costing more than the recently started four year WB RRMP project (530 million).

Table 18: National RTA costsno. cost total

Fatal RTA 5432 1022767 5555672915Grievous RTA 9528 72961 695176086Simple RTA 12606 36421 459124639total casualty RTA 27565 6709973640PDO RTA 72720 2250 163620000Total 100285 6873593640

The vast majority of the costs comes from casualty accidents with PDO accidents amounting to lessthan 2.5% of total costs.

An average casualty accident has been estimated to cost a total of Tk 250,000 (US5,400), some 15%less than that estimated by the previous RMMS. Average costs of urban and rural accidents should becalculated and used separately due to their different accident severity and casualty patterndistributions.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Many assumptions still were required with this accident costing. (Appendix C contains a summary ofthe assumptions) This discussion paper is intended to promote discussion which will confirm or correctthese assumptions. Two particular weaknesses were the lack of vehicle damage cost data and the lackof comprehensive accident data thereby necessitating many assumptions.

5.1 Vehicle related damage costs

Future accident costings should be prepared to devote more time to collecting vehicle damage costdata. Insurance surveyors should be contacted as they have proven useful in other countries and theyhave estimates of total estimated damage before insurance coverage is factored. Commercial vehicledamage cost data will require further effort and truck and bus owner associations should be contacted(again) and data sought. Vehicle damage costs accounts for the largest direct cost in road accidentsand it is important that this component be estimated accurately.

5.2 Extent of under-reporting

The paper has not reviewed the application of accident costs which will be provided in the TechnicalNote on Accident Costs expected shortly. One point does need to be highlighted. A main area ofwork in this accident costing was the estimation of the actual number of road accidents. Furtherresearch is required on this fundamental problem as an accurate assessment of the overall accident



situation is not yet possible. As only 20% of the actual RTA are expected to be reported, application ofthese accident costs to the reported RTA will clearly underestimate the safety impact. Considerationshould be given to applying the average accident costs to the number of reported RTA factored up (ashigh as 5 X?) for under-reporting.



Appendix C: Summary of Assumptions

Number of RTA1. Actual number of RTA in DMP was only 5 x greater than currently reported in MAAP (not

Police HQ).2. Under-reporting consistent for both urban and rural areas.3. Fatal RTA reporting most accurate4. 1/3 RTA occurred in urban areas and 2/3 in rural areas (similar to ratio being reported)5. Accident severity distribution for DMP (many simple RTA not reported)6. Accident severity distribution for DMP applied to other metropolitan areas.7. Accident severity distribution for rural areas8. Number of casualty RTA and associated casualties in DMP9. Casualty rate derived from above assumption assumed applicable to all metropolitan areas and

number of casualties accordingly determined.10. Casualty rate for rural areas and number of rural RTA casualties by type

Lost Output1. RTA casualty share by road user type (and thus income level)2. Average age of fatality (taken from only MAAP data available ---DMP data)3. Average age of retirement 57 years4. Average discount rate and average GDP per capita increase5. Percent of gross lost output which is for personal consumption6. Recovery time for grievous and simple injuries7. Value of non work time

Medical Costs1. Rescue/transport costs2. No medical treatment cost given to RTA fatalities (yet DMCH report 2.5 times more RTA in-

patients dying than RTA “brought in dead”)3. Average cost and number of in-patient days per grievous injuries4. Average cost and number of outpatient visits for grievous and simple injuries

Human Costs (Pain Grief and Suffering)1. Include 30% gross lost output (personal consumption) plus 20% gross lost output (Indian PGS

value).

Vehicle Damage Costs1. Average vehicle damage cost2. Average ratio of damage cost for accident severity3. Average “lost business” amount

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH

MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS

ROADS AND RAILWAYS DIVISION

SECOND ROAD REHABILITATION AND MAINTENANCE PROJECT

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT

Report onTraffic Accident Reporting andAnalysis System in Bangladesh

October 1998

RRMP2 : Institutional Development ComponentTraffic Accident Reporting and Analysis System in Bangladesh

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TRAFFIC ACCIDENT REPORTING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH

SUMMARY

Accurate and comprehensive accident data is the cornerstone on which all road safety activities should

be based. An accident data system should establish procedures for the collection, storage, analysis

and dissemination of data for all traffic accidents involving a personal injury. The system should ensure

that all road safety work whether in engineering, enforcement, education or publicity can be data-led.

The Bangladesh Police have adopted a new accident report form and this is now in use nation-wide.

Accident data is being processed and analysed at one of six centres around the country and will be

assembled at police HQ to form a national database. Data will then be disseminated to the National

Road Safety Council (NRSC) and other interested parties for their own analysis purposes.

The analysis of the data has already identified some severe accident backspots and these have been

used to train local engineers to prepare accident remedial schemes. The data also reveals significant

regional variations in the pattern of accidents and casualties.

A particularly striking feature of the data collected is the high number of fatal accidents. This

indicates that the police are only reporting the most severe accidents and thus the data collected

represents only the ‘tip of the iceberg’. Despite this under-reporting the accident database established

is extremely useful and provides a benchmark by which all road safety activities can be monitored.

This report is a brief summary of the progress made over the last 3 years. It includes a list of other

relevant documentation produced to which the reader is referred for more detailed information.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY

GLOSSARY

1 INTRODUCTION

2 ACCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM

3 ACCIDENT LOCATION SYSTEMS

4 LEVEL OF REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS

5 CONCLUSIONS

6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IDC-3

APPENDICES

Appendix A New Police Accident Report Form (English and Bangla)

Appendix B Terms of Reference for Accident Data Specialist


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GLOSSARY

NRSC National Road Safety Council

IDC Institutional Development Component

RRMP2 Second Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project

DFID Department for International Development

TRL Transport Research Laboratory


SI Sub-Inspector

IGP Inspector General of Police

FIR First Information Report

PRB Police Regulations Act of Bengal

RHD Roads & Highways Department


1gulshan\idc\3\2\1\zakaria\rep.doc

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 This report has been prepared as part of the Institutional Development Component

(IDC) of the Second Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project (RRMP2). IDC is funded

by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It includes a series of short

term and one 18 month (road safety engineering) inputs by specialists covering the areas of:

• Road safety engineering

• Vehicle inspection and safety

• Driver training and testing

• Children’s traffic education

• Road safety publicity

• Accident data system

• Accident costing

• Legislation and enforcement

The accident data component was started in an earlier phase of the IDC project and this report

records the progress accordingly.

1.2 A series of other documents have been produced that relate directly to the accident

data system. These documents are listed below:-

MAAPfive manual from Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)

Supplement to MAAPfive Manual for Bangladesh

Road Inventories

• Dhaka Range

• Chittagong Range

• Rajshahi Range

• Khulna & Barisal Ranges

• Sylhet Range

Accident Analysis Reports

• DMP Annual Report 1996

• DMP Annual Report 1997

Manual of Instructions and Examples for the new Accident Report Form



2 ACCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM

2.1 The road safety situation in Bangladesh has been hindered by the lack of

comprehensive accident data. The police did not record details of accident locations as well as

some basic information about the casualties and vehicles. The information that was recorded

was not computerised making detailed analysis impractical.

2.2 In May 1995 a new accident report form was designed by IDC and police officers

from Police HQ and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). This form was introduced in the

North Division of DMP in June 1995 for all traffic accidents recorded by the Thana police.

The pilot test area covered the Thanas of Uttara, Cantonment and Gulshan. The accident

report form is included as Appendix A in both English and Bangla.

2.3 The MAAPfive program was configured for use with the new accident report form

and data from the pilot study was entered on a computer at the IDC office. The data analysis

capabilities of the new system were demonstrated in a series of presentations using real data

from the pilot study. DMP subsequently agreed to the introduction of the new reporting system

throughout the city of Dhaka. A computer was installed at DMP HQ and a computer operator

was trained to identify the grid co-ordinates of each accident and to enter the data into the

computer.

2.4 Training was given by the project team to all Sub-Inspectors (SIs) on how to complete

the new accident report form. A ‘Manual of Instructions and Examples’ was produced and

this was distributed to all Thanas involved in the expanded pilot study.

2.5 The city-wide accident reporting system was operational by the start of 1996. In early

1997 the first DMP annual report on traffic accidents was produced. This report was a

summary of the accidents reported during 1996 in DMP and included messages from the

Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Commissioner of DMP. A second annual report,

this time for 1997, has since been produced. This document is a summary of the accidents

occurring in 1997 with comparisons to the previous year.

2.6 Following discussions with the IGP and the production of the first DMP annual report

the new accident reporting and analysis system was adopted nation-wide by the Bangladesh

Police. An extensive training program was devised to allow staff to reach all SIs in the

country. Future training will be undertaken by the Police themselves, with IDC assistance.

The accident reporting system has been incorporated into the training programme at the

Sardah Police Academy where all police officers in the country are trained.



2.7 Progress in implementing the accident reporting system nation-wide and in sustaining

data collection in the pilot study area (DMP) was hampered by the absence any legal backing

for the new accident report form. During August 1998 however the form is expected to

become a legal requirement for the Police and will become part of the First Information Report

(FIR) under Police Regulations Act of Bengal [PRB 254(b)]. The police have now assumed

responsibility for printing the form. These are major steps forward towards the creation of a

sustainable accident data system.

2.8 Six further computers were purchased for the national accident data system. Five of

these computers were set up at regional centres to process accident data in a similar manner

to DMP. The regional accident data units are responsible for the processing and analysis of the

accident data in their area of responsibility as defined in the table below:-

Location of Unit Area of Responsibility

Dhaka Metropolitan Police DMP

Dhaka Range Dhaka Range

Chittagong Metropolitan Police Chittagong Range and CMP

Rajshahi Range Rajshahi Range and RMP

Khulna Metropolitan Police Khulna Range, KMP and BarisalRange


Additionally, an accident data unit has been established at Police HQ to assemble the national

accident database and to analyse the accident data at a national level. Data should be sent

from the regional accident units to the Police HQ as shown in the flow chart in Figure 1.

2.9 The specification of the computers installed at each of the seven locations is shown in

the table below:-

Windows RAM (Mb) Hard DiskProcessor

Speed (MHz)

Police HQ 3.11 16 2.1Gb 166

DMP 3.11 16 520Mb1.2Gb

133

Dhaka Range 3.11 16 2.1Gb 166

Chittagong 95 16 2Gb 166



Khulna 95 16 1.2Gb 133

Rajshahi 3.11 16 540Mb 150

Sylhet 3.11 16 540Mb 166

2.10 Two member of staff have been assigned to each of the accident data units and these

have been trained to process and analyse the accident data. They will be responsible for

ensuring accident report forms are sent in by all the districts and Thanas in their area of

responsibility.

2.11 A monthly monitoring report will be prepared for each of the six regional accident data

units. This will consist of three standard tables from the MAAPfive system showing the total

number of accidents on the computer for each month and also the number of accidents

reported by each district and by each Thana within each district. In addition to these three

tables the number of pending accident report forms should be indicated.



3 ACCIDENT LOCATION SYSTEMS

3.1 An essential part of an accident data system is an accident location system. This

should enable to the geographic distribution of accidents to be analysed and accident

blackspots to be identified. Two location systems are used to identify accidents in Bangladesh:-

• Grid co-ordinate

• Kilometre value along a highway

Further details of the location systems and on accident blackspot identification techniques can

be found in the "Supplement to the MAAPfive Manual."

3.2 The grid co-ordinate system is useful for urban areas where good quality maps are

available. Ideally two types of maps are required for each area. The first type of map is to

allow the XY co-ordinates of each accident to be established. This requires detailed maps with

a scale of about 1:10,000. It is very useful if the grid squares on the map are 100mm by

100mm as this will enable the XY co-ordinates to measured accurately with a standard ruler

with millimetre markings. The second type of map is to display on the computer screen and to

over-plot accidents. The scale of these maps should ideally be between 1:25,000 and 1:50,000

although any scale can used if necessary. These maps do not require the same level of detail

as the maps used for identifying the XY co-ordinates.

In practise using one set of maps for identifying co-ordinates and another set for plotting

accidents was not possible as the maps available in Bangladesh have significant

incompatibilities. To overcome this the maps used for plotting are simply reduced versions of

the ones used for establishing co-ordinates. This produces acceptable results and is considered

suitable until better maps become available.

The lack of a suitable national grid system has led to a local grid system being developed for

each of the major cities. These have been given a code number so that accidents from one city

can be easily separated from the other cities.

3.3 Accidents occurring on the highway network outside of the major cities will be

assigned a route number and a kilometre value. The route numbering system is consistent with

the one currently in use in Roads & Highways Department (RHD). Maps of each zone have

been provided to the police accident data units to ensure the correct route numbering system is

used.

The kilometre value assigned to each accident on a highway will, as much as possible, be

derived directly from the value on the kilometre post. Thus if the accident occurred 200m north

of ‘KM Dhaka 56'’ on the Dhaka Mymensingh Road then it will be coded as 56.2km on N3.

If there is a single ‘zero point’ for each highway and the distance to this ‘zero point’ is be



displayed on the kilometre post then this location system is simple to use. Some highways,

however, have kilometre posts with distances to towns but do not include the distance to the

"Zero point" of the highways. Further problems occur when kilometre posts are missing and

when they are not spaced at kilometre intervals. To overcome these problems an ‘Inventory of

Landmarks’ has been produced for each of the accident data units. These documents include

all the routes within the area of responsibility of the accident data unit and indicate the

kilometre value to use for each major landmark on the road. The kilometre values in these

documents have been ‘tied’ to the kilometre post values where appropriate so that each

kilometre of the road could be a slightly different actual length. In more extreme cases there

will be an apparent missing section of road or even a duplicate section of road. The latter is

usually a result of an inconsistency in kilometre post values on either side of a district

boundary.

4 LEVEL OF REPORTING OF ACCIDENTS

4.1 The level of reporting of accidents by the police is understood to be very low. In most

cases the accident will only come to attention of the police if it is particularly serious or if an

aggrieved party reports the accident. The large number of fatal accidents in the police reported

accidents is strong evidence in itself of massive under reporting. In DMP over 30% of all

reported accidents are fatal while early data from Khulna Range shows this figure rising to

over 70%. Hospital records add further evidence that even many fatal accidents go

unreported. Improved reporting of traffic accidents is therefore a priority to allow the full state

of the road safety situation in Bangladesh to be understood.

4.2 The low level of accident reporting in Bangladesh has one advantage in that it allows

the fledgling accident data units to get established without being overwhelmed by the volume of

report forms arriving.

4.3 Improved reporting levels of accidents would make accident blackspot identification

and investigation easier and more scientific but the enormous scale of the accident problem in

Bangladesh means that blackspots can be easily identified, even at the current low reporting

levels.



5 CONCLUSIONS

5.1 Large steps towards the establishment of a sustainable accident data system have

been made in the last three years. The Bangladesh Police are now committed to the systems

proposed by IDC and positive results are already resulting from this.

5.2 The new accident report form is about to become mandatory for the police to use thus

ensuring it’s use will continue after the technical assistance has finished. Inclusion of the

accident reporting system at the Sardah Police Academy is further evidence of the long term

commitment of the police.

5.3 The progress made over the last three years must be protected by the provision of

further technical assistance that will lead to the system becoming completely self-contained

within the police.



6 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IDC-3

The objective of further assistance during IDC-3 should be: ‘To continue assisting

Bangladesh Police in the implementation of a comprehensive accident reporting and

analysis system’. Two levels of accident data units have now being established and these

should be assisted so that they provide the following functions:-

Police HQ Accident Data Unit

• Annual national accident reports should be prepared and disseminated

• The accident database should be made available to NRSC, RHD, City Authorities and

other relevant organisations

• Overall co-ordination of the accident reporting system should be taken over from IDC

Six Regional Accident Data Units

• All six regional police accident data units should operate effectively

• The location of all accidents should be accurately coded

• Regional analysis of the accident data should be made available to Police and RHD

• Police HQ should be provided with a quarterly copy of the data via diskette.

The local IDC consultant must be retained continuously as accident data co-ordinator. His full

time support will be necessary for two years with a further two years at half-time. There

should be six weeks of foreign consultantcy input per year to support the local consultantcy

during this period. The tasks for IDC-3 should be:-

• Continue training of accident data units to process and analyse data

• Train Police HQ unit to ensure the accident reporting system becomes a fully adopted and

police supported system

• Install MAAP for Windows when police computer network extends to incorporate the

Range and Metropolitan Police HQs or when considered appropriate

• Translate MAAP for Windows into Bangla

• Improve the level of accident reporting



Costing

Foreign Consultant: 2 x 3 week visits per year

Local Consultant: First/Second Year - 12 monthsSubsequent years - 6 months per year

Computer Equipment: Upgrading of computer equipmentExtra RAM and peripherals for other units

MAAP for Windows: Multi-site licence

Overseas Study Tour: For senior police officer assigned to co-ordinate thenational accident data system and local IDC consultant.

Risks and Assumptions

The Bangladesh Police HQ will assume a co-ordinating role for the accident reporting and

analysis system.



APPENDIX A

NEW BANGLADESH POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT FORM

Bangla x 2 Pages (reduced from legal size)English x 2 Pages (as will appear in police gazette)



APPENDIX B

TERMS OF REFERENCES

13 February 1998

Accident Data Specialist

Location : DMP Accounts Departments BRTA Accident Investigation Unit

Reporting to : DMP Police Commissioner

Objective : To facilitate the continuation and expansion of the new accidentreporting system and train the police in the use of accident analysis indesigning enforcement strategies.

Description of Role and Tasks:

1. Review accident system in the light of the DMP wide pilot study.2. Implement any changes in the procedures as a result of the pilot study.3. Assist a police led expansion of the accident data system to all of Bangladesh.4. Supervise the accident data entry and analysis at DMP accident data unit.5. Train police in use of accident analysis findings to identify and prioritise enforcement

strategies.6. Assist with the production of the frist accident summary report.7. Identify any modifications necessary to ensure sustainability of system.

Counterpart from Government : DMP Accounts Supervisor (oversees MAAP data entry)

Counterpart from IDC Consultant : IDC Accident Data Supervisor

Milestone Achievements :

1. First Road Accident Summary Report2. Reporting system formally adopted city-wide3. Expansion of pilot project

Timing of Input:

10 Week total input with three 3 week visits and 6 days UK input for support service. Notesome of this work has already been carried out on previous visits.

Risks and Assumptions :

DMP will formally adopt accident reporting system.Current liaison officer be extended and additional liaison officer be employed to assist withthe gradual expansion of the accident reporting system.

The Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Ministry of CommunicationsRoads and Railways Division

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETYSTRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

July 2000 – June 2002

1

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL

The Government of the People’sRepublic of Bangladesh

Ministry of CommunicationsRoads and Railways Division

National Road SafetyStrategic Action Plan

July 2000 – June 2002

National Road Safety Council

Preface

Minister’s Letter Here

Minister of Communications

1

Bangladesh National Road Safety Council

National Road SafetyStrategic Action Plan

CONTENTS

Page

Abbreviations

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Existing Situation 2

1.2 Methodology 3

1.3 Purpose Of Plan 4

2. Road Safety Sectors

2.1 Planning, Management and Co-ordination 6

2.2 Accident Data System 9

2.3 Road Engineering 11

2.4 Traffic Legislation 14

2.5 Traffic Enforcement 16

2.6 Driver Training and Testing 19

2.7 Vehicle Safety 21

2.8 Education and Publicity 23

2.9 Medical Services 25

3. Appendices ??

2

Abbreviations

BIA Bangladesh Insurance Association

BRRL Bangladesh Road Research Laboratory

BRTA Bangladesh Road Transport Authority

BUET Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

CCI Chief Controller of Insurance

CDA City Development Authority

City Corpn City Corporation

DCC Dhaka City Corporation

DFID Department for International Development

DMA Dhaka Metropolitan Area

DOE Department of Environment

LGED Local Government Engineering Directorate

LGI Local Government Institute

MOComce Ministry of Commerce

MOComm Ministry of Communication

MOEd Ministry of Education

MOEnv Ministry of Environment

MOEgy Ministry of Energy

MOF Ministry of Finance

MOH Ministry of Health

MOHA Ministry of Home Affairs

MOI Ministry of Information

MOLG Ministry of Local Government

MOPT Ministry of Post and Telecommunications

NCTB National Curriculum Training Board

NGO Non-Government Organisation


RAJUK Capital City Development Authority

RHD Roads and Highways Department

NRSCS Road Safety Secretariat

T&T Telegraph and Telephone Department

2

Section 1

Introduction

Existing Situation, Methodology and Purpose ofPlan

2

1. Introduction

1.1 Present Situation

Bangladesh, a country having an area of 144,000 sq. km and a population of more than 125million people, has a little over half a million motorised and 1.5 million non-motorised vehicles.Of the motorised vehicles about half are motor cycles and the rest are vehicles of differentcategories such as car, jeep, bus, truck, pick-up etc. The number of vehicles is steadilyincreasing along with the increase of road mileage.

In recent years good roads are being constructed adding speed to transportation sector andfrequency of movement of people. Simultaneously no. of road accidents are also soaring high.Road accidents in Bangladesh claim, on an average, more than 3000 lives and injure another5000 every year. The national waste due to road accident is estimated to be about 1500 billiontaka (US$ 300 million) every year. It is feared that with the continued expansion of the roadnetwork and the growth of traffic, this adverse trend is likely to continue in future unlesseffective remedial measures are taken with co-ordination of all concerned agencies throughnational action plans.

Statement showing year wise growth of motor vehicles during the last five years beginning from1995 and number of deaths and grievous injuries due to road accidents during the same periodare given below:

Growth of motor vehicles and Road accident casualties for last five years

Year No. of regtdvehicles

No. of deaths No. of grievousInjury

Total

1995 388265 1653 2094 37431996 426224 2041 2508 45491997 458687 3150 3592 67421998 491168 3085 2823 59081999 522671 3314 2620 5934

The statistics reveals that Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rate in road accidents -higher than 60 deaths per ten thousand registered motor vehicles every year, whereas, indeveloped countries where the number of motorised vehicles is many times more, the rate isbelow 5. A recent accident analysis shows that vulnerable road users are pedestrians, cyclist/motor cyclist and public vehicle passengers. Of the accident victims about 53% are pedestrians,one third of the victims are adult males between 21-35 years of age, about 44% accidents occuron National and Regional roads and 40% on city roads. Accidents on national roads are moresevere- about 73% fatal and in city roads 42% accidents are fatal.

Unregulated movement of non-motorised vehicles along with motorised vehicles on the sameroute is one of the major causes for road accidents and traffic congestion in urban areas. Othercauses of road accidents are over speeding, overloading and overtaking by motor vehicles. Lackof awareness and reckless driving habits also result in frequent accidents claiming lives andcausing anguish and grief to the affected families. In other words the road safety problems havebecome one of the major issues for the transport regulators and traffic law enforcers.

3

It is ironical that with such a high rate of road accidents, road safety issues did not get dueimportance till very recently. It is only after the creation of National Road Safety Council(NRSC) in 1995 that road safety activities in Bangladesh gained momentum.. Accident datacollection and recording system by Police have been streamlined by introduction of a computercompatible ‘Accident Report Form’ (ARF) and installation of Microcomputer AccidentAnalysis Package (MAAP5) at the Police Head quarters and Metropolitan/Range (Division)Headquarters. Accident analysis on national basis has been taken up. This has been done withtechnical assistance of Institutional Development Component (IDC) and funded by BritishDepartment for International Development (DFID). Initially the system was introduced onexperimental basis in three police stations of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Field level Policeofficers of the ranks of Sergeant sand Sub-Inspector have been trained by IDC consultant.Accident Report Form (ARF) has been given legal back up by making it part of FirstInformation Report (FIR). Although data of accidents collected by Police under this system isyet to be optimally accurate, even then analysis of these data gives us a fairly clear idea of theroad safety situation in the country.

As a first step to improve the road safety situation, the first ever National Road Safety StrategicAction Plan covering the period from July ’97 to June ’99 was drawn up by National RoadSafety Council Secretariat. The plan period has since expired although in a number of areasdesired result could not be achieved due to various constraints. It has therefore been feltnecessary to prepare a new Strategic Action Plan to extend the time period of the on-goingprojects/take up some new schemes to address the road safety problems of the country.

1.2 Methodology

In the previous Action Plan, the following nine individual sectors were identified for road safetyactivities:

1. National Road Safety Council2. Accident Data System3. Road Engineering4. Traffic Legislation5. Traffic Enforcement6. Driver Training and Testing7. Vehicle Safety8. Education and Publicity9. Medical Services

The present Revised Strategic Action Plan has been drawn up following evaluation of success ofthe individual sectors according to the previous Plan. As such, in the present Plan also the samenine sectors have been kept in view while assigning actions/targets and measures have beentaken/suggested to obviate those constraints for which the previous plan targets could not beachieved. Moreover, while chalking out new actions, results of analyses of the data of previousroad safety activities have also been taken into consideration.

The draft of the new Action Plan was circulated among concerned agencies, officials andexperts in the field for opinion. The draft Plan was finalised after incorporating their opinionsand views and finally it was placed before the Council (NRSC) for final approval.

4

1.3 Purpose of Plan

The present Revised Strategic Action Plan has been designed to take a general view of theprogress made in the field of road safety by adopting the first Plan, but more importantly, tocomplete the unfinished actions and also to identify new areas in these sectors and expandNRSC activities in these areas to make the roads safer for all categories of road users.

5

Section 2

Road Safety Sectors

The Revised Road Safety Strategic Action Plan is also separated intofollowing nine individual sectors:

1. Planning, Management and Co-ordination

2. Accident Data System

3. Road Safety Engineering

4. Traffic Legislation

5. Traffic Enforcement

6. Driver Training and Testing

7. Vehicle Safety

8. Education and Publicity

9. Medical Services

6

2.1 Planning, Management and Co-ordination

Problem

Effective road safety action requires the involvement of many different disciplines and thecooperation of a wide range of government, private and civil sectors. A critical requirement forprogress in road safety is the preparation of a multisectoral Plan. The Plan needs to be based ona rational understanding of the accident and casualty situation and be feasible in terms of theresources available. In addition to this National Plan, individual organisations with road safetyresponsibility need to develop their own detailed plans with costs, and identify any equipment,training and technical assistance required.

Currently there are two core organisations responsible for preparing National policy on roadsafety and ensuring its implementation. These are the National Road Safety Council (NRSC)and the NRSC Secretariat (NRSCS). The NRSC acts as the apex body for approving and drivingthe National policy and plans forward. The NRSCS has been established in the BRTA toprovide day to day support for plan preparation, coordination, monitoring, evaluation andawareness raising.

Besides National Road Safety Council, District Road Safety Committees at the District andMetropolitan levels have been formed. In the Districts, Deputy Commissioner of the District andin the Metro areas Commissioner of Police are Chairmen of the respective Committees. Themembers of the Committees are drawn from representatives of different organisations/ agencies/associations having concern in the road and transport sector. More over, local educationalinstitutions and media people have been involved in the Committees to ensure education andpublicity of road safety programmes. The DRSCs will act as the local unit of the NRSC to co-ordinate among different stake holders in these sectors, shall implement policies andprogrammes of the NRSC and will also undertake local road safety programmes according tothe local needs.

As per decision of the National Road Safety Council, concerned ministries and organisationshave identified their focal point officers to liase with NRSC and other concerned organisationsin road safety matters. The focal point officers are supposed to meet frequently under theChairman, BRTA in his capacity as the Member-Secretary, NRSC to monitor and evaluateprogress of activities and also to resolve problems in implementing the road safety programmesof different agencies.

At the moment, there is no arrangement for under taking road safety activities at the Upazilalevel. Upazilla Road Safety Committees are to be set up under the District Road SafetyCommittees with representatives of different organisations with a view to taking up road safetyprogrammes at grass root community level.

An Executive Committee has been set up by the Government with Chairman, BRTA as theChairman and representatives of NGO Bureau, ADAB, World Bank, ADB, DFID as membersand Director Engineering, BRTA as the member-secretary. Besides, implementing therecommendations of the seminar on the Role of the NGOs in Traffic Safety (held on 23.9.96),the Executive Committee is also supposed to co-ordinate and recommend the NGO road safetyprojects and to provide policy decisions and guidelines to the Project Steering Committee (setup in ADAB) and monitor its activities.

7

Financing road safety programmes continues to be a problem. A dedicated road safety fund isrequired to be established and feasibility studies should be conducted to determine the ways andmeans of how this may be done. In many developed countries, road safety fund is generatedthrough private sector involvement such as insurance companies. The insurance industry inBangladesh remains undeveloped and restricted to compensating a small proportion of thevictims of accidents. Main beneficiaries of improved road safety are insurance companies - ifroad safety condition improves the insurance companies will pay less as claim settlement. Assuch they should share road safety expenditure and contribute to the proposed fund.

Another source of fund may be the fuel pumps- some sort of surcharge may be imposed on thesale of fuel and money thus collected may go to the road safety fund.

Objective

Reduction of road traffic accidents and casualties by implementation of adequately resourcedNational and local multisectoral plans under the guidance of the National Road SafetyCouncil through its Secretariat.

Progress

This sector has made some good progress but the implementation of the previous Plan has beenrestricted by financial and human resource constraints and non-development of detailed plan byindividual sectors/organisations. The key achievements are:

• NRSC established in July 1995;• First 2 Year NRSC Road Safety Strategic Action Plan produced in July 1997;• NRSCS started functioning in BRTA since September 1997;• Road Safety Coordinator attached to NRSCs under IDC in April, 1998;• DCs formally requested to establish District Road Safety Committees in December 1997;• Near about forty District Road Safety Committee are fully operational;

8

Action on Planning, Management and Coordination of Road Safety

1. Road Safety Secretariat (organisation and staffing)

In order to plan, manage and coordinate road safety activities at national and local levels, theNational Road Safety Council (NRSC) requires a capable Secretariat. The Secretariat will beresponsible for planning, coordinating and monitoring road safety activities, formulating roadsafety policy, facilitating funding of road safety, disseminating information on road safety andaccidents and organising road safety education and publicity. To discharge all these functionseffectively the secretariat needs to be properly and adequately staffed and funded

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Arrange full time staffing of NRSC Secretariat according to approved organisation BRTA Dec 20002. Arrange office space, equipment and vehicles as per approved scale BRTA Feb 20013. Prepare and implement training programme for secretariat staff BRTA Jun 20014. Start functioning of the secretariat BRTA On going5.. Arrange overseas/local advisers to NRSCS NRSCS As required6. Co-ordinate implementation of Road Safety Strategic Action Plan for 2000-2002 NRSCS Ongoing7. Monitor and facilitate progress of the Plan through regular meetings andcorrespondence

NRSCS/NRSC Ongoing

8. Prepare own sector plan and submit for budgeting NRSCS Mar 20019. Implement own sector plan and monitor progress NRSCS Sept 2001

onwards10. Produce National road safety policy document NRSCS Dec 2001

11. Monitor progress on review and revision of traffic legislation NRSCS Ongoing12. Advise the GoB, NGOs and the public on road safety activities NRSCS Ongoing13. Maintain a register of ongoing and proposed road safety projects/components NRSCS Ongoing14. Control and maintain the accident information system held by NRSCS NRSCS Ongoing15. Develop data analysis and dissemination capability of NRSCs NRSCS16. Produce annual and regular reports on the road accident situation for the GoB/public NRSCS Ongoing

9

4. Role of Local Road Safety Organisations and Communities

District Road Safety Committees (DRSCs) have been established to develop and implementmultisectoral safety programmes at local level. Community demands for road safetyimprovements also need to be catered for and channelled into useful community basedimprovement programmes. These initiatives are important to meet local needs and cater for localpriorities but they need guidance from the National policy makers and technical experts. Theyalso contribute significantly to spreading awareness of the road safety problems nationwide.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Prepare guidelines for functions of District Road Safety Committees NRSCS Mar 20012. Co ordinate the establishment of Upazila Road Safety Committees NRSCS Jun 20013. Draw program to activate remaining District Road Safety Committees NRSCS Dec 20004. Liase with the District committees and advise them on local action plans NRSCS Ongoing5. At least 10 District Committees organising and implementing road safetyprogrammes

DRSCs/NRSCS Dec 2001

6. Provide road accident information to District committees NRSCS Dec 20007. Trial community road safety programme underway in at least 5 communities NRSCS/CRSIP/

LGEDDec 2001

5. Finance

To transform the NRSCS and the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan into desiredoutputs requires a regular supply of resources. Legislation giving the NRSCS both financialresources and fund raising powers needs to be enacted and donor support solicited for initialperiod. There need to be dedicated funds for road safety and regular budgets for individualgovernment departments for their own road safety programmes. The NRSCS will also require anoperating budget for monitoring, dissemination and awareness raising.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Coordinate implementatiion of a few road safety programme supported by privatesector

NRSCS Jul 2001

5.1 Funding:1. Propose and agree Donor assistance for road safety funding NRSCS/NRSC Ongoing2. Implement programmes Project Directors Ongoing3.Monitor implementation of programs NRSCS On going

6. Strategic Development

This Revised National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan is intended to cover the next three years.However some actions require longer period and these will be consolidated in a 5 Year Plan. Roadsafety should also be incorporated into other 5 Year Sector Plans, i.e. Roads, Health. Theorganisation and management of road safety programmes should be reviewed from time to timeand modified as appropriate. It is important that communities are involved in formulating roadsafety actions and that their needs, particularly those of the vulnerable are addressed. The roadsafety policy should take these priorities into account and provide a focus on local awareness,gender issues and improving the quality of life of the poor. The success of these programmes willdepend on commitment of all stakeholders and the NRSC and its Secretariat are responsible forleading and directing public, government and private sector concerns into a determined drive forimprovement. Where possible Bangladesh should consider related regional policies and align asappropriate.

10

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Develop Road Safety Plan for remaining period of oresent FYPP NRSCS/NRSC Jun 20012. Include road safety issues in other 5 year plans GoB

DepartmentsDec 2001

3. Review organisation and management of on going road safety programmes and reviseas necessary

NRSCS Jun 2001onwards

4. Review related regional policies and adapt National policies in line with internationalagreements

NRSCS Dec 2001

5. Liase with representatives of local, National and international agencies to encouragecommitment to road safety improvements

NRSCS Ongoing

11

2.2 Accident Data System

Problem

An accurate and comprehensive accident data system is the cornerstone on which all road safetyactivities should be based. Every agency involved in road safety should have a clearunderstanding of the nature, scale and distribution of the road accident problem and this canonly be achieved through a systematic accident and casualty reporting and analysis system.

Prior to 1997, the only statistics available from the Police was a summary indicating the numberof accidents, casualties and selected types of vehicle. This data was widely believed to beunreliable, incomplete (for example, very little detail of location, road user type or movement)and severely under-reported. Furthermore, the data was collated manually making additionalanalysis impossible.

A new accident reporting system has been established but its use is uneven across the country.The Police have not, as yet, accepted full ownership of the system.

Analysis of the accident data in areas where the new Accident Report Form (ARF) has beenwell adopted has highlighted the fact that the Police summary data is inaccurate with up to athird of the accidents reported by the Police failing to get into the National statistics.

Objective

To establish an accurate and comprehensive National accident and casualty database, toensure that the data is disseminated and used to identify problems and design remedialmeasures.

Progress

This is one of the sectors which has seen the biggest progress in recent years. The keyachievements have been:

• A nation wide accident database has now been established with over 8,000 accident records.Accident data is now available for all the districts and cities of Bangladesh.

• The database Accident Report Form has now been officially adopted by the Government ofBangladesh and its completion is now a mandatory requirement for the Police.

• Training has been given, at Sub-Inspector level, throughout the country to encourage theaccurate completion of the new ARF. Training has also been given at each of the six ADUsi.e Divisional and Metropolitan Police Headquarters, to ensure there is the capability toprocess and analyse the accident data being collected.

• Accident summary reports for 1996, 1997 and 1998 have been produced for the DhakaMetropolitan Police area and the first national accident report (1998) has also beenproduced.

12

• The accident database is being used by road engineers to identify accident sites and doanalyses to help them design effective remedial measures.

13

Action on Accident Data System

1. Accident Reporting System

Consistent and comprehensive accident reporting is a basic prerequisite for any effective roadsafety programme. The new ARF has been published in the Bangladesh Gazette and is now amandatory part of the FIR for each accident case. The ARF has been converted into a computercompatible Bangla Version making it easier for general use in the Police Stations.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. ARF printed for the Police by Government Press Police Nov 20002. ARF distributed through Police channels to all Thana Police Dec 20003. All accidents reported nation-wide using the new ARF Police Jan 20014. All accidents assigned a serial number and recorded in a register of accident records Police Jun 20015. Completed ARFs sent to District HQ monthly Police Jan 2001

2. Accident Data Units

The accident report forms (ARFs) will be entered into the computer at one of six RegionalAccident Data Units (ADUs) i.e. Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet. Datafrom these ADUs will be transferred by diskette or through modem to the National ADU atPolice HQ.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. ARFs received from District HQ to ADU Police Mar 20012. Road inventory updated to include additional landmarks . Police/RHD Mar 2001

3. Road inventory expanded to include major city roads and villages along each FeederRoad

Police/LGED/City Corpn.

Jun 2002

4. Train ADU Staff on the location coding system. Police/RHD/LGED

Jun 2002

5. Agreed coding system in use Jun 20026. Replace traditional monthly/annual accident summary report by detailed monthly/annual report based on computerised accident database.

Police Jan 2002

7. Employ full time staff for each ADU Police8. Annual report produced for each ADU Police Jun 20029. Accident data available at regional level to other agencies Police/RHD/BRTA

/LGED/Cities Mar 2002

10. Software upgraded from MAAPfive to MAAP for Windows Police Dec 200111. Train ADU Staff on new Accident Data System (MAAP) Police Jun 200212. Adequate number of quality staff able to operate the system independently Police Jun 2002

3. Police HQ Accident Data Unit

The accident data should be assembled at Police HQ from the regional ADUs. The Police HQADU will hold the master copy of the National accident database and will be responsible fordisseminating it to other agencies.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Employ a data manager/analyst for the Police HQ ADU Police Jul 20012. Diskette received from regional accident data units every 3 months/ data receivedthrough modem

Police Apr 2001

3. Police analysing data for their own use Police Jun 20014. Replace traditional monthly/annual accident summary report by detailed monthly/annual report based on computerised accident database.

Police Jan 2002

14

5. Comprehensive annual accident report produced for Bangladesh. Police Mar 20026. Complete year of accident data disseminated to other agencies Police/NRSCS/R

HD/BRTAJun 2002

7. Software upgraded from MAAPfive to MAAP for Windows Police Dec 20018. Train ADU Staff on new Accident Data System (MAAP) Police Jun 2002

15

4. Other Agencies

All organisations involved in road safety should use accident data to ensure that their work isbased on a sound understanding of the problem and the effects of actions can be monitored

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Agencies using the complete accident data to help plan their road safety activities BRTA/RHD/

LGED/CitiesJun 2002

2. Agencies using the complete accident data to monitor the effect of their road safetyactivities

BRTA/RHD/LGED/Cities

Jun 2002


The long term success of the accident data system will depend on the quality of the accident dataand the ability to support the system without needing foreign technical assistance

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Local consultants trained to provide MAAP support services in Bangladesh NRSCS Dec 20012. Review quality of data with a focus on the level of reporting using the new systemand the level of accidents being reported by the Police

Police/NRSCS ongoing

16

2.3 Road Engineering

Problem

The road network of Bangladesh has been developed not under any perspective/ master plan buton immediate need basis. The need to promote road safety has not been given due importance inthe planning, design, construction and maintenance of the road network. The main considerationhas been to provide maximum capacity for motorised vehicles travelling at high speeds. There isa strong causal link between speed and accident. Where existing roads are rehabilitated, thepavement surface and road alignment is improved resulting in higher speeds and a greater risk ofaccidents. When safety is made a key consideration the road can be designed in such a way as toreduce the risk of accidents.

Safety should be a concern right from the beginning of the planning process. However, thevarious development and transport planning agencies often do not work together enough, thisoften results in road safety problems. Lack of bus lay-bys and truck parks is one example.Bypasses are rare, so long-distance traffic has to pass through congested towns and villages fullof pedestrians and rickshaws. High-standard roads cannot function effectively and safelybecause of the large number of minor access points.

Bangladesh is yet to have appropriate local design standards, so those of foreign countries areused instead. However, these are often unsuitable for Bangladesh. The needs of non-motorisedvehicles and pedestrians are usually ignored. These vulnerable road users are often the ones tobe killed or seriously injured in road accidents. Signs and road markings are vital for safety,especially at dangerous sections which are difficult to improve. Yet the signing on Bangladeshroads is poor. Road safety audit, which is the process of systematically checking the safety ofroad designs before construction, can result in big safety improvements. The Roads andHighways Department has started auditing its schemes, and other road authorities need to adoptthis practice. The safety of existing roads can often be greatly improved through low-costmeasures such as signing, kerbing and minor changes to layout. This requires that roadauthorities monitor accidents on their roads and that they have the skills and funds to design andimplement accident remedial measures.

One of the obstacles to promoting road safety engineering in Bangladesh is the lack of trafficengineers, especially those with safety skills. There is no established training programme. Roadauthorities are becoming aware of the need to employ safety engineers, and a way must be foundto ensure that there is a supply of people with these skills.

Objective

To prevent road accidents through more safety-conscious planning, design, construction andmaintenance of roads and improve hazardous locations using low-cost engineering measures.

Progress

Road safety engineering is now established in Bangladesh and is gaining wider acceptanceamongst road engineers. The key achievements in this sector have been:

17

• RHD now has a Road Safety Division that is doing safety audits of new schemes, providingtechnical direction for accident sites projects, and developing standard designs for safetymeasures;

• RHD has two accident remedial measures projects underway, with another programmed.Nearly US$18 million is available and it is envisaged that well over 50 accident sites will betreated;

• A modern traffic signs and markings system for Bangladesh has been adopted.

• LGED and City road authorities have shown interest in road safety engineering but theyneed help to get started.

18

Action on Road Safety Engineering

1. Organisational

Progress in making our roads safer depends on every road authority having a safety unit that isdedicated to this work. The Roads and Highways Department now has an active safety unit (theRoad Safety Division) and other road authorities should follow their example. In the smallerauthorities a start can be made by assigning just one engineer to look after safety issues. Formaximum effectiveness these units must co-ordinate their actions with other agencies, such asthe Traffic Police and BRTA.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Set up safety engineering units responsible for monitoring accidents, designing andimplementing safety schemes, co-ordinating safety-related activities, and auditing newroad and traffic schemes.

RHD/DCC/LGED

Mar 2001

2. Training

Road safety engineering can only develop in Bangladesh if there is an ongoing programme oftraining. There needs to be a small but regular supply of newly-trained road safety engineers.Because this is a new area of effort everyone involved must share their knowledge andexperience so that expertise can develop quickly.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Set up an annual short course to train engineers(public and private sector road/ trafficengineers) to a basic competence in all aspects of road safety engineering

NRSCS/RHD/LGED/City Copn Annually

2. Hold annual road safety engineering conference to increase awareness and exchangeexperiences

NRSCS/RHD Annually

3. Accident Remedial Measures Programmes

Accident data is now available for all parts of Bangladesh, and, although it is not perfect, itprovides a basis for identifying accident clusters and their causes. Where treatable causes arediscovered the next step should be to design and implement an accident remedial scheme.Experience from other countries suggests that annual programmes of low-cost accident remedialschemes can be very effective in gradually removing hazards and reducing accidents. Roads andHighways Department has one pilot project, which is well underway, and another has juststarted. However both these projects are externally funded and it is necessary to developprogrammes that can be sustained with local resources.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Annual accident remedial measures programmes being implemented using local funds RHD/LGED/City

CorporationAnnually

2. Set up a record system of implemented road safety schemes. NRSCS Dec 20013. Produce Road Safety Engineering Manual for Bangladesh giving comprehensiveadvice on the whole process of identification of accident site, analysis and treatment

RHD/LGED/CityCopn

Jun 2002

4. Design Advice/Standards

Design advice that is practical, safety-conscious and well-respected and can be of great help indeveloping a safer road network. Road authorities should try and adopt common standards forsimilar types of road. They should ensure that these are followed unless it can be shown that

19

there is a good reason to depart from them. This is especially important in the case of roadprojects designed by foreign consultants. In addition to road design standards there is a need toprovide technical guidance on road safety engineering, including accident analysis, investigationand the design of remedial measures.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Review highway and traffic engineering standards2. Produce manuals giving highway and traffic engineering design standards and advice RHD/LGED/All

City CorporationDec 2001

3. Develop guidelines, standards and designs for facilities for vulnerable road users(VRUs) i.e. pedestrians, cyclist, drivers of NMTs and passengers of public servicevehicles.

RHD inconsultation withLGED & CityCorpn

Jun 2002

5. Safety Audit

Many safety problems with new and rehabilitated roads can be avoided by a systematic safetycheck of the design prior to construction – this is called safety audit. The Roads and HighwaysDepartment has started doing safety audits on its larger projects. Checking the safety of existingroads – safety assessment – should be done as part of accident remedial measures work (seesection 3).

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Safety audit Manual in place RHD Jun 20022. Introduce safety audit procedure for new projects DCC/LGED/

Other CityCorpns

Jun 2002

6. Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)

Vulnerable road users include pedestrians, cyclists, and the drivers and passengers of rickshaws.They outnumber other road users and they are more likely to be hurt in accidents, yet up to nowtheir needs have been largely ignored. This is especially true in Dhaka and the other cities.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Traffic surveys include VRUs RHD/LGED/City

CorporationOngoing

2. Review and establish pedestrian facilities in major cities RHD/LGED/CityCorporation/RAJUK/CityPourashavas

On going

3. The needs of VRUs are recognised in the planning and design of urban areas and theirfacilities established.

RHD/LGED/CityCorporation/RAJUK/CityPourashavas

Ongoing

4. Programmes are drawn up for improving known VRU problem areas – including areaschemes, corridor improvements, and mass action treatments

City Corporation Jun 2002

7. Urban Traffic and Transport Planning

Many safety problems arise because urban transport facilities are not properly planned andmanaged. Urban development is allowed to proceed without the provision of adequate, safetransport facilities. Where higher-standard primary roads do exist they do not functioneffectively and safely because the road authorities are not controlling access to them.

20

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. For each city, draw up and start implementing comprehensive policies and plans forthe development and management of transport facilities. These plans must:• tie in with plans for managing urban growth• define complementary roles for each mode of transport• provide for the travel and transport needs of all sections of the community• explicitly deal with safety and environmental issues, including how to:

- maximise traffic capacity without compromising safety- segregate different modes of transport without increasing speeds to unsafe levels- balance the needs of pedestrians and other VRUs with those of motorised traffic- provide access off major roads without increasing risk of accidents- control access to arterial/ major roads- reduce road accident and transport-related pollution.

BRTACity CorporationRHDRAJUKLGEDCity Pourashavas

Jun 2002 andongoing

21

2.4 Traffic Legislation

Problem

Although revised in 1983, the current traffic legislation is based largely on the Motor VehicleAct of 1939. This is not appropriate to modern enforcement needs. Significant shortcomings areapparent in the control of non-motorised vehicles and in safety regulations.

The problems with the existing legislation have long been recognised and a draft RoadTransport and Traffic Act was prepared and submitted to the Government for considerationunder the terms of the last Road Safety Action Plan. The draft has some inconsistencies andshortcomings which are required to be examined and corrected. But no action to remedy theshortcomings could be taken as the legislation working committee ceased to function. This needbe done at the earliest opportunity if further progress in this sector is to be made.

The draft Act contains sections on some safety measures, levels of deterrence and procedures forcompensation. Although the level of deterrence was recognised as being too low in the previousAction Plan, the Government is yet to approve the proposal for enhancement of existing penaltysystem.

The drafting of laws and subsidiary regulations takes considerable time, and participants in thedrafting process must expect to spend considerable time in debating the various issues. Caremust also be taken to ensure that vested interests are considered and included where possible toensure that the regulations are acceptable.

A Highway Code is necessary to help explain some of the rules made under the draft Act. Thismust be drafted as soon as the draft Act is enacted and subsidiary legislation made, to assist withthe raising of awareness of the new legislation.

Objective

Revise and enact traffic legislation promoting road user compliance with regulations intendedto maintain a safe and efficient traffic flow.

Progress

Some progress has been made within this sector, but this has been restricted by the non-existence of the legislation working committee. The key achievements in this sector are:

• Draft Act prepared by legislative committee in December 1997• Deterrence levels and compensation procedures incorporated into draft Act• Draft Act submitted to Government in October 1998• Foreign consultants recommendations received in September 1998• Draft Act is being examined to remove shortcomings and to include Foreign consultants

recommendations and other changes as may be necessary.

22

Action on Traffic Legislation

1. Updated Traffic Legislation

It is imperative that the legislation working committee is convened/ reconstituted at an earlydate to review progress to date and to renew activity in this sector. Progress will be achieved by:

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Convene/ reconstitute legislative committee to review recommendations concerningdraft Act

MoC/BRTA Dec 2000

2. Complete draft Act and restart law making process MoC/BRTA Mar 2001

3. Draft Act enacted by GoB MoC/MoL Jun 2001

4. Agree priorities and timetable for drafting of subsidiary legislation (Regulations) MoC/BRTA Jan 20015. Draft and agree subsidiary regulations MoC/BRTA Dec 20016. Draft and agree Highway Code MoC/BRTA Dec 20017. Regulations promulgated by GoB MoC/MoL Mar 20028. Highway Code published BRTA/NRSCS Jun 2002


Once revised traffic legislation with emphasis on safety is in place, ongoing development isnecessary to ensure that new developments and procedures are incorporated in legislation asthey become available.

23

2.5 Traffic Enforcement

Problem

Ensuring free flow of traffic and enforcement of traffic legislation are the primaryresponsibilities of the traffic police. Separate Traffic Police Division exist only in themetropolitan areas. Besides, the traffic police in Dhaka Metropolitan Area are to perform escortduties for VIPs. Enforcement is at a very low level and tends to be directed at administrationoffences, which have little direct bearing on road safety.

The proportion of accidents reported to the Police is low, particularly where there are injuries.The number of accidents reported are not recorded properly using the appropriate accidentreport forms. This means that enforcement activity cannot be focussed towards the morehazardous areas, since these cannot be correctly identified.

Road operating conditions are difficult for the Police due to inadequate signing. There is almosttotal absence of speed enforcement equipment and few Police personnel have received anytraining in the use of such equipment. Legislation does not set levels for alcohol for drivers ofmotor vehicles or smoke emission of different types of vehicles. However the Traffic Policehave been tasked with addressing the problems.

The power to initiate prosecution is set at the level of Traffic Sergeant and above. However,they form a small proportion of the total Traffic Police available. Constables and Head-Constables are not empowered to initiate prosecution. This reduces their function to attemptingto control the flow of traffic. Investigation of accidents are performed by Thana Police and theTraffic Police are excluded from this important and relevant activity

Objective

To develop a more effective and efficient Traffic Police capable of instilling safer road userattitudes and behaviour through the use of modern training, increased mobility, equipmentand expanded powers.

Progress

Considerable progress has been possible in this sector. Reviews of many enforcement aspectshave been undertaken and implementation is beginning to occur. Key achievements in thissector are:

• Pilot enforcement campaign conducted in Dhaka by DUTP;• Traffic management structures reviewed;• Accident investigation procedure reviewed;• Draft legislation made to include allocation of a proportion of traffic fines to road safety;• Laminated, credit card style driving licences introduced;• Display of Fitness, Permit and Tax stickers on windshield of vehicles introduced; and• Initial review of equipment and staffing levels performed...

24

Action on Traffic Enforcement

1. Organisation and Equipment

The development of the Traffic Police will require changes throughout the organisation. Seniormanagement posts need to be created along with appropriate tiers of management. District levelTraffic Police need to be augmented beyond the token presence currently supported. Accidentinvestigation responsibilities need to be assimilated by the Police which will go some way tooffsetting the increase in manpower required to implement this plan. To focus enforcementactivity, a management information system should be designed, which incorporates the accidentdata recording currently undertaken. Equipment and staffing levels Nationally need to bedefined and equipment procured.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing

1. Review traffic management responsibility MoHA/ MoCPolice/BRTA

Jun 2001

2. Determine policy to introduce Traffic Warden, Private Organisation TrafficVolunteers and School Traffic Scheme

Police/BRTA/LG Jun 2001

3. Prepare and agree method for transfer of responsibility for accident investigationfrom Thana Police to Traffic Police and define necessary re-training

Police Dec 2001

4. Source and procure enforcement equipment and vehicles for traffic police Police/MoHA Mar 20015. Set up enforcement activity monitoring system Police Jun 20016. Enhance/ strengthen enforcement capability of BRTA BRTA Jun 2001

7. Establish guidelines for recruitment, training, equipment and mobilisation of TrafficWarden, Private Organisation Traffic Volunteers and School Traffic Scheme

NRSCS/MoC/MoHA/ MOLPolice/CityCorpn /BRTA

Mar 2002

2. Training Development

To complement the activities taking place elsewhere, the training of the traffic Police needs tobe developed to meet the changing demands placed on the Police. This should be coordinatedthrough the appointment of a senior Police officer to the post of Head of Traffic Training.Activities in this section include:

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Full training needs assessment performed and report prepared outlining current andpotential training required

Police Jun 2001

2. Range of training manuals produced Police Dec 20013. New basic traffic training course implemented Police Dec 20014. Realistic Police driver and rider training implemented Police Dec 20015. Prepare training syllabus for traffic management training of junior officers Police Jun 20016. Junior and middle management training implemented Police Apr 20027. Develop courses for training potential traffic instructors together with supportmaterials

Police Apr 2002

8. Develop courses for training potential Traffic Warden, Private Organisation TrafficVolunteers and School Traffic together with support materials

Police Jun 2002

3. National Traffic Training School

Existing training facilities for the classroom-based courses are recognised as being whollyinadequate. The National Traffic Training School will assist in focusing activity in trainingdevelopment as well as providing a centre for the delivery of training. This will include:

25

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Acquire site for Traffic Training School MoHA/Police Dec 20002. Finalise building specification and equipment levels MoHA/Police Jun 20013. Complete building works MoHA/Police Jun 20024. Source and procure training equipment MoHA/Police Jun 20025. Transfer management and training staff to new building and begin operation Police Jun 2002

4. Highway Patrol

Pilot projects have already been implemented in Dhaka. Enforcement activity is virtually non-existent outside the metropolitan areas and needs to be developed. The development of aNational Highway Patrol will be achieved by:

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Select pilot project District or roads Police Sep 20012. Procure vehicles and equipment for pilot Police Dec 20013. Identify and train personnel for pilot project Police Dec 20014. Deliver publicity campaign announcing launch of Highway Patrol Police/NRSCS Jan 20025. Begin operations on pilot roads Police Mar 20026. Evaluate pilot project operation and prepare plan for National implementation ofHighway Patrol

Police/NRSCS Jun 2002

7. Recruit National Highway Patrol staff Police Jun 2002& ongoing

8. Procure vehicles and equipment for National implementation Police Beyond Jun2002

9. Train Highway Patrol staff Police Beyond Jun2002

10. Implement National Highway Patrol plan Police Beyond Jun2002

5. Roadside Activities and Parking Control

The lack of adequate control over parking contributes to the hazards faced by both pedestriansand drivers in their passage around the country. The following actions are necessary to minimisethe misuse of road space by stationary vehicles and temporary structures:


1. Introduce Traffic Warden, Private Organisation Traffic Volunteers and School Traffic

MoC/MoHA/MOL/ Police/City Corpn/BRTA

Jun 2002

2. Select pilot roads/ area Police/CityCorpn /BRTA

3. Enforce programme of roadside parking controls and other activities. Police/CityCorpn/BRTA

Sep 2001


The Traffic Police must have sufficient authority to act to enforce safety laws. They must alsobe accountable for their actions during this activity. This should be achieved by:

26


1. Draft strategy for empowering more Police officers and officers from otherorganisations.

Police/RHD/BRTA/CityCorpn

Jun 2001

2. Develop proposals.Police/RHD/BRTA/CityCorpn

Jun 2001

3. Enact legislation.Police/RHD/BRTA/CityCorpn

Dec 2002

4. Draft strategy for establishing separate Highway Police Force. Police Jun 2001

27

2.6 Driver Training And Testing

Problem

The behaviour of drivers particularly of commercial vehicles is generally considered to bechaotic and they do not display a high level of consideration for others. In majority of accidentcases commercial vehicles are involved. For achieving a long term reduction in accidentstatistics effective drive training and testing is important. To ensure that road user behaviourbecomes safer, improvements in the training and testing of drivers are required.

Management of road transport in Bangladesh, including driver training and testing, is theresponsibility of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). There are variousdifficulties to be overcome in order to improve the standard of drivers. Within BRTA, there aresome management issues that need to be considered as well as technical aspects, such asimproving the methods of testing and licensing of drivers. Major changes are also needed to thelearner driver licensing laws, monitoring training standards and to the way that informationabout safe driving is disseminated to the public.

Fake licences are still a problem. Because of poor education level, most of the professionaldrivers cannot qualify written test, so they go for fake driving licence. The introduction of newlaminated photo licences in 1999, with new higher security features such as a hologram, shouldimprove the situation. Improved detection of false driving licences is required to discourageforgery attempts.

The written driving test introduced a few years back excluded a large percentage of potentialdrivers from the legal testing process because of their illiteracy. This in turn led to a largeincrease in the number of fake driving licences in circulation. Consequently, a significantnumber of drivers have never been tested on their competence to drive any type of vehicle. Byusing rigorous method, knowledge can also be tested orally.

Impact of driver training on the competence of a candidate for driving licence has been minimaland, while this may be only practical given enforcement problems, if training is to gouncontrolled, the driving test must then be capable of adequately screening out unqualifieddrivers.

Objective

To improve road safety by ensuring minimum standards for driver competence throughimproved driver training and testing procedures.

Progress

Save and except circulating a syllabus for basic driving course little progress has been made inthe field of driver testing and training. Consideration is being given to the introduction of an oraltheory test to ensure that those with low literacy skills are not discriminated against. The newlyintroduced plastic licences have met with some opposition from the transport sector and this hasimpeded wide spread implementation. However, they are essential to reduce the number of fakelicenses.

28

Action on Driver Training and Testing

1. Organisation and Procedures

Some changes within BRTA are required to ensure that further improvements in driver trainingand testing are possible. The transport owners and operators must be encouraged to support thenew licenses, and ways sought to overcome their objections.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Review driver training and testing system BRTA Mar 20012. Approve recommendation made on driver training and testing system BRTA Jun 20013. Review BRTA organisation based on capability to conduct minimum testingprogramme and agree changes required

BRTA Mar 2001

4. Prepare plan for reorganisation and submit for budgeting BRTA Mar 2001

5. Implement changes in BRTA organisation BRTA Dec 2001onwards

6. Convert all replacement professional licences to the plastic type BRTA/transportowners/operators

Dec 2000

7. Review and improve regulations governing professional driver hours BRTA/transportowners/operators

Dec 2001

8. Produce annual reports on driver testing for the GoB and public BRTA Jun 2002

2. Driver Training

Tuition with a recognised and licensed driving instructor, as well as preparing the novice driverto take the driving test, can include coverage of defensive driving and the effects of drugs orfatigue. Improvements in the control of driving instructors are required to improve the quality oftuition and to ensure a better driving standard.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Agree driving procedures and standards for Bangladesh and produce user friendlydriving manual

BRTA Dec 2001

2. Set procedures and ensure registration of school of motoring BRTA Dec 2001

3. Set standards for driving instructor competency and gain support from the industry BRTA/drivinginstructors

Mar 2002

4. Improve procedures for licensing driving instructors BRTA Dec 20025. Investigate the feasibility of establishing a register of driving instructors BRTA Dec 2001

6. Promote improved private sector selection and incentive schemes for professionaldrivers

BRTA/transportowners andoperators

Dec 2002

7. Actively promote and support driver improvement schemes aimed at reducingaccidents involving buses and trucks

BRTA/transportowners andoperators

Dec 2001

29

3. Driver Testing

The driver testing procedures need to be tightened to ensure that drivers are required toundertake a test of their ability to drive prior to being allowed to drive. The theory and practicaltests both need to be improved to ensure that they are a real test of competence to drive andsafety.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Train inspectors in oral test and implement. BRTA Dec 20012. Develop oral multiple choice test based on manual. BRTA Mar 20023. Develop practical test for all classes of driving licence BRTA Mar 20024. Develop sustainable training programme for driver testing BRTA Jun 20025. Develop test for driving instructors BRTA Jun 2002

6. Train inspectors in instructor testing and implement test BRTA Beyond Jun2002

4. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

In the long term, BRTA needs to examine the practicalities of establishing a Training Institute forDrivers, Instructors and Driving Examiners also redesign driver training and testing procedures.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Feasibility study for the establishment of a Training Institute for Drivers, Instructorsand Examiners.

BRTA Jan 2002

2. Strategy for future driver training and testing devised BRTA Ongoing

30

2.7 Vehicle Safety

Problem

Substandard, often overloaded, vehicles use good quality roads that facilitate higher speeds.Vehicle condition is widely accepted in Bangladesh to contribute to the number and severity ofroad accidents. The current system is overloaded and requires considerable investment to ensurethat unroadworthy vehicles, especially those that carry passengers, are not used. The rules andstandards governing vehicle inspections are outdated (revised in 1984 but with few significantchanges) and require a complete review.

Enforcement of transport legislation continues to be a problem and requires a two prongedapproach to rectify, with both the Police and the BRTA playing a regular and active part. Whileannual vehicle fitness inspections may be criticised for only ensuring vehicles are in fitcondition for one day each year, in theory, on the spot roadside checks have the potential tomaintain the concern for vehicle fitness year round. In practice, roadside checks are not beingused to their full potential.

Despite inspection forms and manuals having been produced under a recent aid project, littlepriority has gone into their use. While inspection monitoring procedures are thorough, no use ismade of the data nor concern shown over the unrealistically high pass rate. Vehicle inspection istreated perfunctorily and the minimal inspection procedures reflect this attitude.

It is clear that the demand for BRTA’s services, in terms of Vehicle Inspection, variesconsiderably throughout Bangladesh, with the highest volumes for both being at Dhaka andChittagong. The opening of the Vehicle Inspection Centres in these cities should be used as anopportunity to review their management structures in order to make them as effective andefficient as possible.

Objective

To improve the roadworthiness of vehicles using Bangladesh’s roads by ensuring thatminimum safety standards are met and to reduce the negative effects of transport on theenvironment, especially in terms of air pollution.

Progress

This sector has made little significant progress and is unlikely to do so without substantialsupport. Five computerised vehicle inspection stations have been built and equipped with theassistance of a loan from the ADB but the buildings are sub-standard and likely to causeproblems during the next monsoon. The equipment is also not appropriate to the needs ofBangladesh.

31

Action on Vehicle Safety

1. Organisation

In order to plan, manage and coordinate vehicle inspections at national and local levels theGovernment of Bangladesh requires a capable and effective BRTA. BRTA are responsible forraising the standards of vehicles on the roads of Bangladesh. In order to achieve this, there aresome organisational and administrative changes needed.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Review BRTA organisation in terms of vehicle inspections and agree changesrequired

BRTA Mar 2001

2. Prepare plan for reorganisation and submit for budgeting BRTA Mar 2001

3. Implement changes in BRTA organisation BRTA Jul 2001onwards

4. Appoint senior staff for new posts (if agreed) BRTA Jul 20015. Develop and implement training programme for BRTA staff BRTA Dec 2001

6. Produce monthly reports on vehicle testing for the GoB BRTA Jun 2001onwards

7. Produce annual reports on vehicle testing for the GoB and public BRTA Dec 2001onwards

2. Vehicle Inspections

Roadworthiness inspections are necessary to ensure that vehicle owners comply with legislation,especially in terms of safety. Vehicles must be maintained to a minimum standard and beinspected regularly (usually annually). It is also important to ensure that vehicle imported inBangladesh comply with the relevant safety standards. Whereas the BRTA is primarilyresponsible at present for undertaking the annual vehicle inspections, the Police also have animportant role in undertaking roadside checks, along with BRTA and large-scale improvementswill only be made when the Police are able to provide additional support in enforcing vehiclesafety.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing2.1 Annual Vehicle Inspections1. Review vehicle inspection and test procedures and agree changes BRTA Mar 20011. Define failure modes and standards for the inspection of all classes of vehicles BRTA Mar 20013. Prepare procedures for the inspection of all classes of vehicles, at all levels of teststation

BRTA Mar 2001

4. Obtain sets of basic test equipment for all field offices BRTA Jun 20015. Arrange and implement training for all vehicle inspectors BRTA Mar 20016. Make the five, recently installed, test and inspection stations operational BRTA Ongoing7. Determine policy for privatising inspection of small size private vehicles/privatisation of Vehicle Inspection Centres

BRTA Jun 2001

2.2 Roadside Inspections1. Determine policy and acquire basic facilities required for road side inspection BRTA/Police Jun 20022. Train staff including police officers in roadside inspections BRTA/Police Jun 2002

`3. Vehicle Registration

Improvements are urgently required to the computerised database system. The improvementsbelow are also relevant to the driver training and testing sector.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Transfer the vehicle registration database across to the VI database and prove the filetransfer system.

BRTA Dec 2001

2. Transfer all existing vehicle registration data to the new database. BRTA Jun 2002

32

4. Environmental impact of vehicles

As well as improving safety, improved vehicle inspections can be instrumental in improving airquality and reducing pollution by improving emissions testing. This is important in Bangladeshas a whole and especially in Dhaka where the bad air quality is having a detrimental effect onhealth.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Implement vehicle emission standards for routine and roadside testing BRTA Jul 20012. Adopt international (UN ECE) emission standards for new vehicles BRTA Jun 20013. Investigate the emissions from 2 stroke vehicles using new equipment at BRTA BRTA Jul 20014. Recommend strategy towards 2 stroke vehicles BRTA Dec 20015. Phase out 2 stroke engine 3 wheel vehicles from major cities MoC/BRTA Jun 20026. Liase with representatives of local, national and international agencies to encouragecommitment to road transport improvements

BRTA Ongoing

7. Understand effectiveness of transport management improvements through researchand refine environmental improvement programmes accordingly

BRTA Ongoing

5. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

Continue to improve vehicle design and testing standards and facilities as technology advances.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Feasibility study for the setting up of more vehicle inspection centres andprocurement of mobile vehicle inspection units.

BRTA Dec 2001

2. Feasibility study for setting up Transport Research Centre BRTA Dec 2001

33

2.8 Education and Publicity

Problem

To develop safe road user behaviour, children need to be taught skills rather than focusingsimply on rules, regulations and knowledge of traffic signs. To be effective, road safetyeducation requires a clear structure within a recognised curriculum with a planned, sustainedand coherent programme of learning, based on sound educational principles. This is still not thecase in Bangladesh.

In terms of road safety publicity for the general public, there is little activity. There is a need todevelop a long-term data-led publicity strategy with adequate funding or sponsorship.

Road safety education is a long-term intervention, aimed at developing positive attitudes inchildren such that they become safer road users in the future. Publicity is an indispensable partof any nation’s road safety strategy. It is most effective when used in combination withengineering and enforcement initiatives.

Objective

To implement road safety education and publicity programmes in order to improve theknowledge, attitudes and behaviour of all road users, through a combination of formaleducation, non-formal education, adult programmes and mass communication.

Progress

Since the publication of the National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan (1997 – 1999), there hasbeen a great deal of activity in this sector. Some of this is the result of donor agencies includingeducation and publicity in road schemes and additional initiatives have been developed andimplemented by local organisations. In addition, the Global Road Safety Partnership have begunimplementation of a Community Road Safety Improvement Project as one of its focus projects.Recent activities include:

• CAMPE devoted one issue of their newsletter entirely to road safety education;• The Directorate of Non Formal Education (DNFE) have included a chapter in their text book

for slum children and the Hard to Reach Programme;• LGED in Tangail have developed a road safety book for children, produced by CAMPE;• CAMPE have developed their own action plan for road safety for their member NGOs;• Bangladesh Betar Radio have offered free air time to BRTA;• NRSC Secretariat has appointed a local education and publicity advisor;• A major road safety campaign, targeting pedestrians, has been developed by the NRSC.

34

Action on Education and Publicity

1. Formal Education

Further and sustained activity in this area is required. There is still a need to developsupplementary road safety in line with the National curriculum. This requires development andproduction of teaching materials and trained teachers. The amount of road safety in thecurriculum does not have to, and in reality, cannot increase. However, the existing road safetylesson needs to be further reviewed to ensure that it is appropriate to the age group and that itfocuses on crossing skills. Once supplementary teaching materials have been developed andapproved by the National Curriculum Training Board, a programme of in-service and initialteacher training is required. The former could be undertaken by including road safety in sub-cluster training organised by the Ministry of Education.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Include appropriate road safety education in primary curriculum supplementarymaterials

PMED/NRSCS Dec 2001

2. Include road safety education in secondary curriculum supplementary materials DSE/NCTB/NRSCS

Jun 2002

3. In-service teacher training programme MOE 2002 onwards4. Designate a Traffic/ Road Safety Teacher in each School MOE 2002 onwards5. Develop Teacher’s guide MOE 2002 onwards6. Initial teacher training at PTIs MOE/PTIs 2002 onwards7. Establish Road Safety Cell in each Primary/ Secondary School MOE/PTIs 2002 onwards

2. Non-Formal Education

In addition hard-to-reach and children dropping out of the formal education system must betargeted through non-formal education, NGOs and other organisations. The Directorate of Non-Formal Education (DNFE) has already included a chapter on road safety in their textbook forslum children and Hard to Reach programme. This needs to be reviewed, and otheropportunities for inclusion identified. As with the formal education sector, the best approachmay be to develop supplementary materials.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Road safety included in non formal curricula DNFE/NGOs Dec 20012. NGO training programme for teachers DNFE/NGOs Jun 2002

3. Materials

It may be possible to adapt teaching materials in the short term from other countries (bearing inmind cultural differences). In the longer term, it will be necessary to develop and produce newmaterials, based on needs. This will generally be where there is a gap in provision that is notcovered by other organisations or projects.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Design and develop education materials MoE Jun 20022. NRSCS worksheets finalised/distributed NRSCS/DEOs/N

GOsJun 2002

3. Additional materials developed NRSCS/NGOs/DNFE/NCTB

Jun 2002

35

4. Community Programmes

The benefit of including road safety within existing programmes, for example, adult literacy isthat it ensures best use of limited resources. There is additional benefit as it gives an opportunityto disseminate safety messages to parents - a group that is often difficult to access. Theatre hasbeen used successfully in many countries to promote road safety. Bangladesh has a tradition ofdrama and puppetry and this can be used as a medium for getting road safety messages toappropriate groups. This approach is particularly useful to target community groups (especiallywhere literacy rates are low). Talks to interested groups, such as the Lions or the Rotary Clubcan be useful in order to raise awareness of road safety issues and to encourage them toundertake their own programme of activities.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Investigate community involvement opportunity BRTA/NRSC Jun 20012. Include road safety in adult literacy programmes DNFE/NGOs Jun 20023. Design and develop materials MoE/BRTA Jun 20024. WB Community Road Safety Improvement Project DRSC/NRSCS/

NGOsDec 2001

5. Talks to relevant groups NRSCS/DRSC/NGOs

Ongoing frommid 2000

5. Publicity

Advice also needs to be given to the general public via targeted publicity campaigns. Generalawareness raising of both organisations that can affect road safety, and of the general public areimportant to generate an understanding of the problems and to develop a climate of change.Articles in the media can cover accident and casualty data, NRSC activities and particular issuesof concern. Depending on availability of funding, at least one new National campaign should beorganised annually and should be based on data. Initially, emphasis should be placed onpedestrians and bus occupants. Once a master copy is available, reproduction of campaignmaterials can be achieved at relatively low cost. As well as National publicity campaigns, thereis a need to develop campaigns, based on local accident and casualty data and needs.

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. Design mass media program BRTA/NRSC/

PoliceJun 2001

2. Design and develop publicity materials BRTA/NRSC/Police

Jun 2001

3. New National campaigns (1 per year) BRTA/NRSCS/DRSC

Annual

4. Repeat National campaigns (1 per year) BRTA/NRSCS/DRSC

Annual

5. Local publicity campaigns NRSCS/DRSC Annual

6. Training of NRSCS Staff

In order to meet the responsibilities and targets and to become a centre of excellence for roadsafety education and publicity, staff based in the NRSCS will require adequate training. Iftechnical assistance to the Secretariat is forthcoming, from whichever source, the foreignconsultants should be encouraged to undertake training of local staff. Project activities can beused as demonstration projects. Best practice in education and publicity must be followed toensure that local staff are aware of the main issues. There are also various options for overseastraining. Possibilities exist, for example, for attendance at a two-week training course combinedwith placement with a local authority road safety section.

36

2.9 MEDICAL SERVICES

PROBLEM

Lack of first aid and prompt transportation contribute to what medical professionals call the`second accident’, where injury severity is worsened for lack of proper care and quick transportservices. A collection is often required before a driver will transport the injured. While majorhospitals have ambulances, they are primarily used for non-emergency situation and rarely ifever attend a road accident scene. In addition, hospital facilities and rehabilitation services leavemuch to be desired.

Road accident victims account for the vast majority of beds at the Rehabilitation InstituteHospital for the Disabled (RIHD) in Dhaka. RIHD was estimated treating 13,000 road trafficaccident casualties in 1996 with an in-patient admission rate of 37%. An equivalent number isexpected to be treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital although police reported figuresindicate the nation-wide casualty rate at approximately one-tenth of those treated at RIHD andDMCH. Despite the readily available proof that road accidents are affecting a great many morethan is being reported, the Hospitals have not pooled their data or made much effort to broadcasttheir findings.

In Bangladesh, where less than Taka 115.00 is spent on health care per capita per annum, roadaccidents have added greatly to the demand for medical services. The need for orthopaedicsurgeons and orthopaedic beds have grown with road accidents and Bangladesh has only halfthe recommended number of orthopaedic beds at present.

OBJECTIVE

To improve the emergency assistance, treatment, hospital care and rehabilitation availablefor road traffic accident victims in addition to having the medical professionals activelypromote road safety and help identify the true incidence of road accident casualties.

PROGRESS

The medical sector had been more actively involved in road safety several years back with aWHO funded programme that trained casualty doctors in road traffic accident victimmanagement care as well as bus conductors and assistants in first aid care. While individualdoctors have occasionally published research on road accident casualties or typical injuries, i.e.sideswipe injuries, little organised effort has occurred on the part of the medical sector.

This is beginning to change with the RIHD Director being a guest speaker at the InternationalSeminar on Road Safety in Dhaka last year and the Technical Working Group on Treatment andRehabilitation was very active in developing recommendations for the Strategic Action Plan. Itis also apparent that the medical professionals are realising the pivotal role they can assume inthe road safety struggle as it is only through the hospitals that a realistic estimate of roadaccident casualties be conducted and the severity of the road safety crisis acknowledged.

37

ACTION on MEDICAL SERVICES 2.9

1. FIRST AIDInitial at-scene first aid care can contribute greatly to reducing morbidity and injury severity byensuring the casualty is kept breathing, bleeding reduced and shock controlled. To improve at-scene first aid care, it is necessary to introduce:

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1. First Aid training for Police and commercial vehicle drivers MoH/Police/

BRTAJun 2001

2. RTA casualty training for graduate doctors and para-medics MoH Dec 20013. First Aid lessons in schools and colleges MoH/ MoE Jan 2002

First Aid Training for Police and Commercial Vehicle DriversFirst Aid Lessons in SchoolRTA Casualty Training for Graduate and Village Doctors

2. TRANSPORT OF THE INJUREDThe first and most critical hour after injury is called the `Golden Hour’. At present, theambulance systems are incapable of providing fast and qualified care to road accident casualties.Transport time needs to be minimised and this involves:

Auto Rickshaws/Tempos Required by License to Transport RTA CasualtiesTraffic Police Vehicles Equipped with First Aid Supplies‘Golden Hour’ Publicity CampaignNGO Provided Ambulance ServicesRoadside Fuel Stations Required to Have First Aid & Communication Facilities

Minimum Output Lead Agent TimingTraffic Police vehicles equipped with first aid supplies Police Jun 2001“Golden hour” publicity campaign initiated BRTA/NRSCS Jun 2001

3. HOSPITAL DATAThe official police reported statistics underestimate the true toll of road accidents. Hospitalsurveys of the number of RTA casualties indicate a much higher human toll to be occurring. Todocument the true loss due to road accidents and the resulting medical burden:All Major Hospitals Required to List and Report RTA CasualtiesHospital Reported Figures to be Used in Publicity Campaigns

Minimum Output Lead Agent Timing1.Hospitals regularly maintain RTA casualty records. MoH On going2. System developed to cross check RTA casualty figures from Police sources andhospital sources.

MoH/Police/NRSCS

Jan 2002

3. RTA casualty figures published annually NRSCS Mar 2002

38

4. TRAUMA CENTRESCentres of trauma treatment excellence have been proposed in the light of growing number ofinjuries, especially road accidents. In the short term, existing resources must be strengthenedwith training while the long term strategy recommends:

Primary Trauma Centres at Every 70 km Along Major HighwaysSecondary Trauma Centres at Every Medical CollegeCentral Trauma Centres in Major Cities.

Minimum Output Lead Agent TimingEstablishment of primary trauma centres at every 70 km along major highways MoH 2002 onwardsEstablishment of secondary trauma centres at all Medical college hospitals MoH 2002 onwardsEstablishment of central trauma centres in major cities MoH Beyond 2002

5. ROAD SAFETY HEALTH AWARENESSThe medical sector need not be restricted to a post-accident curative role as doctors can play astrategic role in highlighting the growing burden of road accidents and thus strengthen accidentprevention efforts. The first step in incorporating the medical professionals will be a:

Road Safety and the Medical Sector SeminarMinimum output Lead Agent Timing

Hold road safety and medical sector seminar BRTA/ MoH Jan 2002Forward recommendations of the seminar to the concerned Government departments BRTA Jun 2002Follow up implementation of the recommendations BRTA/NRSCS As required

39

Section 3

Appendices

Apppendix A

Composition of the National Road Safety Council

40

RRMP2: Institutional Development ComponentDriver Training and Testing in Bangladesh

1

Driver Training and Testing in Bangladesh

by

Garnet MarshallTransport Research Laboratory

Prepared for: Institutional Development Component of RRMP2.

Customer: WSP International Ltd.

This is an unpublished report prepared for WSP International Ltd. and must not be referred to in anypublication without the permission of TRL or of WSP. The report was prepared by Garmet Marshalland the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of TRL or of WSP. ©Copyright Transport Research Laboratory, 1998. All rights reserved. Transport Research Laboratory isthe trading name of the Transport Research Foundation [a company limited by guarantee].


2

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................1

2 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................2

2.1 BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................................................... 22.2 STRUCTURE OF REPORT ................................................................................................................................... 2

3 TERMS OF REFERENCE.....................................................................................................................................4

4 CURRENT SITUATION IN BANGLADESH....................................................................................................5

4.1 OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................................................ 54.2 BRTA ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE .......................................................................... 5

4.2.1 Driving Inspectors/Vehicle Fitness Inspectors.....................................................................................54.2.2 BRTA Activities...........................................................................................................................................6

4.3 THE BANGLADESH DRIVING LICENCE ............................................................................................................. 64.3.1 Applying for a licence...............................................................................................................................64.3.2 Drivers outside the system.....................................................................................................................7

4.4 DRIVING TESTS.................................................................................................................................................... 74.4.1 Driving Test Review: Content and Procedures....................................................................................84.4.2 The Written Test..........................................................................................................................................84.4.3 Oral Test ......................................................................................................................................................94.4.4 The off-road Practical Tests...................................................................................................................104.4.5 The on-road Practical Test ....................................................................................................................12

4.5 THE BANGLADESH DRIVER TRAINING INDUSTRY ....................................................................................... 134.5.1 Driving Instructors ..................................................................................................................................134.5.2 Driving Schools........................................................................................................................................134.5.3 Driving school vehicles ..........................................................................................................................134.5.4 Industry Standards..................................................................................................................................13

5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...........................................................................................14

5.1 GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ................................................................................................................................. 145.2 BRTA ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE ........................................................................ 14

5.2.1. Driving Inspectors ..................................................................................................................................145.2.2 BRTA Activities.........................................................................................................................................16

5.3 THE BANGLADESH DRIVING LICENCE ........................................................................................................... 175.3.1 Licence terms and conditions................................................................................................................175.3.2 Drivers outside the system......................................................................................................................19

5.4 DRIVING TESTS.................................................................................................................................................. 195.4.1 Testing and Administrative Procedures ..............................................................................................195.4.2 A Written Test............................................................................................................................................205.4.3 Oral Test ....................................................................................................................................................215.4.4 Off-road Practical Test............................................................................................................................215.4.5 The on-road Practical Test ....................................................................................................................225.4.6 Manpower considerations .....................................................................................................................22

5.5 REGISTERING AND APPROVING DRIVING INSTRUCTORS............................................................................ 235.5.1 Setting standards.....................................................................................................................................235.5.2 Instructor Communication networks ...................................................................................................245.5.3 Registration and Testing........................................................................................................................245.5.4 Implementation.........................................................................................................................................24

5.6 END NOTE: 'THE NEXT ROAD SAFETY STEPS'.............................................................................................. 26

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................................27

TECHNICAL NOTES

TECHNICAL NOTE 1: RECOMMENDED SYLLABUS FOR DRIVING EXAMINERSTECHNICAL NOTE 2: RECOMMENDED SYLLABUS FOR NON-PROFESSIONAL [LEARNER] DRIVERSTECHNICAL NOTE 3: ADDITIONAL SYLLABUS FOR PROFESSIONAL [BUS] DRIVERSTECHNICAL NOTE 4: DRIVING TEST PROCEDURES AND ASSESSMENT FORMS


3

TECHNICAL NOTE 5: RECOMMENDED SYLLABUS FOR DRIVING INSTRUCTORS

ANNEXES

ANNEX A: FUNCTIONS OF BANGLADESH ROAD TRANSPORT AUTHORITY (BRTA)ANNEX B: SAMPLE BRTA WRITTEN EXAM PAPERANNEX C: LOGFRAME - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE INPUTANNEX D: TERMS OF REFERENCE - EXAMINER TRAININGANNEX E: SUGGESTED LEGISLATION MODIFICATIONSANNEX F: ON-ROAD TEST ROUTE FOR DHAKAANNEX G: REFERENCESANNEX H: SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS


1

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Effective Driver Training and Testing regimes are now recognised in most parts ofthe world as a means of achieving a long-term reduction in accident statistics. Thisreport outlines the work carried out to improve the Driver Training and Testingcapabilities in Bangladesh as part of the Institutional Development Component [IDC]under the Second Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project [RRMP2]. The termsof reference state that this project will be undertaken as one input split into two visits.These were carried out during the months of February/March and May/June 1998.

The way in which driver testing is conducted in Bangladesh is described in detail, withthe strengths and weaknesses outlined. Where appropriate, new procedures are setout in the form of Technical Notes. The roles of the various organisations concernedand the processes whereby they can interact more effectively are covered. Particularattention in this respect is given to strengthening communications between theBangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA], the general public and drivinginstructors.

Achieving an effective driver training and testing regime is an important part of theNational Road Safety Strategic Action Plan. In order to be able to do this BRTA willhave to increase the number of driving inspectors. However, it has the power tofinance its activities through the revenue it generates from test fees. Particularattention is paid to how BRTA should cost and budget for the increases.

The report includes training syllabuses for new drivers, bus drivers, driving instructorsand driving inspectors. In addition a number of recommendations are made aimed atestablishing a high level of expertise [through training], within the BRTA. Theseinclude the establishment of a 'driving inspector' training school and implementation of'quality control' systems.

Finally, there is a section devoted to the way forward with regard to registering andtesting driving instructors.


2

2 INTRODUCTION

2.1 Background

The UK department for International Development [DFID], funds theInstitutional Development Component [IDC2], of the Second RoadRehabilitation and Maintenance Project [RRMP2]. Included in IDC2 are anumber of ‘short term’ road safety inputs that arose as a consequence of areport1 on the state of road safety in Bangladesh.

Published statistics in 1996 suggest that Bangladesh has a fatality rate of 47deaths per 10,000 registered motor vehicles, this is some 25 times higher thanmost industrialised countries and the second highest in Asia. Also, it is awidely held view that a significant number of accidents and casualties gounreported, so this figure is likely to be an underestimate. With vehiclegrowth in Bangladesh estimated to be in the region of eight per cent perannum the authors of the report felt it was time to take action. Amongst theareas highlighted for special attention were;

• Road safety engineering• Vehicle safety and inspections• Driver training, driver testing• Children’s road safety education• Road safety publicity• Accident data analysis• Accident costing• Legislation and enforcement.

A draft National Road Safety Action Plan [incorporating the abovecomponents], was written and presented through the National Road SafetyCouncil [NRSC], in February 1997. A final version2 was produced in latesummer of the same year. Section 2.6 pages 27 to 28 of the document setsout the problems, the objectives and the actions required to improve the DriverTraining and Testing procedures in Bangladesh. The ‘terms of reference’that emulated from these considerations are set out in section 2 of this finalreport.

A newly formed Secretariat, whose offices are based at the Headquarters ofthe Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA], in Dhaka is charged withco-ordinating the various inputs to this RRMP2 project.

2.2 Structure of report

Following on from this introduction the report has two main sections, (1) TheCurrent Situation and (2) Conclusions and Recommendations.

1 Aeron-Thomas, A. Elliott, G. (1996) Road Safety in Bangladesh, Final Report by TRL. IDC Project 19962 National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan Jul’ 97 - Jun’ 99


3

The ‘current situation’ summarises how driver training and testing is done, byfocusing on the administrative and operational systems, the people and theresources deployed.

The ‘conclusion and recommendation’ section points a way forward for theimprovements that must be made to the current systems. Also in this sectionare some suggestions for the “next road safety step”.

Although not part of the ‘terms of reference’ the consultant thought itappropriate to include a critique on the issuing, the re-issuing and the format ofthe Bangladesh driving licence. There are resource and securityimprovements to consider and these are intrinsically linked to the changes thatare being proposed to the testing regime.


4

3 TERMS OF REFERENCE

Driver Training and Testing Specialist

Location: Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA]Reporting to: BRTA ChairmanObjective: To improve the driver training and testing capabilities.

Revise the driver testing process to produce a better more consistent method of evaluating driving standards.

Role and Tasks

1. Review current driving examination process, (written viva, on-road andoff-road) for all licence categories.

2. Evaluate the skills and general knowledge of driving examiners.3. Produce a training syllabus for driving examiners4. Assist BRTA to design new driving examinations with set routes and

required procedures.5. Develop simple driving test assessment forms and produce a syllabus for

learner drivers.6. Produce a training syllabus for Driving Instructors. Draw up a schedule for

training and regulating driving instructors.7. Assist BRTA to develop monitoring indicators.8. Produce a final report identifying desired role of the driving examination

and the required manpower, training, financial resources, relevantperformance targets and appropriate monitoring indicators. Functionalresponsibilities are to be clarified along with the “next road safety step”.

9. Provide lists of key reference and contact names and addresses ofrelevant organisations and training courses.

10. Specify any legislation modifications required by new examinationprocedures.

11. Outline necessary steps involved in regulating the driver training industry.12. Provide a seminar on work undertaken and recommendations for

promoting safe driving practices.

Milestone Achievements:

• Syllabus for training driving examiners, instructors and learner drivers.• Draft driving examination procedures• Report• Seminar

Timing of Input:8 weeks divided into two visits

Counterpart from Government:Mr Mustafizur Rahman, Asst., Director (Engg) BRTA (Mirpur) Dhaka.


5

4 CURRENT SITUATION IN BANGLADESH

4.1 Overview

The BRTA holds centre stage in all significant road safety matters relating tovehicles, drivers and pedestrians. Amongst other things it is charged withconducting tests, licensing all drivers and monitoring the activities of drivinginstructors.

The number of driving tests recorded has almost doubled since the 23118conducted in 1991/92. The number of driving inspectors has remained aboutthe same at between 45 to 49.

BRTA is legally responsible for licensing driving instructors and registeringdriving schools. However, these regulations are not enforced so the numberof driving instructors operating is impossible estimate.

Published statistics3 suggest that road deaths and injuries involving buses aresignificantly higher than others forms of transport.

Traffic Police Office claim the number of fake driving licences in circulationis probably between 70 to 90 percent.

4.2 BRTA Organisation and Management Structure

Created by statute in 1987 the BRTA has it’s Headquarters in Dhaka fromwhere it oversees the operations and administration of eighteen RegionalTesting Stations, which are situated in the ‘greater’ districts and 36 so-calledzonal offices, each comprising of smaller districts. A Chairman, a directorand two deputy directors head the top management team. Two assistantdirectors are also based at headquarters plus a number of support staff.Eighteen assistant directors, based at each of the regional testing stationsoversee the driver testing and vehicle fitness inspections. Assistant directorshave a university degree in engineering. It is to these people that thedriving/vehicle inspectors report. Their roles as vehicle fitness inspectors arecovered in an accompanying report4 on Vehicle Safety and Roadworthiness.

4.2.1 Driving Inspectors/Vehicle Fitness Inspectors

Driving inspectors/vehicle fitness inspectors are qualified to diploma level inengineering. They receive no specific training in driver competency testing.What they have learned has been picked up as they have gone along. Thishas resulted in a wide variation in knowledge and skills. The consultant alsolearned that at the time of their appointment to the role many had none or verylittle driving experience.

3 DMP. Traffic Accident Analysis Annual Report 1996, Figure 84 Pearce, T. Vehicle Safety and Roadworthiness in Bangladesh. An unpublished report by TRL, March 1998


6

4.2.2 BRTA Activities

The functions and responsibilities are set out in a document, which is believedto have been conceived at the time the BRTA was established in 1987. It isan extensive list and is reproduced here, verbatim as Annex A. Issuingdriving licences, conducting driving tests, supervising driving instructors anddriving schools are all clearly defined as major activities. [As are vehicleinspections, and registrations, accident investigation and the issuing of routepermits to public service vehicles.] Table 1, below provides an overview ofthe numbers involved in all these activities.

Table 1: Statistics of Different Types of Work Performed by BRTA inDifferent Financial Years

SI No Description 91/92 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/971 No. Of fitness certificates

issued70109 80472 96192 10346

2110175 11337

32 No of registrations 19444 17941 23567 30829 41305 365453 No of driving licences 10103 8406 15329 11525 13137 169954 No of conductor licences issued 425 727 796 387 609 5095 Inspections of accident

vehicles2980 3109 3950 4020 4069 3922

6 Repair of GOB* vehicles 2163 1065 3616 3058 3418 31937 No. of route permits issued 9716 15171 22230 22660 25057 225838 No. Of inter Dist route

permits issued1016 1064 1518 1538 1629 2107

9 Learner driving licence issued 25946 22755 37806 35185 3651856

46374

10 No. Of driving tests 23118 20235 35035 55378 56880 7775611 No. Of Road Vehicles 30516

332293

933701

236764

1408253 44406

8

Reproduced with the permission of BRTA

4.3 The Bangladesh Driving Licence

Current regulations5 specify that there are three types of licence in force. Alearner licence an ordinary or ‘non-professional’ licence, required by alldrivers of light motor vehicles and a ‘professional’ licence for driver’s ofmedium sized and larger goods vehicles, this one also covers public servicevehicles. Apart from vehicle size the main distinction between these licencetypes as that the first two exclude the holder from driving a vehicle forpayment or reward of any kind.

The minimum driving ages are eighteen, absolutely for learner and non-professional and twenty for most types of professional driving licence.

4.3.1 Applying for a licence

5 Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1983 (MVO), Chapter II - Licensing of Drivers of Motor Vehicles.


7

A licence is issued subject to payment of correct fees and minimumrequirements6. The fees are paid to the post office, licences are issued by theBRTA. A learner’s licence is valid for three months during which time theapplicant will be summoned to appear before a driving test competencyboard7. Non-professional licences are normally valid for twelve months.However, it is possible on payment of the correct fee for this licence to bevalid for three years. All licences must be renewed on expiry. In additionprofessional licence holders should take a re-test every three years.

4.3.2 Drivers outside the system

Fake licences are an endemic feature in Bangladesh. This is in spite of theneed for all licences to include a photograph of the holder and time consumingadministration systems.

A written driving test [introduced in 1993], has single handedly managed toexclude a large percentage of potential drivers [who are illiterate], from thetesting process. This in turn has lead to an explosive increase in the numberof fake driving licenses in circulation. Consequently, a significant number ofdrivers have never been tested on their competence to drive any type ofvehicle.

4.4 Driving Tests

According to the regulations8 there has to be four parts [see Table 2] to thetest, each must be taken and passed in sequential order. These are commonfor all types of licence

Table 2: Driving Test Components

Written Test Oral Test Off-road Manoeuvres On- road driving

Two testing stations were visited by the consultant they were chosen becausetogether they represent sixty percent of the total workload for Bangladesh.

Mirpur Testing Station, Dhaka Metropolitan AreaThe testing station at Mirpur in Dhaka operates in a different way to the restof the country, both in terms of the facilities available for testing drivers andhow the work is allocated. It has an examination room for written and oraltests and an area set aside for off-road manoeuvring tests. On-road tests areconducted on an adjacent stretch of road.

Table 3: Test booking schedules for Mirpur Testing Station

6 The Bangladesh Gazette, Extra, July 7, 1984. Chapter II - Licensing of Drivers of Motor Vehicles.7 The Bangladesh Gazette, Extra, July 7, 1984. Chapter II, rule 6 in particular, refers to the ‘driving competency testboard’..8 Bangladesh Gazette, Extra, July 7, 1984. Chapter II - Licensing of Drivers of Motor Vehicles.


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Days Activities Licence TypesThursday Written Test For all typesFriday HolidaySaturday HolidaySunday Oral Test Non-professionalMonday Off-road tests + On-road tests Non-professionalTuesday Oral tests ProfessionalWedneday Off-road tests + On-road tests Professional

There are four driving inspectors, four vehicle fitness/accident inspectors andfour vehicle registration officials at Mirpur, Dhaka. Elsewhere in the countrythe work is organised differently and allocated to inspectors who have a multi-purpose role.

Chittagong DivisionAt the Chittagong testing station, a school room is hired for the written testand a sports stadium is used when required for the off-road test. No on-roadtests are carried out.

In the review that follows there is no attempt to criticise the behaviour of anyBRTA staff or members of the general public. The consultant acknowledgesthat manpower shortages, lack of training and poor facilities make itimpossible to apply the regulations in any effective way.

4.4.1 Driving Test Review: Content and Procedures

The basic ‘content’ for all non-professional and professional tests is thesame. The Bangladesh Gazette, referred to earlier sets out some additionaltesting requirements [under rule 7], for candidates taking professional tests.These are set for those wishing to be qualified to drive heavy vehicles andpublic service vehicles.

Very few of these professional tests have been conducted on vehicles otherthan small to medium sized cars. The consultant could find no evidence ofany being done in the past year or so. Also, it must be noted that theinspectors were very vague about how they could translate the provisions ofrule 7 into practice.

The review that follows is set out as an introduction, a list of bullet points anda summary. There is some repetition in the text, but this is necessary in orderthat an in-depth account be presented.

4.4.2 The Written Test

IntroductionThis consists of nine questions [seven of the multiple choice type and tworequiring written answers] and was introduced in 1993. A copy of the Englishversion of the paper is reproduced as Annex (B) Up to as many as 200people, perhaps more will turn up on the day. Candidates are given the resultson the day


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• There are three question papers in use, one is provided in English forforeigners. Taking into account any meanings lost or altered due to theEnglish translation the questions are of very poor quality in bothconstruction and content.

• Ambiguities abound and this leads to a wide variation in the awarding of

marks and the inevitable protestations from candidates who feel they oughtto have done better.

• The time allocated to complete the paper is fifteen minutes, most peopletake far less then this

• The candidates then wait around in the immediate vicinity for their results.This can take some time depending on examiner workloads.

• Successful candidates will return to the same place, two days later to takethe oral test.

• If they wish to, unsuccessful candidates will pay another fee and be givena date to return, depending on numbers, this could take some weeks.

• In all cases the signature of the examiner, together with the date and resultare written on the front of the licence. This is required as proof beforefurther processing can be started.

Summary:The general public have free access to the offices and it is difficult todistinguish between those who are there to take the test and those who havemerely come along to watch. Some of these people maybe friends andrelatives of candidates there to intercede on their behalf. This adds to thegeneral confusion and noise puts great strain on the examiners. Cheating is arelatively easy option in this sort of environment.

It will be proposed that this component of the test be suspended andreplaced with a more comprehensive oral test.

4.4.3 Oral Test

Introduction

This test is conducted by the examiners on a one to one basis. They firstcheck the candidate’s licence for identity and that the result [a pass] for thewritten test is marked on it.

• Candidates are asked to identify a selected number of road markings andsigns used by traffic control officers. A question on driving procedure,such as overtaking may also be asked.


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• The questions can be phrased in Bengali or English, according to candidatepreference. Notwithstanding any meaning lost or altered due to thetranslation the questions are of very poor quality in both construction andcontent.

• Ambiguities abound and this leads to the inevitable protestations fromcandidates who’s answers are deemed unacceptable by the examiner.

• The whole process takes about four minutes if there are no problems,much longer if an argument ensues.

• Candidates are told the result there and then.

• Successful candidates will return to the testing station on another day forthe off-road test.


• In all cases the signature of the examiner, together with the date and resultare written on the front of the licence. This is required as proof beforefurther processing can be started.

SummaryThere are some obvious deficiencies and limitations with this test, but, withbetter questioning techniques and a strict observance of criteria this test couldbe made more rigorous and valid.

A longer oral test with a wider question base will be proposed.

4.4.4 The off-road Practical Tests

IntroductionThis component of the test is split into two parts, these are colloquially knownas the;

Two examiners are assigned to this component, one to conduct the zigzag testthe other to conduct the ramp test. For both parts drivers sit alone in theirvehicles and await the instructions of the examiners.

Zigzag test• On an audible signal from the examiner [who sits in a elevated position to

the rear of the vehicle] the candidate is required to drive forward and

The zigzag test This is designed to test the manoeuvring capabilities of drivers

The ramp test This is designed to test the co-ordination and clutch control of drivers


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negotiate a set of posts placed in a zigzag formation without touching anyof them and stop at a designated point.

• The candidate is then required to reverse in the same direction, againwithout touching a post.

• Touching or knocking down a post will result in failure and termination ofthe whole of this part of the test. [Two attempts are allowed for thereversing manoeuvre].

• The result is written [in both Bengali and English] on the front of thelicence. This is required as proof by the second examiner before thecandidate is permitted to attempt the ramp test.


• Successful candidates then go forward [sometimes in a different vehicle]

to take the ramp test.

Ramp test• The candidate is asked to bring the vehicle to a halt on the incline of the

ramp.

• At a signal from the examiner the candidate is required to move away,without any visible signs of the vehicle rolling backward.

• Rolling back will result in failure and the need to take the ramp test again.

• The candidate is then expected to drive off the ramp under control, stopand await adjudication by the examiner. This may be after he has had toobserve a number of ramp tests.

• Successful candidates will be assigned to one of the other examiners whowill conduct the on-road test.


SummaryThe procedures in place to deal with the execution and results of the zigzagand ramp test are haphazard and time consuming for both candidates andexaminers. In addition the general public have free access to the testing sites.It was clear to the consultant that some of these people were drivinginstructors, friends or relatives of the candidates, there to shout instructions orto make protestations with the examiner on their behalf. This tended to add tothe general confusion and also seemed to be having a negative effect onexaminer performance.


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In spite of the procedural errors of this part of the testing process theconsultant concludes that this component has the potential [with atightening of criteria and procedure ] to achieve it’s aims.

4.4.5 The on-road Practical TestIntroductionThis final part of the test is carried out in the candidate’s own vehicle or oneprovided by a driving school. The examiner meets the candidate at thevehicle and after checking that the licence is endorsed with the signature anda pass result from of his colleague he proceeds with the test.

• The candidate is asked to drive off and proceed along a moderately busy‘dual carriageway’ type road for about 0.20 klms.

• At a break in the carriageway the examiner ‘instructs’ the candidate tomake a U-turn and proceed along the opposite carriageway.

• Somewhere along this stretch of road the candidate is instructed to pull inand park on the left and then to move off again.

• After another U-turn, prompted by the examiner, they return to the originalstarting point and the driving test is over.

• The whole test lasts approximately six minutes.

• The result is announced to the candidate there and then.

• On payment of the relevant fee successful candidates will be issued a fulllicence to drive by BRTA.


SummaryBecause of the relatively short distances involved the road speed of thevehicle does not exceed 40 klms per hour. It is not at all clear what constitutesa failure, neither is it clear what skills are being assessed, except perhaps theability to change gear and steer at the same time. The consultant concludedthat this test is wholly inadequate and is adding nothing to road safety.Indeed, it cannot be stressed too forcibly that it may even be counterproductive to this cause. The inference that the candidate gets about safedriving when taking this test is at best, too simplistic and at worst, dangerouslymisleading.

The learner driver syllabus accepted it will be proposed that [allowingfor reasonable time constraints], the test route be extended to covera wider range of road and traffic conditions.


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4.5 The Bangladesh Driver Training Industry

4.5.1 Driving Instructors

According to the regulations9 people giving driving tuition for hire or rewardmust have a valid driving instructors licence issued by the BRTA. Onceissued, licenses are valid for a lifetime unless surrendered by the holder orcancelled by the authority. A candidate for such a licence is required to takeand pass a rigid test to advanced driving standard. In practice very fewlicenses have ever been issued, BRTA estimate the number to be around 30.These licenses are of questionable value as a certificate of instructorcompetence because no advanced driving tests have ever been conducted.

4.5.2 Driving Schools

The same set of regulations apply to the schools of motoring. In addition toproprietors having to ensure that their instructors comply with the their ownregulations, there are extra requirements for classroom and teaching facilitiesthat have to be met. No schools have been registered.

4.5.3 Driving school vehicles

Many of the driving school cars have damaged dangerous body work andvital safety features such as mirrors, lights, indicators are broken or missing.In some of the vehicles inspected by the consultant it was impossible to adjustthe driver’s seat and one had a cracked windscreen that seriously impededthe driver’s vision.

4.5.4 Industry Standards

The problem of low standards within the driver training industry is selfevident. However simply trying to raise them through regulation has provento be ineffective. Communication between BRTA and the industry is poor.This has lead to a great deal of ignorance and confusion amongst drivinginstructors about what the examiner requires of the candidate on test.

9 The Bangladesh Gazette, Extra, July 7, 1984. Chapter II Issue of Instructor’s licence


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5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Government Support

Whilst there is a high level of awareness of the important role that acomprehensive test and structured driver training can play in road safety, thefollowing recommendations need to consider the resolve and resources thatcan be expected from the government.

5.2 BRTA Organisation and Management Structure

The infrastructure needed for an effective and efficient testing regime willeffect BRTA’s cost base quite considerably. The senior management teamare financially astute and will no doubt endeavour to recover these costs fromthe fees it will charge candidates. However it will need some initialinvestment in the short term in order to train and increase the numbers oftesting staff. Increases in test fees will rely very much on governmentsupport and resolve.

5.2.1. Driving Inspectors

Driving inspectors are chronically under-trained. However, for the most partwhat they lack in expertise they make up for in enthusiasm. Neverthelessthere is a real inherent fear among many that they will not be able to copewith car tests on public roads. At the heart of this is a fear of the unknown.Good training and supervision can go along way to helping them cope withwhat is by any standard a stressful job. Quality control procedures are alsoan essential requirement as they enable training and supervision to be focusedto where it is needed.

Training

BRTA will need to consider the setting up of an examiner training school,equipped with classroom facilities and vehicles. Initially these could probablybe rented. Table 4, sets out the main items to consider when planning such anestablishment.


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Table Four: Financial planning matrix for examiner training school

Equipment Fixed Costs Variable Costs Other expensesClassroom

1*Rent/rates/services Training Materials Consumables/

photo copiesetc.

Vehicles2*

Hire/tax/insurance/servicing

Fuel/tyres Accident repair

Trainers3*

Wages Out of pocketexpenses

Trainees12*

Wages Accommodation/Travel andsubsistence

Refreshmentsand meals

*As a general guide the average ratio of trainee to trainer would be four toone. A typical course structure would be split half classroom, half in-cartraining. A well planned and structured course could train twelve examinersper month using three trainers, two vehicles and one classroom.

Technical Assistance

Short focused inputs from an examiner training and testing expert will beneeded. The principle aim of the inputs will be to impart knowledge andexpertise, to a small core of specially selected existing inspectors. Thesepeople will then be charged with the responsibility of delivering training anddevelopment courses for current and new driving inspectors.

The proposed inputs will therefore have two main objectives;

• To raise the testing and training skills of a core number of drivingexaminers

• To assist BRTA in establishing a ‘centre of excellence’ for driver trainingand testing.

A LogFrame, together with the ‘terms of reference for such an input areincluded as Annexes C and D.

Inspector certification

According to the regulations only a 'driving test competency board' has theright to sanction a test pass. Originally set up to provide integrity to thesystem in reality it has proven to be ineffective. The time has come to look ata more practical way to establish probity in the system.

The consultant recommends that in its’ place and only on successfulcompletion of training, a Driving Inspector ‘certification scheme’ should beconsidered. An appeals procedure to cover allegations from candidates thattests have not been carried out fairly would be an integral part, as would asupervision and ‘quality control’ system.


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Supervision

Driver Inspectors should be subject to regular supervision by a seniorinspector. This not only serves as a ‘quality control’ mechanism, but alsoensures that individual assessments are being conducted according toregulations.

Quality control

The data from driving test marking sheets [see Technical Note Four] shouldbe scrutinised and recorded. This can be used to monitor the inspector’s passrates. Discrepancies from the 'norm' can be detected and enable additionalsupervision to be directed to where it is needed most.

It would be necessary to have at least one senior inspector for every thirtyinspectors. Their role would be to monitor examiners and their pass rates andto sit in on tests. The costs associated with senior inspectors should berecovered via the test fees.

In addition to regular supervision an inspector’s ‘terms and conditions’ ofemployment should forbid him from giving driving tuition or having anyfinancial connections with driving schools or instructors.

With all these safeguards in place and working it should be possible forDriving Inspectors to be certified by the highest appropriate level to conducttests on behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Recruiting Additional Examiners

BRTA has had a policy of insisting that potential driving inspectors have adiploma in engineering. In the consultant's experience good inspectors can berecruited from many backgrounds. However, in particular they must be;

- good communicators- of an even temperament- non-partisan- able to quickly write clear and concise reports

Whether there is a significant correlation between people with these skills andonly those with a diploma in engineering is questionable. BRTA's policy ofrecruitment should therefore be reviewed. Consideration should be given toretired armed forces or police personnel. This policy has a good track recordin many other countries. Technical Note 1 of this report gives a fuller accountof the skills and qualities required of inspectors.

5.2.2 BRTA Activities


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It is predicted that the numbers of motorised vehicles in Bangladesh willdouble over the next five years. The numbers of people wanting to learn todrive will probably shadow this increase. This puts BRTA in a strong positionfor generating extra revenue from this source. Provided, of course, that itsmethods of collection, its pricing structures and financial controls are properlyin place.

‘Cost Centre Management’

BRTA should consider managing its activities by assigning each one to aseparate cost centre. They could be split according to whether they generaterevenue or not. For instance, vehicle inspections do, accident investigationsdo not. The sources of revenue, whether from vehicle licensing/testing ordriver licensing/testing should also be differentiated, as should driving licence vdriving test revenue. This would enable the salaries, administration andtraining costs to be budgeted and fees for the different activities to be set on acost recovery basis more easily.

5.3 The Bangladesh Driving Licence

5.3.1 Licence terms and conditions

The rationalé for limiting the term of a learner licence to three months isbased on the assumption that the longer the term of the licence the greater therisk of the holder driving unaccompanied. Even if the risk is real, [and there isno evidence to support the assumption], this is a myopic view for the BTRAto adopt. Forcing the learner driver to prepare for a driving test in such a smalltime scale cannot be conducive to the acquisition of adequate driving skills andexperience.

Enforcement

If people drive unaccompanied on a learners licence it is a matter forenforcement and this is best left to the police, with BRTA playing anadministrative supporting role.

New style Licenses

BRTA plans to issue a new plastic licence, backed up by a computeriseddatabase within the next one to two years. The licence will be harder toforge. BRTA should now be taking the opportunity to review its policy on theterms and conditions of all licenses.

Learner Licence

The term for this licence should be increased to allow more time for thelearner to prepare for test. A period of two years would facilitate thisprocess. It would also simplify administration with the potential to reducecosts. Licence fees would have to be reviewed in order to make up anyshortfalls in revenue.


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Learner Licence Restrictions

Careful consideration should also be given to the conditions of issue. There isgeneral confusion amongst the public as to when a learner’s licence can beobtained. Some think its before passing the written/oral test some think it’safter. There is also confusion regarding whether a learner is restricted to alower speed limit and if so what it is.

Minimum requirements

Some countries state that before an applicant can obtain a learner’s licencehe/she must pass a theory test. Some issue licences subject to minimum ageand health requirements only. There has been no research to suggest thateither has a positive or negative effect on a person’s ability to drive safely inthe long run. Neither is there any data to prove that learner drivers who havepassed some kind of theoretical test have fewer accidents [while learning],than those who have not.

Good educational practice tends to suggest that ‘learning’ is facilitated byusing a wide range of stimuli, in both a theoretical and practical setting. In acountry like Bangladesh [where the literacy rate is quite low], it could beargued that it would be counter productive to restrict learner licenses to thosewho have passed a theory test. People without reading and writing skills maylearn more easily by ‘seeing’ and ‘doing’ things in the vehicle under closesupervision.

The consultant advises BRTA to issue a learner’s licence subject to age andsatisfactory health conditions only.

Driving speed restrictions

Some countries impose speed restrictions on learner drivers for a probationaryperiod. This usually includes the time spent learning and up to two years afterpassing the test. These are usually enforced by requiring drivers to display a‘P’ plate or similar on the vehicle. Research into the efficacy of suchschemes seems to suggest accident rates are low for ‘P’ plate drivers.However, it also shows that they soon catch up when the probationary periodexpires. Figure 1, shows how this accident rate profile would look with point(a) signifying a test pass with no probationary period and (b) the end of aprobationary period

Fig 1 Accident rate profile New Drivers

Accident rate

--------------------------------------------------------


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(a) (b)Years

The consultant advises BRTA to think carefully before placing speedrestrictions on learner drivers over and above those set for road and trafficconditions. They might like to consider the point that in order to drive safelyat speed a driver has to be trained and the best time to do this is under thesupervision of an instructor before the test is taken.

Syllabus for learning to drive

BRTA has an important role to play in informing drivers of theirresponsibilities, especially those just about to take to the road. The MVOstates that a syllabus for learning to drive should be issued with every newlicence. Also, it would help spread the safe driving message if it was tocirculate the syllabus to driving schools and driving instructors.

The consultant lists this as one of “the next road safety steps” thatBRTA should take.

5.3.2 Drivers outside the system

The problem of drivers with forged licenses will have to be tackle soonerrather than later. BRTA acknowledges this. The discussions the consultanthas had with the BRTA, the Police, driver's unions and fleet owners clearlyshow concern about this problem, but for different reasons, mostly founded onself interest. There are different views on how the problem should be tackledand a real fear that a heavy handed enforcement approach would be counterproductive and cause wide spread strikes.

Some country's have decided to give so-called 'grandfather rights' to drivers[fake licence holders included], who can prove that they have been drivingfor a given period. This sort of 'amnesty' may be the only way to bring alldrivers into the system. It would need careful planning and would have to beconditional but it could prove to be the lesser of two evils.

5.4 Driving Tests

5.4.1 Testing and Administrative Procedures

BRTA’s testing and monitoring systems tend to be too heavily focusedtowards meagre administrative tasks. These are carried out at the expense ofactually physically testing drivers. The accumulated time that the examinerspends in this pursuit, [face to face with the learner driver] is less than 30minutes, fifteen minutes of which is devoted to a wholly inadequate writtentest. An oral test and some off-road manoeuvres take up the bulk of the rest


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of the time. The on-road driving test, [the most crucial element] is allocated amere five minutes and is often not carried out at all.

The Desired Role of the Test

“is to ensure that a driver is able and knowledgeable enough to drive thevehicle safely on his or her own without supervision”

This statement accepted a driving test should be designed to test:

• Knowledge • Skill

• Behaviour (the application of knowledge and skill in a real life situation)

There is only one tried and tested way to do this:

• By asking questions that test knowledge and understanding

• By observing the driver in action in a range of situations

There are a number of variations amongst different countries in the way theydo this. The important thing to remember is that in order to gain publicsupport for a driving test it must be seen as fair and unbiased.

5.4.2 A Written Test

Designing and implementing a written test for potential drivers is an ambitioustask. Question banks need to be compiled, with each question checked forit’s validity in terms of content and comprehension. Papers have to be set withthe right balance of subjects to test overall knowledge effectively. Manyexperts say that papers should have at least 40 questions. The best type beingmultiple choice.

BRTA would not have to start from the beginning as it could simply buywritten tests from other countries and translate them into Bangla.

However in a country where well over 60% of the population are eitherilliterate or have very poor reading and writing skills one has to questionwhether a written test is appropriate at this time.

It was only as recent ago as 1996 that the UK introduced a written test, morethan sixty years after the introduction of the first test. Up until then theknowledge test was done orally by the examiner at the end of the driving test.

The consultant would not advocate that the Bangladesh test go back to this.The principle of testing theoretical knowledge first and practical skills secondis good and this should be maintained. However, the consultant recommends


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that this knowledge test in its current form be abolished and replaced with anlonger more structured oral test.

5.4.3 Oral Test

The UK experience showed that knowledge can be tested orally providedrigorous methods are used and standards are uniformed and maintained.Technical Note 4, has a draft oral test form containing twelve samplequestions covering the topics outlined in the MVO for non-professionaldrivers. The required pass mark for such a test should be initially set at 60%and reviewed regularly. Questions, tailored to test the extra and specificknowledge required of professional licence drivers [of Heavy vehicles andBuses], will replace some of the standard versions. Training in constructingand phrasing questions properly would be undertaken during the proposedtechnical assistance input.

When to Test

The oral test must come before the practical, but it could be conducted on thesame day. The judgement as to exactly when to test is an operational matterfor BRTA. But consideration must be given to the need to establish a 'formalbooking' system [for all parts of the test], where candidates can arrange tobook tests in advance and not just simply turn up on the day. Such a systemwould provide BRTA with the means of planning for the demand in advanceand deploying inspectors accordingly. A paper diary system, operated on alocal basis would suffice.

5.4.4 Off-road Practical Test

The current off-road 'zigzag' and 'ramp' test provides a sound basis fortesting car control but the procedures need to be improved.

There are three recommendations to consider, which are aimed atstandardising the test and giving more information to candidates andinstructors.

1. Access to testing sites must be restricted to candidates, examiners andinstructors only. Instructors are there to observe but not to take part inthe test. This will ensure a fair test, and improve the safety on the testingsites.

2. Technical Note 4 provides a marking sheet for the inspector to use which

doubles as certificate of pass or failure for the candidate. Using this formwill ensure that every test is carried out in the same way. It will alsoprovide data for quality control purposes. The candidate should be givena copy at the end of the test so that they can discuss the result with theirinstructor, this is particularly useful if they have failed.

3. Bangladesh's road building programme will signal the way for the onset

of more articulated trucks and larger buses to be used. An alternative, to


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the zigzag manoeuvre must be considered for drivers taking a professionaltest to drive such vehicles. It should focus on a driver's ability to reverseaccurately and safely. In most countries a reversing exercise into aspecially marked out limited space is used and has proven to be adequate.

5.4.5 The on-road Practical Test

While in a few countries, the whole test is still conducted off-road. In mostcountries an on-road test is now standard procedure because it is seen as theonly reliable way of assessing competence.

Bangladeshi roads are very congested and chaotic but this should not be usedas an excuse not to test on road. Consideration must be given to introducing auniversal on-road test sooner rather than later.

When testing on the road 'assessment forms' should be used to record faultsas they occur. A draft form, specially tailored for Bangladesh from the UKversion is included in Technical Note 4. Also in the note are instructions onhow to plan test routes. One suggested test route for Dhaka is included asAnnex F.

The frequency of tests is a policy decision, most countries test once andrenew licences every five or ten years. The MVO says that professionaldrivers should take a re-test every three years. The consultant concludesthat this is excessive and the benefits to road safety questionable as non-professional and professional tests are the same. Even with a harder testBRTA has limited resources and it would be better to deploy these in atargeted way by testing new drivers and re-testing persistent traffic offenders.

The number of tests that an examiner performs in one day is also a policydecision. The best practice seems to be between eight to ten, with ten theexception not the rule. The overriding consideration is the need to maintainexaminer effectiveness.

5.4.6 Manpower considerations

The simplest method for estimating the numbers of inspectors required is toassign approximate times to each element of the test. These times shouldinclude administration procedures, before and after, the time the inspectorspends testing, and the time it takes to get to and from the vehicle. Table fivebelow provides a template to work from.

Table Five: Approximate Test Timings

Test Approx., Duration in Minutes1. Oral Test and Administration = 152. Off-road practical Test and Administration = 15


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3. On-road practical Test and Administration = 45** On-road practical Lorry/Bus Test and Administration = 90

** Lorry and bus tests would be twice as long to in order that a longer testroute is covered.

When predicting the number of inspectors required it would be difficult toarrive at a concise figure in the first instance. The process has to be amixture of past experience and assumptions. In the case of the latter thesecan be refined by drawing on the experience of other counties. For instance,the UK's overall test pass rate for the on-road test has been around 48%since it was first introduced in 1935.

The four elements to consider are set out below in Table six

Table Six: Manpower planning matrix.

Number of Candidatesyear on year

Pass ratesby test

(this will dictate the number of test)Working days in a year(making allowances forabsence and sickness)

Working hours per day

In using the above matrix it is best to work out the numbers by individualtesting stations as the these will vary significantly. BRTA should considerestablishing a policy for setting and managing maximum waiting times. This isquite an effective way of smoothing out the number of inspectors required.The consultant suggests a maximum waiting time of twelve weeks.

5.5 Registering and Approving Driving Instructors

5.5.1 Setting standards

The Bangladesh driver training industry is very fragmented with no majorschools operating. Standards of teaching are very poor. It is not uncommonto see four pupils squeezed into the car, with the instructor holding the steeringwheel and controlling the vehicle from the passenger seat. Setting industrystandards in this kind of environment is not impossible but will take time.

A prerequisite for setting teaching standards for all driving instructors is topublish a government approved learner driver syllabus. Two are included inthis report as Technical Notes 2 and 3. Both are tailored to suit the currentroad and traffic conditions in Bangladesh but should be subject to constantreview and update.

Bus Drivers


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The inclusion of an additional syllabus for bus drivers is an attempt by theconsultant to help BRTA start to tackle the appalling bus accident rate byensuring that owners and drivers are not ignorant of their obligations.

Truck Drivers

The Transport Research Laboratory [TRL International] has produced aLorry Driver’s Syllabus that could easily be tailored for Bangladesh.

5.5.2 Instructor Communication networks

Poor communication is the enemy of progress. To date BRTA has little to nocontact with individual schools or instructors. A high profile launch of thesyllabuses would be an important milestone for changing this situation. Theconsultant recommends that BRTA consult with road safety publicity experts[via the secretariat's office] to plan such a launch.

Separate from this they should consider helping to organise a driving instructorassociation. The best examples of these in other countries are commerciallyrun and independent of government. Nevertheless, many of them were kickstarted by government in the first place. Once up and running they provideefficient communication channels.

5.5.3 Registration and Testing

Driving instructors and driving schools operate best in the private sector. Thisis because their success or failure is based on their ability to get people topass the test. Customers decide with their feet and this is good for pushing upstandards. As far as Bangladesh is concerned the weak link in this chainhas been the ineffective learner driver test.

Notwithstanding these points registering driving instructors is good forconsumer protection, as it provides for the use of sanctions against poorperformers. A register would need to have minimum entry standards.Instructors would have to take a special test. There would also have to be amechanism to exclude those who once registered fall below standard.

BRTA would have to run and control it, but in doing so it would have to beboth an educator as well as a policeman. A key requirement in this processwill be to publish a recommended syllabus for driving instructors , seeTechnical Note 5. There should then be a concerted effort to inform andeducate instructor so that they can prepare themselves for the regulations. Itwould be appropriate for BRTA to enlist the help of teaching professionalsand encourage the setting up of training courses for driving instructors.

5.5.4 Implementation

To conclude the steps required to regulate the industry are best described asincremental and they are as follows;


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Step 1. Publish the Learner Driver Syllabus

Step 2. Introduce a universal on road 'L' test.

Step 3. Publish an approved driving instructor training syllabus.

Step 4. Announce the introduction of a register and driving instructor examinations, with, perhaps a two year time scale for existing instructors to qualify in. They would, however, have to register within a short time period to gain this sanction.

Step 5. Facilitate the setting up of a driving instructor training association, this may require financial and or administrative support.

Step 6. Train selected driving examiners in the skills required to conduct theexaminations.

Step 7. Introduce the examinations for all existing and new instructors, and a ‘check test’ system for periodic inspections. Instructors would have to satisfy the examiner during these inspections of their continued ability to teach driving to a high standard.


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5.6 End Note: 'The next Road safety steps'

The consultant concludes that the production of a 'learner driver's manual' should beconsidered, but not yet. There three reasons for delaying it.

• The speed of the road building programme is not being matched with theintroduction of uniformed traffic signals and road markings. The manual wouldobviously promote safe driving and the obedience to road signs and markingswould be a continuous theme. Red traffic lights are ignored, usually at theinstruction of traffic policemen, who in fairness are trying to maintain traffic flow.It would be pointless to produce a comprehensive manual that contained pictures,rules, and advice that simple could not be adhered to.

Instead, the consultant suggests that fact sheets on different driving topics beissued, they could be produced cheaply and given to learner andexperienced drivers as part of a wider road safety campaign.


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6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

People Consulted.

The consultant gratefully acknowledges the help and co-operation of thefollowing persons. Apologies are extended to those inadvertently missed outfrom this list. Any mistake or omissions in the text are of course theresponsibility of the consultant alone.

• Abdul Rab - Asst Dir Eng BRTA• Abdul Alam Bhuiyan - World Bank Consultant and Project Co-ordinator• Abdul Jalil - ADDL DC (Traffic Police)• Ali Yakub - General Secretary Truck drivers and helpers union• A.T.M. Zalaluddin - Inspector of Motor Vehicles, BRTA• Graham Elliot - Accident Data Specialist• Inam Ahmed - Reporter Daily Star• Jahur Ahmed - General Secretary Vehicle Owners Assoc.• John Neades - Enforcement Specialist• K.B. Deb - Driving Instructor, Shyamoli Ideal Technical College• Kazi Lutfor Rahman- Asst Director (Engg) BRTA Chittagong• MOHD Amanullah Choudhury - Director (ENGG) BRTA• MD Mostafizur Rahman - Asst Dir Eng BRTA• M.A. Wadud Akhand - M.V. Inspector, BRTA• MD. SHAHIDULLAH - M.V. Inspector, BRTA• MD. Wahiduzzaman - M.V Inspector, BRTA• MD. Sheikh Sahim - M.V. Inspector, BRTA• MD. Aminuzzaman Bhuiyan - M. Director, UNI Group of Companies• Mhd Oli - General Secretary Bus Drivers and helpers union• Rasul Nizam - Managing Director, National Brokers Limited• Roger Legassick - Road Safety Engineering Advisor

TECHNICAL NOTES


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Technical Note 1: Recommended Syllabus for Driving Examiners

The role that the Driving Examiner has to play in reducing accidents inBangladesh is a crucial one. It is his skill and diligence alone that will ensurethat only competent safe drivers are allowed to drive the motor vehicle, thatthe candidate is being tested on without the supervision of an experienceddriver. Candidates for test will come from many different sections of society.The examiner’s disposition must be characterised by his professionalapproach, his calm manner and his ability to communicate, effectively with allof them.

The syllabus lists the skills in which an examiner must attain a high degree ofcompetence in order to be certified that he is fit to undertake the role.

Therefore an examiner must

• Have a thorough knowledge of the rules, traffic signs, signals andregulations for driving in Bangladesh.

• Be able to demonstrate that he is a skilled and safe driver.

• Be able to express himself concisely, both orally and in writing.

1 Legal requirements

Driving Examiners and Potential Driving Examiners must;

a) be at least 26 years old and hold a professional licence, with no currentendorsements for any category of vehicle what so ever.

b) be able to comply with the requirements of the eyesight regulations asspecified in the Bangladesh Ordinance.

c) be medically fit to drive.d) be of good character with no criminal or civil convictions, either pending or

in force.e) not own or work in the driving tuition business or have any business or

monetary connections with driving schools, driving school proprietors ordriving instructors

f) be aware of the requirements to inform the BRTA of any reason whichcould undermine their ability to carry out their job effectively, or prejudicetheir own personal integrity or that of the BRTA.

2 Driving Skills

Good drivers do not always make good examiners, but good examiners willalways be good drivers. A driving examiner must therefore be able todemonstrate a high level of competence;

a. When using the controls, especially the


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- Accelerator- Foot brake- Hand brake- Clutch- Gears- Steering

b. Whilst driving the vehicle, especially when

- Moving off- Slowing down- Making normal stops- Turning right and left- Emerging at junctions and intersections- Manoeuvring the vehicle- Dealing with pedestrians and other road users- Dealing with road markings and signs

In addition to these requirements the examiner must be able to demonstratethat he is able to drive safely, at speed whilst obeying the regulations andtaking into account the prevailing conditions. He should also be able to bringthe vehicle to a stop, safely, in the event of an emergency.

3 Mechanical Knowledge

The examiner must

- Have a good understanding of how a car works.

- Know the need for regular maintenance.

- Be able to spot potentially dangerous faults on vehicles.

4 Interpersonal Skills

Potential driving examiners can be recruited from many backgrounds.However, in particular they must be;

- good communicators- of an even temperament- non-partisan- able to quickly write clear and concise reports

5 Additional Requirements

It is essential that driving examiners have a good understanding of driving, and vehicle licensing laws.

It is preferable that an examiner has experience of driving many types ofvehicles.


3

It is advantageous if the examiner can speak a foreign language.


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Technical Note 2: Recommended Syllabus for non-professional [Learner] Drivers

Driving is a skill which takes years to master properly. Learning does not andshould not stop when you have passed the test. Safe driving is as much aboutyour attitude as it is about your ability to control a vehicle.

The syllabus lists the skills in which you must achieve ‘basic competence’ inorder to pass all three parts of the driving test.

You must also

• Have a thorough knowledge of the rules and regulations for driving inBangladesh.

• Know what all traffic signs and signals mean and be able to demonstratethe actions that you need to take when dealing with them.

• Know and understand your responsibilities as a driver.

This means that you must have a real concern, not only for your own safety,but for the safety of all other road users, including pedestrians.

1. Legal requirements

To learn to drive you must;

1. be at least 18 years old2. be able to comply with the requirements of the eyesight regulations as set

out in the Motor Vehicle Ordinance [MVO]3. be medically fit to drive4. hold a valid learner licence5. ensure that the vehicle being driven is, (a) legally road worthy, (b) has a

current vehicle fitness certificate if applicable, (c) displays ‘L’ plateswhich are clearly visible from the front and back of the vehicle.

6. be supervised by a person who is currently a holder of a full licence for thecategory of the vehicle being driven

7. be aware of the legal requirement to inform the BRTA of any medicalreason which could effect their fitness to drive safely

2. Car controls, equipment and compone nts

You must

a. understand the functions of the:

- accelerator- clutch- gears


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- footbrake- handbrake- steering and be able to use these competently.

b. know the functions of other controls and switches in the vehicle that have a bearing on road safety and use them

competently.

c. understand the meaning of the gauges and other displays on the instrument panel

d. know the legal requirements of the vehicle

e. be able to carry out routine safety checks such as

- oil and coolant levels- tyre pressures

and identify defects10 especially with

- steering- brakes- tyres- seat belts 11

- lights- reflectors- direction indicators- windscreen wipers and washers- horn- rear view mirrors- speedometer- exhaust system12

f. understand the effects which a loaded roof rack or extra passengers will have on the handling of your vehicle

3. Road user behaviour

You must

a. know the most common causes of accidents

b. know which road users are most at risk and how to reduce that risk

c. know the effects and risks of drinking alcohol and driving

10 These are safety items that if faulty would compromise the drivers ability to drive safely and with regard for otherroad users and pedestrians.11 There is no doubt that seat belts can save lives and reduce the risk of serious injury in an accident.12 Emissions from worn-out or faulty exhaust systems are a serious health hazard to everyone.


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d. know the effects of fatigue, illness and drugs on driving performance

e. be aware of the age dependent problems among other road users, especially children and the elderly

f. be alert and be able to anticipate the likely actions of other road users and be able to suggest appropriate precautions

g. be aware of the need to show reasonable regard towards road users, including pedestrians, in order to drive safely

4. Vehicle characteristics

You must

a. know the most important principles concerning braking distances and road holding under various road conditions

b. know and have respect for the handling characteristics of other vehicles with regard to their stability, speed, braking and manoeuvrability

c. know that some vehicles are less easily seen than others

d. be able to assess the risks caused by the characteristics of other vehicle and suggest precautions that can be taken

for example:

- large goods vehicles pulling to the left before turning right

- rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, tempos and buses pulling in and out at short notice

- the blind spots for drivers of some commercial vehicle

5. Road and weather conditions

You must

a. know the particular hazards of driving

- in both daylight and darkness

- rain and strong cross-winds and muddy conditions

- on different type of roads, for example


7

- on single track roads, including those with poor surfaces and gravel tracks

- dual carriageways, separated by concrete barriers or yellow lines

b. - know of the hazards and dangers of making U-turns13 on any type of road

c. - gain experience in driving on urban and higher speed roads in both daylight and darkness

d. - know which road surfaces provide a better grip when braking

f. - be able to assess all these risks and be able to take suitable precautions to deal with them

6. Traffic signs, rules and regulations

You must

a. have a sound knowledge of the meaning of all traffic signs and road markings and instructions from police officers

7. Car control and road procedure

You must have the knowledge and skill to carry out the following tasks safely and competently making proper use of mirrors, observations and signals

a. take necessary precautions before getting in or out of the vehicle

b. before starting the engine carry out safety checks including

- doors- seat- seat belts- mirrors

take proper precautions

c. start the engine and move away safely

- straight ahead and at an angle- on level ground and uphill

13 U-turns are a constant source of danger, and aggravation to other road users, (often forcing them to take swift actionto prevent a collision) and should be avoided.


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d. take proper observation in all traffic conditions

e. drive at a speed suitable for the road and traffic conditions

f. react promptly to all risks

g. meet, overtake and cross the path of other vehicles

h. turn right and left in and out of junctions and intersections

I. deal with other overtaking vehicles

j. show proper regard for the safety of other road users, with particular care toward the most vulnerable

k. drive on both urban and rural roads and, where possible dual carriageways keeping up with the traffic flow where it is safe and proper to do so

l. obey traffic regulations and traffic signs and signals given by police officers and other officials

m. stop the vehicle safely, normally and in an emergency, without locking the wheels

n. manoeuvre the vehicle safely, both forward and backwards in a confined area

o. cross all types of railway level crossing safely

8. Additional knowledge

You must know

a. the importance of correct tyre pressures

b. the action to avoid and correct skids

c. how to drive through floods and flooded areas

d. what to do if involved in an accident or vehicle breakdown

e. basic first aid for use on the road

The syllabus lists the skills in which you must achieve basic competence inorder to pass the non-professional Driving Test. Throughout all three parts ofthe test the Tester, (Driving Examiner) will need to be satisfied that you areable and knowledgeable enough to drive the vehicle on your own, withoutsupervision


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Technical Note 3: Additional Syllabus for Professional [Bus] Drivers

Bus drivers need to be thoroughly professional in their work. They carry notonly the responsibility for their own lives, but also the lives of their passengersand all other road users, including pedestrians. Buses are different to cars.Their unique handling characteristics, together with the tremendousresponsibilities and pressures of driving them makes the job one of the mostdemanding and potentially dangerous on the road. The importance of thecorrect attitude to driving is paramount, without this you will be a danger toyourself and everyone else in Bangladesh.

This syllabus lists the skills in which you will have to prove a very high level ofcompetence in order to pass this Professional Driving Test.

Legal Requirements

To learn to drive a Bus you must

1. Be at least 26 years old with a minimum of six years14 driving experience on a full licence.

2. Meet the stringent eyesight15 requirements.

3. Be medically fit to drive buses of any type.

4. Hold a full non-professional licence.

5. Be sure that the vehicle driven

- is legally roadworthy- has a current fitness certificate that covers its use- has all the essential visual, audible and lever controls required to operate the vehicle safely

6. Display Learner Plates to the front and rear that are clearly visible to all other road users.

7. Be accompanied by a supervisor who holds a full professional licence for the type of vehicle being driven.

8. Be aware of the legal requirement to inform the BRTA of any medical reason which could effect your fitness to drive safely.

9. Be aware and avoid

- having a conversation, other than in an emergency

14This acknowledges the regulation currently in force, included in the Ordinance, (1983)15 A person wishing to become a bus driver must be able to prove that he has no physical defects of the eyeswhatsoever.


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- being distracted- smoking- having passengers sitting in your line of vision or so close to you that they obstruct your ability to handle the vehicle safely

10 Never allow passengers to board or disembark anywhere other than recognised bus stops and you must always pull in and stop as close to the left hand side of the road as possible.

Vehicle controls, equipment and components

You must

1. Understand the functions and use of the main controls of the vehicle;

- accelerator- clutch, if applicable- footbrake- handbrake- gears- steering

and be able to use them competently

2. Know the function of all other controls and switches on the vehicle and be able to use them competently.

3. Understand the information given by;

- gauges- warning lights and buzzers- other displays on the instrument panel

4. Know which checks should be made before starting a journey

5. Know the safety factors relating to;

- seated and standing passengers- loading- stability- controls of any driver operated doors- stowing luggage

6. Be able to carry out routine safety checks and identify defects with

- engine performance- fuel systems- lubricating systems and oil levels- exhaust systems- coolant temperature and levels- gearbox operation


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- transmission- braking systems- steering, (including power assisted systems)- tyres and fittings- electrical systems, especially lights, wipers, bells, buzzers, horns,

fuses cut-outs and relays- Interior bodywork, especially seat fittings, handrails, floor covering and mirrors- Exterior bodywork, especially, panels, trim, access doors and rear view mirrors

Road user behaviour

You must know how you can lower the risk of being involved an accident by beingfully aware of

1. The most common causes of accidents

2. Which road users are the most vulnerable for example

- children and the elderly- crippled and blind people- young riders and drivers- rickshaw wallahs and their passengers- cyclists and motorcyclists- learner drivers

3. The effects on your own performance in relation to

- illness- drugs- alcohol- tiredness- certain types of medication

4. The importance of taking a rest

5. How to

- concentrate- plan ahead- anticipate the actions of all other road users and pedestrians

Vehicle characteristics

You must know

1. The most important principles of cornering and braking distances under various road, weather and loading conditions

2. The different handling characteristics of vehicles with regard to


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- speed- stability- braking- turning circles- overall handling

3. Some vehicles are harder to see than others, such as cycles and motorcycles

You must be aware of

4. Blind spots on your own and other vehicles, especially large vehicles

5. The risks and difficulties when

- negotiating speed reduction humps- humped bridges- adverse road cambers

that could lead to possible collisions with;

- buildings and or bamboo or metal scaffolding- overhead cables, telephone poles- trees- other high vehicles

6. Reasonable regard for the difficulties that other drivers may have because of the size and handling characteristics of your vehicle, examples of these are,

- you having to pullout to the right before turning left- turbulence created by your vehicle when it is travelling at speed, particularly for:- pedestrians- cyclists- motorcyclists- small motorised vehicles, (auto-rickshaws, tempos etc.)- small non-motorised vehicles, (rickshaws)

Road and weather conditions

You must

1. Know the particular hazards of driving

- in both daylight and darkness

- rain and strong crosswinds and muddy conditions

- on different type of roads, for example


13

- on single track roads, including those with poor surfaces and gravel tracks

- dual carriageways, separated by concrete barriers or yellow lines

2. Know of the hazards and dangers of making U-turns16 on any type of road

3. Know which road surfaces provide a better grip when accelerating or braking

4. Be able to assess all these risks and be able to take suitable precautions to deal with them

5. Drive sensibly, always anticipating how your actions and the road conditions can effect other road users.

6. Be aware of the inherent risks to you, your passengers and other road users when overtaking or being overtaken

7. Appreciate the need to give signals in good time before

- pulling in- pulling out- turning- stopping

8. Recognise the special risks to your passengers when boarding or alighting from your vehicle

9. Be aware of the presence of other road users by making effective use of mirrors and by looking all around before moving off from a standstill.

Traffic signs, rules and regulations

You must

1. Have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the meaning of all traffic signs and road markings and instructions from police officers

2. Be able to recognise and comply with signs that point out

- weight limits- height limits- prohibited entry- traffic calming humps- speed limits

Vehicle control and road procedure

16 This is an extremely dangerous manoeuvre and should be avoided at all times


14

You must

1. Have the knowledge and skill to carry out the following tasks safely and competently making proper use of mirrors, observations and signals

2. Take necessary precautions before getting in or out of the vehicle

3. Before starting the engine carry out safety checks including

- checking that the handbrake is on- the gear selector is in neutral or the start position- your driving seat is positioned properly- the mirrors are set properly- doors, (if fitted) are closed

4. Start the engine and move away safely

- straight ahead and at an angle- on level ground and uphill

5. Take proper observation in all traffic conditions

6. Drive at a speed suitable for the road and traffic conditions

7. React promptly to all risk

8. Meet, overtake and cross the path of other vehicles

9. Turn right and left in and out of junctions and intersections

10. Deal with other overtaking vehicles

11. Show proper regard for the safety of other road users, with particular care toward the most vulnerable

12. Drive on both urban and rural roads and, where possible dual carriageways keeping up with the traffic flow where it is safe and proper to do so

13. Obey traffic regulations and traffic signs and signals given by police officers and other officials

14. Stop the vehicle safely, normally and in an emergency, without locking the wheels

15. Manoeuvre the vehicle safely, both forward and backwards in a confined area

16. Cross all types of railway level crossing safely

In addition, and as a set routine you must get into the habit of checking the brakeswhen first setting off on any journey no matter how short.


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Additional knowledge

You must know

1. The importance of inspecting all tyres on the vehicle for

- correct pressure- evidence of wear- evidence of damage- safe tread depth- objects between tyres- signs of overheating

2. The action that you should take if your vehicle breaks down in day or nighttime when your vehicle is in a dangerous position, i.e.bend, level crossing, inthe middle of the road.

3. What you should do if you are involved in an accident

- with regard to the safety of your passengers and the care of any that maybe injured

- your legal obligations

4. Have a basic knowledge of basic First Aid for use on the road

5. The correct procedure to adopt if it becomes necessary to have to reverse thevehicle where people may get in the way.

The syllabus lists the skills in which you must achieve a high level ofcompetence in order to pass the Professional Driving Test for driving a Bus.Throughout all three parts of the test the Tester, (Driving Examiner) will needto be satisfied that you are able and knowledgeable enough to drive thevehicle on your own, without supervision.


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Technical Note 4: Driving Test Procedures and Assessment Forms

Introduction

The purpose of a driving test is to see if the candidate has the knowledge, skill andexperience to drive the vehicle safely without supervision. The tools that the examineruses to carry out this task are his ears, and eyes. He needs, also, to be able to recordthe events of the test while it is happening. No matter what the outcome of the testthe candidate needs to feel that it was conducted concisely and without prejudice.

The purpose of this note is to set out the basic foundations that will help the examinerto achieve the above aims. The note is subdivided into the following sections.

1 Testing facilities and test routes

This gives full guidance on how to create the right environmental conditionsfor testing knowledge, skill and experience.

2 Guidance to examiners and standards

This section covers how to conduct tests correctly and also lays down thecriteria on which to judge whether a candidate has passed or failed the test.

3 Marking sheets for assessing and recording faults

Samples of specimen forms, for use during the testing process, are included inthis section. Definitions of ‘driving faults’ and how these should be applied tothe various parts of the test are also set out.

Summary

The ultimate aim of this note is to outline the conditions by which the standard oftesting in Bangladesh can be uniformed, maintained and eventually improved on overtime.


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1 Testing facilities and test routes

• Equipment and Establishment Requirements

Driving testing stations should be located close to large areas of population. They should be able to accommodate the examiners in reasonable comfort and provide desks and facilities for writing reports. Standard marker posts for manoeuvring exercises.

Toilet facilities should be provided for examiners and candidates. Parking spaces should beconvenient to the testing station for all types of vehicles. Space should be allocatedfor conducting theory/oral tests and additional staff may be required to deal withmarking papers.

• Driving Test Routes

The route for the on-road test should include busy main roads and quieter residentialareas, and as many different types of junction and intersection as is practical for thelocation and time restraints. This is because a driver who may appear to be cautiousand safe in one type of situation may behave quite differently in another.

2 Guidance to examiners and standards

• Test Requirements

The Bangladesh Gazette, Extra, July 1984, chapter II sections 6 and 7 sets out theprovisions for the testing of drivers for non-professional and professional licencecategories. Elsewhere in this report there are recommendations for amendments tobe made to these provisions that will both clarify and simplify them. These accepted;

to pass the test a candidate must satisfy the examiner that:

a) he/she is fully conversant with the contents of the Highway Codeb) generally, he/she is competent to drive, without danger to and with due

consideration for other road users, the vehicle on which he/she is tested.c) he/she is able to comply with the additional requirements set out below which are

appropriate to the particular category within which the vehicle falls• start the engine of the vehicle• move away straight ahead or at an angle• overtake, meet or cross the path of other vehicles and take an appropriate

coursed) turn right-hand and left hand corners correctlye) stop the vehicle in an emergency and normally, in the latter case bring it to rest at

an appropriate part of the roadf) carry out manoeuvres involving the use of reverse gearg) indicate his/her intended actions at appropriate times by giving appropriate signals

in a clear and unmistakable manner, provided that, in the case of a disabled driverfor whom it is impracticable or undesirable to give signals by arm, there shall be norequirement to give signals which cannot be given by mechanical means


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h) act correctly and promptly on all signals given by traffic signs and trafficcontrollers/officers and take appropriate action on signs given by other road users

i) drive the vehicle backwards, while keeping it safe and under controlj) drive the vehicle forwards, slowly, while keeping it under control

• General competencies needed to drive safely

The objective of the driving test is for the examiner to be certain that the candidate iswell grounded in the basic principles of safe driving and is sufficiently practised inthem to show, at the time of the test, that he/she is a competent and considerate driverand therefore is not a source of danger to him/herself or other road users.

Candidates should be expected to know about the principle causes of skidding, theimportance of proper maintenance of brakes, tyres, steering, lights, indicators andwindscreen washers and wipers, and the legal requirements for reporting accidents.Candidates should also be able to recognise, explain the meaning of traffic signs andsignals and react promptly to them.

Nevertheless, examiners should remember that, in most cases, candidates will haveonly limited driving experience and will have been accompanied by an instructor orother tutor. It would therefore be unreasonable to expect them to demonstrate thedegree of skill and road sense of an experienced driver.

Also, it must be born in mind that many candidates will be more nervous during thetest than when they have been with their instructor or friend. A pleasant approachthroughout all parts of the test is particularly important as it will help candidates relaxand give their best.

• Instructions to candidates

In all cases [whether the test is written, oral, off-road or on-road], examiners shouldensure their instructions to candidates are absolutely clear. Candidates must not beleft in any doubt about what is required of them or what route should be taken. In thecase of the latter directions must be given in good time.

3 Marking sheet for assessing and re cording faults

It is important that, in addition to a common standard of test, there should be acommon standard of assessment of the candidates’ knowledge and driving ability.

Specimen driving test assessment forms have been developed by the consultant andare included as part of this note. There are three sets, each is designed in such a wayas to achieve three objectives:-

- to be simple and easy to complete during the test- to help uniform the style of marking and the content of the test- to provide information for the benefit of the candidate and a source of data for BRTA


19

The working titles of these forms are:-

Form T1 - Record of Oral TestForm T2 - Record of Off-road TestForm T3 - Record of On-road Test

• Assessing Competence

The most reliable basis for assessing a person’s ability is to observe faults as they arecommitted and to evaluate them as soon as a confident judgement can be made. Onceassessed faults should be recorded in ink on the assessment form.

The way that the candidate is assessed via these forms is for the most part selfexplanatory. However, assessing a candidate’s ability to drive on the road, using formT3, is more complex and it is therefore worthy of a detailed explanation here.

• Categorising faults

Faults are defined as follows:-

a minor fault is one which is of a minor nature and, in itself, is in no way evenpotentially dangerous. Minor faults should not normally be built up through repetitioninto a serious one. However there maybe occasions when minor faults can beregarded as potentially dangerous, e.g. a candidate continues to fail to check themirror correctly, even when no other traffic is present.

a serious fault is one which is considered to be potentially dangerous.

a dangerous fault is one involving actual danger to the examiner, candidate thegeneral public, property or other road user.

Start of DriveThe drive should start without any instructions from the examiner except to indicatethe immediate route to be taken.

Starting the EngineThe candidate should take the usual precautions of seeing that the handbrake isapplied and the gear lever/selector is in neutral before operating the starter.

Natural DriveAs far as it is practicable the candidate should not be asked to perform a specific testrequirements until he/she has had a certain amount of straightforward driving. This isto help them settle down and enables the examiner to see how the candidate normallydrives. The ‘natural drive’ is, however, part of the test and the candidate’sperformance should be assessed in the normal way.

Moving offThe examiner should observe whether the candidate first sees - to the front, then tothe rear- that the way is clear for pulling out, gives the appropriate signal if necessaryand moves away smoothly and safely. A candidate starting off on a gradient should


20

be capable of paying attention to other traffic as well as getting the vehicle safely,without rollback and/or excessive engine revolutions.

Emergency StopAn emergency stop should be given, preferably soon after the ‘natural drive’. This canonly be carried out safely and effectively where the road conditions are suitable andshould not be left until late in the test. If an emergency has arisen naturally during thetest this special exercise is not required.

With the vehicle at rest the examiner explains to the candidate that he/she will shortlybe tested in stopping in an emergency and that the warning to stop the vehicleimmediately and under full control will be an audible ‘Stop!’ together with asimultaneous visual signal by placing a hand against the centre of the windscreen. Thisshould be demonstrated.

It is essential that examiners take direct rear observation to ensure that it is perfectlysafe to carry out the exercise.

Methods of SignallingCandidates normally signal by direction indicator but may, if they wish, additionallysignal by arm. Signals should be assessed on whether necessary and appropriatesignals are given in good time and indicators cancelled afterwards.

At remote testing stations a particular procedure may have to be adopted in which thecandidate is asked to assume during the test that another vehicle is following and givesignals accordingly.

Overtaking, Meeting and CrossingThe examiner should observe the candidate’s actions when overtaking, beingovertaken and meeting and crossing the path of other traffic when he/she is turning tothe right. Before overtaking, the mirror should be used to observe following trafficand appropriate signals given if necessary. When being overtaken the candidateshould knowingly impede the progress of the other driver. While showingconsideration for other traffic, the candidate should not give way unduly when it wouldbe safe and proper to proceed. On the other hand he/she should not be inconsiderate,e.g. turning right in the face of closely approaching traffic.

Road JunctionsThe examiner should observe whether the candidate has the vehicle under propercontrol and in the appropriate gear, takes account of the type of junction, any roadsigns or markings, and following traffic, gives any necessary appropriate signals ingood time and keeps the vehicle positioned safely throughout. The examiner shouldalso note whether the candidate takes adequate and effective observation beforeentering the intersection and he/she does so with reasonable regard for other roadusers.

Stopping NormallyTwo or three normal stops should be made during the test. The words ‘pull up’ ortheir equivalent in Bangla should be used for these stops, the imperative ‘Stop’ or it’sBangla version being used only for the emergency stop. The candidate should be ableto pull up within a reasonable close distance of the nearside kerb or edge of the road,


21

a high degree of accuracy should not, however, be expected of an inexperienceddriver. The examiner would observe whether the candidate then applies thehandbrake and puts the gear lever into neutral. On these occasions failure to selectneutral in vehicles with automatic transmission should not be regarded as a fault.

Reaction to Traffic Signs and SignalsThe examiner should satisfy himself that the candidate reacts promptly and correctlyto traffic signals and signs and to signals given by police officers and other road users.

The candidate should be fully aware of his/her responsibilities when dealing withpedestrians and act safely and accordingly.

End of TestAt the end of the test the examiner should advise the candidate of the test result. Adecision to fail should be conveyed sympathetically but firmly. The necessary formsshould be completed, handed to the candidate and a copy kept by the examiner.


22

Form T1 Oral TestVehicle Category Test Station

Date/Time

Candidate’s Full Name

Q1.You are driving along a road and you feel the rear of your car skidding to the left. - Whichway do you turn the steering wheel in order to correct the skid?(A1 Left)

Q2. If you are applying the brakes when travelling in a straight line, the extra weight is thrownon the ...............................wheels?(A2 front wheels )

Q3. When should you check the tyre pressures of your car. When the wheels are, hot, cold,warm or any temperature?(A3 Cold)

Q4. What is the stopping distance of a vehicle travelling at 96 kilometres (60mph)?(A4 73 metres (240 feet)

Q5 When approaching a right hand bend should you position your vehicle well to the left orwell to the right of your side of the road?(A5. To the left)

Q6 What do these traffic signs mean ----- 6 signs should shown

Q7 If you are involved in an accident which damages other people’s property should youreport it to the police(A7 Yes)

Q8 The Motor Vehicle Ordinance regulations require that once a year your vehicle must havea fitness inspection after it has been registered for how many years?(A8 3)

Q9 A learner’s licence is valid for how long?(A9 3 months)

Q10 What is the final check that should you always make before starting the engine?(A10 That the hand brake is on and the gear lever is in neutral)

Q11 When should you not overtake?(A11 On or approaching a bend, also when to do so would cause an on coming vehicle tobreak or steer to avoid me, and any where when it could be a danger to other road users)

Q 12 What does an amber light mean?(A12 Stop)


23

Form T 1 (b)

Questions on knowledge of driving rules and regulations and other motoring matters

Candidates for test are be expected to know about the principal causes of skidding, theimportance of proper maintenance of brakes, tyres, steering, lights, indicators, windscreenwashers and wipers, and the legal requirements for reporting accidents. On matters of lawexaminers will ask straightforward questions about the most important items for a driver.Questions will not be asked on the law relating to road traffic generally.

Twelve questions will be asked and to represent one question the candidate will be asked toidentify not more than six illustrated traffic signs.

Questions will be kept fairly short and clearly phrased.


24

Application Form for Test 2 The Off-Road Driving Test

Form T2(a) Off-Road Driving Test Report

Vehicle Category Test Station

Date/Time


Name of Instructor (where known) Reg;Vehicle Details: Make Type Number

Part I - Manoeuvring Capability

Drive Forward þr r S

TO

r r Pr r

r r»Reverse Backwards

Touched Post

Poor all round observationthroughout

Part IIControl and Co-ordination Capability

Rolled back 2

Too Fast 1 ³Stop

Touched kerb ³Stop RAMP Start

The examiner will mark an Xto indicate what part of themanoeuvre was not up tostandard, an X will always resultin failure.

The examiner will mark an Xto indicate what part of themanoeuvre was not up tostandard, an X will always resultin failure.


25

Form T2 (b)

Information to Candidates

Test 2: Part IThe width between the posts should be not less than twice the width of thecandidates vehicle.You must be able to drive forward slowly and under control, negotiating the marker postswithout touching them or knocking them down.You must then reverse back the same way without touching or knocking any of the polesdown. You may be given a second attempt at the reversing part of this test.

Test 2: Part IIYou must be able to move off smoothly and stop at point 1.You must then put the handbrake on and the gear in neutral.The examiner will then signal you to move off, without rolling backwards and stop on the toppart of the ramp at point 2.The examiner will then signal you to move off again and you must be able to do so, smoothlyand in full control, down the other side of the ramp. You must not touch any part of the kerbof the ramp at any time.

You will have passed the test if there are no Xs on this marking sheet

Test result - certified byexaminer

Application Form for Test 3The On-Road Driving Test


26

Form T3(a) On-Road Driving Test Report

Vehicle Category Test Station

Date/Time


Name of Instructor (where known) Reg;Vehicle Details: Make Type Number

1. Comply with the requirements of the eyesight test

2. Take precautions before starting the engine

3. Show smooth operation of;

Accelerator Clutch Footbrake

Handbrake Steering

4. Move away with safety Make normal stops

5. Stop vehicle in an emergency

6. Give correct signals in good time by ;

Indicator Hand

7. Make effective use of mirrors well before;

Signalling Turning Slowing down/Stopping

8. Obey all;

Traffic signs Instructions from Police Officers

9. Emerge and join roads/intersections with reasonable regard for all road users

10. Drive at a safe speed for road and traffic conditions

Too slow Too Fast

11. Overtake and permit other vehicles to overtake with safety

12 Examiner had to take action to avoid a possible mishapVerbally Physically


27

Form T3(b)

Statement of failure to pass the test of competence to drive on the road

Examiners have regard to the items listed overleaf when deciding whether a candidate for testis competent to drive without supervision. The matters needing special attention are markedfor your information and should be studied in detail. You should get your instructor to explainany item that you do not understand.

THE EXAMINER IS NOT PERMITTED TO DISCUSS THE DETAIL OF THETEST WITH YOU.

= a minor mistake These mistakes alone will not result in failure

= a potentially dangerous mistake Committing one ofthese mistakes

willresult in failure

= a dangerous mistake Committing one ofthese mistakes

will result in failure

/

X

D


28

Technical Note 5: Recommended Syllabus for Driving Instructors

Driving instructors should have the ability impart theoretical knowledge andpractical skills to their pupils. They should be as comfortable teaching in theclassroom as they are in the car. When it is necessary they should be able todemonstrate the techniques required to be a safe driver.

The syllabus lists the skills in which an instructor must attain a high degree ofcompetence in order to be placed on the register of government approveddriving instructors.

An instructor must

• Have a thorough knowledge of the rules, traffic signs, signals andregulations for driving in Bangladesh.

• Be able to demonstrate that he is a skilled and safe driver. • Have a good understanding of the principles of teaching adults. • Have a good knowledge of a range of learning theories, such as

behavioural, cognitive and affective.

• Be able to express himself concisely, both orally and in writing.

1 Legal requirements

Driving Instructors must;

a) be at least 26 years old and hold a professional licence, with no currentendorsements for any category of vehicle what so ever.

b) be able to comply with the requirements of the eyesight regulations asspecified in the Bangladesh Ordinance.

c) be medically fit to drive.d) be of good character with no criminal or civil convictions, either pending or

in force.e) be aware of the requirements to inform the BRTA of any reason which

could undermine their ability to carry out their job effectively, or prejudicetheir own personal integrity or that of the BRTA.

f) be willing to undergo regular inspections of continued fitness to giveinstruction

2 Driving Skills

Good drivers do not always make good instructors, but good instructors willalways be good drivers. A driving instructor must therefore be able todemonstrate a high level of competence;

a. When using the controls, especially the


29

- Accelerator- Foot brake- Hand brake- Clutch- Gears- Steering

b. Whilst driving the vehicle, especially when

- Moving off- Slowing down- Making normal stops- Turning right and left- Emerging at junctions and intersections- Manoeuvring the vehicle- Dealing with pedestrians and other road users- Dealing with road markings and signs

In addition to these requirements the instructor must be able to demonstratethat he is able to drive safely, at speed whilst obeying the regulations andtaking into account the prevailing conditions. He should also be able to bringthe vehicle to a stop, safely, in the event of an emergency.

3 Mechanical Knowledge

The instructor must

- Have a good understanding of how the vehicle works.

- Know the need for regular maintenance.

- Be able to spot potentially dangerous faults on vehicles.

- Be able impart this knowledge in a clear concise way to his pupils.

4 Interpersonal Skills

Instructors need to be

- good communicators- of an even temperament- non-partisan- able to motivate

5 Additional Requirements

Government approved instructors should be able to demonstrate that theyhave a;


30

- thorough working knowledge of the syllabus that they are teaching from

and they must be adept in

- designing ‘lesson plans’

- keeping records of a pupils progress

- identifying ‘barriers to learning’

- setting realistic and challenging targets

- keeping up to date with new developments in teaching

Teaching driving is teaching a skill for life. Your responsibilities are thereforeself evident. The syllabus lists the skills in which you must achieve a highlevel of competence in order to become a Government Approved DrivingInstructor.


31

ANNEXES


32

Annex A: Functions of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA)

The main functions of the BRTA are as follows;

(a) responsible for overall management, control and supervision of road transports(b) to help government in framing motor vehicles laws, rules, regulations, policies,

etc. and the implementation of the laws(c) to deal with safety of road users and taking remedial measures for prevention of

road accidents(d) registration of motor vehicles, motor repairing workshops and school of motoring(e) to conduct competency tests of driving instructors, drivers and conductors(f) licensing of vehicles, drivers and conductors(g) to issue and renew road worthiness certificate to motor vehicles(h) inspection and testing of motor vehicles involved in accidents(i) to issue and renew route permits of commercial vehicles(j) to advise repair maintenance etc., for government vehicles(k) collection and accounting of taxes and fees on account of motor vehicles(l) to maintain statistics relating to motor vehicles, motor drivers, road accidents, etc.(m) research and planning for the development of road transport system,

implementation of development schemes, etc.(n) to constitute and control of Regional Transport Committees in the districts and

metropolitan areas(o) co-ordinate between agencies, organisations providing transport services(p) to attend problems relating to road transport owners and workers and suggest

appropriate measures therefor


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Annex B: Sample BRTA Written Exam Paper

Bangladesh Road Transport AuthorityDriving competence test board

Time - 15 Minutes Serial No:Mark - 25 Name:

Put the (U) on the leftsideDate:

1. The engine of a Motor car is being cool by: 2

(a) Air (b) Water (c) Engine oil (d) Above all are correct

2. Traffic sign are: 2

(a) 2 Type (b) 4 Type (c) 3 Type (d) 5 Type

3. Continuous yellow thick line on the centre of road is used as: 2

(a) Road divider (b) Island (c) a and b are correct (d) none is correct

4. Right side lane (Track) of the road will be always used by: 2

(a)VIP car (b) fire vehicle (c) Over taking vehicles (d) Ambulance

5. If the vehicle is running at the speed of 60 K.M. per hour on a dry and build up 2road. The safety distance is:

(a) 30 yds (b) 30 feet (c) 30 metres (d) 60 metres

6. Accident mainly occurs due to: 2

(a) Over speed,Over load, Excess engine oil in sump(b) Over speed, Less Tyre pressure, Oily road(c) Over speed, Over confidence, Over Load(d) Excess tyre pressure, over speed, Slow speed

7. Who are authorised to check the relevant papers of a Motor vehicle on the road: 2

(a) Traffic sergeants, BRTA officers, Answers(b) BRTA officers, Traffic sergeants, Mobile Court Magistrate(c) BRTA officers, Military officers, traffic sergeants(d) Traffic police, Traffic sergeants, Mobile Magistrate

8. The driver of a motor vehicle will observe the following procedures while overtaking 6the front vehicles:

9. The footbrake on a car is used for : 5


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______________________________Sig of Candidate


35

Annex C: LogFrame - Technical Assistance Input

Goal OVI MOV Risks/AssumptionsTo produce andmaintain a safe costeffective road andtransport system forBangladesh

10% reduction, year onyear of road trafficrelated accidentcasualties

MAAP 5Hospital casualtyreports

Agreement on themethodology used tocollect and collate date

Project PurposeTo improve thestandard of driving onall types of vehicles

10% reduction, year onyear of reported vehicleaccidents.10% increase in years 1to 3 of reportedconvictions for driverviolations

MAAP 5

Police and BRTAdriver convictionrecords

Accurate reporting

Effective policeenforcement

Project Output1. An increase in thenumber of peopletaking a driving test2. A reduction in thenumber of fake licensesin circulation3. National drivinglicense data base

Test pass/fail stats fornext 4 years

90% reduction in fakelicenses

BRTA records

Police and BRTArecords

Adequate manpower

Effective policeenforcement

Financial resources toestablish license database

Project Activities

Training drivingexaminers in driverassessment skillsTrain selected drivingexaminers to becometrainers

Review selectioncriteria for potentialdriving examiners

Design competencetests for drivinginstructors. Traindriving examiners toconduct the tests

Design softwarepackage for license database

Publicity campaignsto tell of the changes

Project Inputs

Driver training andtesting specialist inputof 14 weeks

BRTA working groupwith assistance fromdriver training andtesting specialist aspart of the above input

Driver training andtesting specialistworking with BRTAexaminers 8 weeks

Software designspecialist

Secretariat co-ordination

Between 6 and 12driving examiners fullytrained.At least 3 examinerstrained to be trainers

Examiner jobdescription and personprofile

Driving instructorexamination withscheduledimplementation

System up and running

Public awarenesssurveys

Resource allocationclassroom and vehicles.

Ministerial support andapproval

Adequate manpowerand resources.Ministerial support andapproval

Financial backingMinisterial support andapproval

Interdepartmental co-operation.


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Annex D: Terms of Reference - Examiner Training

Driver Training and Testing Specialist

Location: Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, [BRTA]

Reporting to: Chairman, BRTA

Objective: To deliver a training course for BRTA driving examiners in driver assessment skills. To assist in the establishment of a long term training and development programme for driving examiners and instructors.

Description of Role and Tasks

1. Design basic examiner training course and then deliver practical training for threeto six BRTA driving examiners. Review and refine course and produce trainingnotes and materials for future courses.

2. Coach and supervise the newly trained examiners in driver assessment skills insitu.

3. Assist BRTA to establish a ‘centre of excellence’ for examiner training anddevelopment. Assist with the planning and implementation of ‘quality control’ and‘continuous improvement’ procedures.

4. Design and deliver advanced course for ‘training the trainers, [up to threespecially selected examiners] monitor their progress and coach them in situ

5. Assist BRTA to design and strategically plan for the introduction of a separatedriving instructor qualification scheme..

Qualifications and experience: Senior driving examiner/trainer with with overseas experience

Counterpart from Government: BRTA Director

Milestone achievements:

• Delivery of basic driving examiner training course.• Production of course notes and materials for future use.• Written ‘quality control’ and ‘continuous improvement’ procedures.• Delivery of advanced training course.• Strategic plan for the introduction of the instructor exam.• Final report.

Timing of input: Two Phases

Phase 1. Examiner Training - 12 weeks, split 4 weeks, 4 weeks and 4 weeks

Phase 2. Driving instructor testing - 8 weeks TBA


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Risks and assumptions: Adequate manpower


38

Annex E: Suggested Legislation Modifications

Changes to the driving test accepted, the following is a list of legislation modificationsthere will need to be considered.

The Bangladesh Gazette Extra, July 7, 1984• Chapter II, Licensing Drivers of Motor Vehicles, Section 6 refers to the Driving

Test Competency Board. Consideration must be given to abolishing thisrequirement and replacing it an Examiner Certification Scheme.

• Subsection (h) of this chapter sets out the need for applicants to be able to readand write either Bengali or English. This requirement should be abolished exceptfor potential driving instructors.

• Section 3 stipulates that applicants will have to pass both a written and oral testand should be amended to oral test only.

• Section 4 should exclude the phrase “in the presence of other members, includingthe Chairman of the Board”.

• Section 7 will have to be rewritten to accommodate the changes to the oral test.• Subsection (2) of this section also refers to the need to take both a written and

oral test and will have to be amended. The sections under General and Technicalwill have to be rewritten once the actual content of the oral test is known.

Motor Vehicles Ordinance (MVO), 1983

Amendments to The Third Schedule

• (1) Start the engine after making safety checks• (2) Move away safely, on a level, at an angle with proper observation,

( no reference should be made to gear changing, either here or in the next section. Instead a new phrase on being able to select the appropriate gear forthe speed of the vehicle should be considered)

• (7) The phrase ‘by looking only in the rear view mirror’ should be deleted. Emphasis on safety observation and control should be given.

• (8) can be deleted• (9) The phrase by hand and or by mechanical means should be considered as the

vast majority of vehicles have indicators and should be working on the test.• (12) Can be deleted as the suggested rewriting of sections (2) and (3) will a

ccommodate this requirement.

Throughout both documents there are actual references to fees in Taka.Consideration must be given to removing these, as they limit the authoritiesability to set fees to cover prevailing costs, the phrase “ at a fees deemednecessary and set by the authority” could simple be added.


39

Annex F: On-road Test Route for Dhaka


40

Annex G: References

‘Oral’ Theory Test Questions : BSM, 81/87 Hartfield Road WIMBLEDON London UK.

Driving Licence Regulations: The DVLA Swansea Wales UK.


41

Annex H: Summary of Recommendations

Phase one• Increase the term of a learner’s licence to two years minimum.• Abolish the requirement for learners to have to take a written test.• Extend the scope of the oral test.• Introduce universal on-road tests for all drivers.• Abolish the need to re-test professional licence holders every three years.• Launch sustained safe driving campaigns on safe driving.• Publish learner driver and bus driver syllabuses without delay.• Establish a driving inspector training school.• Publish driving instructor training syllabus.• Co-ordinate the setting up of a driving instructors association.

Phase Two• Introduce Driving Instructor Competency examinations and a supervision system.• Set up a Register of Government Approved Driving Instructors.






Development of Road Safety Education Materials forLower Primary School Children in Bangladesh

Draft Report

July 1998

{ EMBED CDraw5 }

RRMP: Institutional Development ComponentChildren’s Traffic Education Materials

3/2/9/allan/cont

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION1.1 BACKGROUND1.2 ROAD SAFETY IN BANGLADESH1.3 SAFETY EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH

2 EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS2.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES2.2 DEVELOPMENT OF PILOT MATERIALS2.3 EVALUATION OF MATERIALS

3 PILOT PROJECT3.1 BACKGROUND3.2 PHASES OF PILOT SCHEME3.3 PROPOSED TIME-TABLE3.4 NRSC SECRETARIAT ASSISTANCE3.5 EXTENDING PILOT SCHEME3.5 PILOT SCHEME AND IDC3

4 FUTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

5 RECOMMENDATIONS5.1 SHORT-TERM5.2 LONG-TERM

ANNEXES:Annex A: Terms of ReferenceAnnex B: Contents page of ‘Road Safety Education in Bangladesh’ reportAnnex C: Individuals and organisations consultedAnnex D: Pilot materials (English)Annex E: Pilot materials (Bangla)Annex F: Notes from ‘Evaluation workshop’ and discussions about ‘Pilot project’Annex G: Report on evaluation from Sripur Primary SchoolAnnex H: Report on evaluation from Nawgoor Primary SchoolAnnex I: Final materials (English) - without figuresAnnex J: Final material (Bangla)


3/2/9/allan/cont

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In many countries, including Bangladesh, the involvement of children in traffic accidents is a

particular problem. Many of these are described as pedestrian accidents as they involve children

who are walking or running in the road; often the children are playing rather than making a journey.

While there are many potential countermeasures to reduce the numbers of such accidents (such as

engineering and enforcement, and educating and training drivers), it is generally recognized that

many of these accidents are the result of children having problems dealing with the dangers

associated with traffic, and appreciating concepts such as ‘safety’.

In order to help children cope with, and survive, the dangers posed by traffic they need to be

educated about road safety and taught how to behave in the road environment. While parents and

other family members, such as older brothers and sisters, have an important role to play, more

formal education provided by schools is also vital. In this context the use of the mass media should

also be recognised as an important tool to improve road safety for children.

In order for this education process to be effective it is important that suitable materials and methods

are used, that take due account of the child’s age (or their linguistic, perceptual, cognitive and social

development ) as well as the particular characteristics of their environment. Evaluation should play

an important role in the development of these materials.

At the moment in Bangladesh there is very little road safety education taught in schools and there

are very few materials available for either the children or the teachers. In order to improve this

situation the IDC ‘Education in schools’ component provided for the inputs of two education

specialists, each making two visits.

In addition to carrying out a general review of the current situation with respect to children’s traffic

education in Bangladesh, and making recommendations about how it could be improved in the

future, two subtasks were also required. One involved developing and evaluating some road safety

education materials; the second involved setting up a pilot project to start introducing these materials

into schools. This report deals only with these two subtasks.

The road safety materials that were developed were designed to be used by teachers of Primary

School children in Class 1 (entered when aged 6); however, they were evaluated using children in

Classes 1 and 2. Children are particularly vulnerable at this age as they start becoming more

independent and trusted by their parents; and are therefore more at risk. The first years of formal

education provide the ideal opportunity to start the road safety element of their ‘social’ education.

However, it is important to acknowledge that children of this age do not think (or behave) like

adults, or have their vocabulary, and therefore need special materials tailored to their particular

stage of development.

The pilot scheme involved both training teachers in the use of the materials and introducing them

into a sizeable number of schools within the Gazipur District. As a result of this scheme it would be

possible in the future, to conduct a more extensive evaluation of the latest materials, and review


3/2/9/allan/cont

how they were being used. While the initial evaluation had been conducted in a relatively small

number of schools in urban areas, the pilot project would be introducing the materials into many

more schools including some in rural areas as the 6 Thanas in the Gazipur region have both urban

and rural areas.

While it is expected that road safety will eventually form part of the national core curriculum, as

well as being included in the Certificate of Education (CinEd) course provided for primary teachers,

this may not happen for some time. The development of road safety materials for lower Primary

children and introducing them into schools in a single area is only the start of a long-term

programme that will continue within IDC3.

This report serves as a supplement to a more extensive report on ‘Children’s Traffic Education in

Bangladesh’ that: reviewed the education system in Bangladesh; considered accident statistics with

respect to children; the current provision of road safety education; provided some general principles

for road safety education; and made detailed proposals about how children’s traffic safety

education could be improved over the next 4 - 5 years.


3/2/9/allan/cont

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

This report has been produced as part of the Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the

Second Road Rehabilitation Project (RRMP2). IDC is funded by the UK’s Department for

International Development (DFID) and provided for a series of separate road safety inputs by

specialists in the areas of:





• Accident data


• Road safety publicity, and

• Children’s traffic education.

These various safety sectors are similar to those contained in the National Road Safety Council

(NRSC) Strategic Action Plan, although this plan linked ‘education’ and ‘publicity’ within a single

sector.

With the exception of the engineering component (which provided for an input of 18 months) these

inputs were to be provided by individual specialists making from 1 to 3 short-term visits. In the case

of ‘education’ two specialists were involved, each making two trips. The Terms of Reference

(ToR) for each specialist are included in Annex A. These show that one specialist was mainly

involved with providing ‘Advisory Services’, while one was to be more responsible for the

‘Development of Materials’.

Their first trips, but not second, took place at the same time - and they both attended many of the

meetings that took place in the early stages of the project. This overlap also meant that they could

both contribute to the initial development of the materials. Experience in other countries has shown

that such materials benefit from the inputs of more than one individual. These pilot materials were

then be used by a small number of teachers in a sample of schools, so that they could be evaluated

(and improved as necessary) during the second visit of the specialist whose main task was to

develop the materials. A pilot project was then to be initiated so that the materials could be

introduced into a sizeable number of schools in both urban and rural areas.

This report deals mainly with the development and evaluation of the road safety educational

materials and the pilot project designed to introduce them into schools. The materials were designed

for use by teachers of Primary School children in Class 1 (entered when aged 6); although they

were evaluated using children in Classes 1 and 2. Often it is this age group of children that are


3/2/9/allan/cont

particularly vulnerable because it is normally when children start becoming more independent and

trusted by their parents; and are therefore more at risk. The early years of formal education provide

the ideal opportunity to start the road safety element of their social education. However, it is

important to acknowledge that children of this age do not think (or behave) like adults, or have their

vocabulary, and therefore need special materials tailored to their particular stage of their

development.

A separate report deals with the ‘Advisory’ input. ‘Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh’

contains: a review of the education system, considers current road accident statistics, the provision

of road safety education, as well as providing some general principles for road safety education and

making detailed proposals about how children’s traffic education in Bangladesh could be improved

in the future. The contents page of this report is included as Annex B of this report.

A list of the people, and their organisations, who were consulted by the specialists during this input

are provided in Annex C.

The IDC project (sometimes referred to as IDC2, as it followed on from an initial review phase), is

to continue as IDC3, which will start in January 1999. A ‘transitional’ phase (T-IDC) will operate

until IDC3 starts. The National Road Safety Council (NRSC), by means of it’s Secretariat will play

a key role in bringing about the proposals currently being considered for T-IDC and IDC3.

1.2 Road safety in Bangladesh

Compared to other countries Bangladesh has a serious road safety problem and all indications

suggest that it is rapidly worsening.

Although, the accident database system being introduced as part of the IDC project does not yet

cover the whole of the country (and there are still concerns about how complete the ‘capture’ of

accidents is in those areas where it is being collected) there is now a sizable body of accident data

available; especially within Dhaka.

An analysis of the available accident statistics suggests that pedestrians appear to be particularly

vulnerable; and that very often these pedestrians are school-aged children. This situation is typical

of many other comparable countries. While there are a number of ways that the numbers of such

accidents can be reduced (for example by measures involving engineering and enforcement) road

user education has a critical role to play. This appears to be particularly true in Bangladesh where

there is a general belief that road users lack the knowledge (and understanding) required to behave

safely and responsibly on the roads.

This education process should start in school and be part of the formal education process.

Eventually this will mean all road users (children and adults alike) will have the necessary

knowledge, in addition to having appropriate attitudes, be make their contribution to road safety.

1.3 Safety education in Bangladesh


3/2/9/allan/cont

This section contains a very brief overview of the current education situation in Bangladesh that is

relevant to the provision of road safety. A more detailed picture is provide in the companion

‘education’ report - see Section 1.1.

The existing Road Safety Education (RSE) in primary schools is extremely poor; there is only one

lesson devoted to road safety in the primary years (in Class 3) and this is of limited quality; and may

not actively ‘persuade’ children to change already established behaviours.

In general, primary education is teacher-centered (‘chalk-and-talk’) although the new education

policy (which is currently in draft form) encourages a move towards child-centered learning.

However, it is likely to be a number of years before road safety education becomes a high priority

element within the national curriculum. One of IDC3 ‘s many tasks is to speed up this process.

2 EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

2.1 General guidelines

All educational materials need to take account of the both the age groups for which they are

intended as well as the environment in which they are to be used. This means that safety materials

developed for use in schools in the UK, for example, are generally unsuitable for use in schools in

developing countries. In addition to the children, the teachers and the classrooms all being different,

what actually needs to be taught can also be very different. For example, not all countries have the

numbers of zebra or panda crossings that there are in the UK.

This means that materials have to be developed separately for each country. This development

process should involve an evaluation phase (or phases) where pilot materials are tested, and

possible improvements identified, before the materials are introduced on a wider scale. Materials

also need to be re-evaluated, and undated, on a regular basis.

Ideally road safety should be part of the national curriculum. This is in the process of being updated

in Bangladesh and the IDC education input started too late to influence this process. As a result

there is likely to be limited road safety education provided at an early stage of the formal education

process; although this is likely to be remedied the next time the curriculum is updated.

In any case, materials need to be based on sound educational principles. They should be graduated,

child-centered and, whenever possible, involve practical demonstrations. There has been

considerable effort put into the development and evaluation of materials in other countries and this

experience should be used to speed up and improve the provision of safety education in Bangladesh.

2.2 Development of pilot materials


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The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) , which has provided the specialist input for the

safety element of the IDC project, has considerable experience of developing education materials

for use in schools (and elsewhere) in a number of countries. They have now published guidelines

on how this can most easily be achieved (TRL Overseas Road Note 17).

In recent years TRL have developed educational materials in countries such as Uganda, Ghana,

India and Nepal. The experience and materials developed in these other countries were used to help

develop the initial materials for trialing in Bangladesh.

The accident data available at the time of the first input did not suggest that one particular age

group of child was particularly at risk and so the decision was made to target the materials at lower

primary children, that is those starting school (Class 1), who would normally be aged six.

The expectation at the time was that additional materials would be provided for older children during

later stages of the IDC project.

The pilot materials produced consisted of 3 activity sheets; each one containing three or four

activities. The sheets were designed as teaching resources - that is they contain information,

guidance and ideas for the teacher, and were not ‘text books’ for the children. The aim of the

sheets was to make children safer pedestrians.

However, it was felt that knowledge levels were so low that the teachers themselves were likely to

benefit; and that the children, once taught, could be encouraged to pass on what they had learned to

their parents and their older brothers and sisters.

The sheets were designed to:

• provide children with a road safety vocabulary (a pre-requisite for further RSE)

• introduce the concept of danger on the road and identify it’s source

• inform children about safe behaviour near roads.

Additional materials will be required for older children. Many adults in Bangladesh also need to be

involved in RSE, and this will also involve developing suitable materials.

These sheets (then in English, see Annex C) were presented at a workshop for teachers at a

Primary Training Institute (PTI) in Gazipur, about 15 km north of Dhaka. The objectives of this

workshop were:

• to explain the need for and the principles of RSE to a group of local teachers

• to train the teachers in the use of the materials

• to obtain feedback from the teachers about the quality of the materials.

This workshop revealed that very few of the teachers had considered RSE before, at least not

beyond the teaching of a few road signs. The teachers appeared very enthusiastic about the


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materials and in addition to making a number of suggestion about how they could be improved, said

that they would use the sheets with their children as a way of evaluating their suitability.

Provision was then made to translate the materials into Bangla (see Annex D) and to circulate

these to the teachers via the Gazipur PTI. This resulted in the materials being trialed in 5 schools.

All of these schools were ‘on or near’ large roads. While this meant that they had a real need for

the materials (a child had recently been killed in a road accident at one of the schools), it also meant

that the schools were not representative of the many ‘rural’ schools in Bangladesh

2.3 Evaluation of materials

A workshop to evaluate the materials was held, again at Gazipur PTI. All the teachers that had use

the materials were requested to attend in order to obtain feedback from them about how they felt

that the materials had ‘worked ‘ with the children. The evaluation found that the teachers, although

they were extremely supportive of the initiative, felt that a number of improvements could be made

to the materials; the reason for conducting the evaluation.

Summary notes taken at this evaluation workshop are contained in Annex F. Two letters provided

by individual teachers of their experience and thoughts on the materials (translated from Bangla)

are included as Annexes G and H.

The new materials produced as a result of this evaluation are produced in Annex I (English) and

Annex J (Bangla).

3 PILOT PROJECT

3.1 Background

The ToR for the second input of the education component (see Annex A) called for the

‘development of a pilot project in urban and rural areas’. The objective of this was to disseminate

the materials more widely than the small number of schools used for the evaluation and therefore

increase the types of school (and children) using the materials. This would provide better

opportunities in the future to:

evaluate, and improve, the materials, especially with regard to rural areas

examine whether the materials, if provided for schools along with appropriate teacher training, were

actually being used; and used in the correct way, and

conduct additional evaluations of the materials based on either a larger sample of teachers, or by

examining children’s knowledge and behaviour.

The earlier stages of this programme had been conducted within the Gazipur District. This had

involved the support and participation of their District Primary Education Officer (DPEO, Mrs

Meherunnesa) and the Superintendent of their Primary Training Institute (PTI, Mrs K Sabina).


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Also, one of the PT I teaching staff (Md. H Ferdous) had provided invaluable assistance when any

translating was required, for example at the initial training seminar and also at the evaluation

workshop.

Following the evaluation workshop a separate meeting was held to discuss what would happen with

respect to RSE in Gazipur in the future and the possibility of them being involved in a pilot project

supported by the NRSC (see Annex F). This meeting confirmed their recognition of the need for

such activity and their commitment and motivation to continue to provide training in road safety

education for the teacher they were training and also, if possible, for the children within their region

under their ‘care’.

The extent of this commitment was clear when it emerged that road safety education was to be

introduced (almost immediately) into their teacher training curriculum. This was normally

determined nationally by the Ministry of Education (MOE). They also indicated that they would be

happy to provide any help that might be required to ‘deliver’ materials that could be produced to

either schools or teachers.

These discussions included the ‘news’ that Mr Ferdous would be given the task and responsibility

for introducing the road safety education into the PTI’s curriculum based on the ‘new’ materials.

Further discussions revealed that the Gazipur Region consisted of 6 separate Thanas, some of

which could be described as ‘rural’. The region had a total of 29 Assistant Thana Education

Officers (ATEOs), who were responsible for monitoring the quality of the teaching in their areas. In

addition these ATEOs conducted regular (‘cluster’) training for the teachers under their

supervision. This training took place approximately every 2 months.

As a result of these discussions it was concluded that the ‘pilot’ project should take place in the

Gazipur Region.

This activity was to supported by the NRSC Secretariat (rather than IDC2 or the T-IDC), although

IDC3 would be involved in reviewing the pilot scheme, producing additional materials and

disseminating them more widely.

A lack of accident data in the Gazipur District meant that no longer term evaluation based on

accident data could be planned.


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3.2 Phases of pilot scheme

3.2.1 Final agreement on materials

Although both specialists (KS and CP) had originally been involved in developing the pilot materials,

only one specialist was involved in the evaluation process reported here and in making changes to

the original materials. It was therefore considered necessary to provide the other specialist (KS) the

opportunity to have an input into the new materials following the evaluation. This would need to be

done from her base in the UK.

3.2.2 Training of trainers (ToT)

Following the end of IDC2 (in July 1998) there is no provision for visiting specialist input into the

pilot project until the start of IDC3. While the NRSC Secretariat will be able to provide some

assistance they will not yet able to provide appropriate technical support for the pilot project. This

meant that the pilot scheme would be dependent on ‘local’ (Bangladeshi) support.

In order to provide this support it was necessary to get the agreement of Gazipur PTI to provide a

suitable trainer to be involved in the project. An agreement was reached that a suitable

Experimental Training Officer (stationed at Gazipur PTI) could be involved.

The individual (Mr Ferdous) was chosen because he:

• had attended (and translated for) the original teacher training workshop (conducted by KS and

CP)

• had attended (and again translated at) the evaluation workshop (conducted by AQ)

• had discussed the new materials in depth with the specialist after the evaluation workshop

• had been given overall responsibility for road safety training within Gazipur PTI

• was fully conversant with, and in support of, ‘new’ teaching practices (such as ‘child-centered

learning’)

• was highly motivated by and committed to the programme.

He was given additional detailed one-to-one training by the visiting specialist during the evaluation

phase of the input. In order to provide additional support the proposal was that additional trainers

would be taught during the early training workshops, to be conducted at Gazipur.

3.2.3 Training of new teachers

The pilot scheme proposed to provide training in the use of the road safety materials, and the

materials themselves, for all current trainee teachers attending Gazipur PTI. As a result when they

qualified and joined the schools where they were to work, they would already be equipped to use

the materials. There are currently approximately 70 trainee teachers at Gazipur PTI.

3.2.4 Re-training existing teachers


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The District Primary Education Officer in Gazipur is responsible for nearly 700 Primary schools.

The pilot project planned to provide both training and materials for existing teachers in these schools

by ‘cascading’ training down through the ATEOs. It was decided that the most effective way of

achieving this would be to initially conduct two, or possibly three, workshops at Gazipur PTI to

which the 29 ATEO serving in Gazipur would attend. These would then be able to provide materials

and training in each of their areas during their normal training programme. The ATEOs would also

be responsible, as part of their normal role, in evaluating the teaching being provided for children in

each of the schools in their areas.

3.3 Proposed time-table

The time-table for the pilot project given below is only ‘proposed’. This is because the NRSC

Secretariat, which will support the project, is still being staffed. The level of support provided and

the speed at which the project operates is likely to be dependent on the number (and interests) of

the staff working within the Secretariat and when they start these jobs.

The pilot project could be administered with relatively little support. The minimum level of support

required will simply involve providing materials (this will mainly involve photocopying and possibly

delivering materials to Gazipur) and providing some small level of financial assistance for travel and

attending workshops.

It should be noted that Gazipur PTI has no photocopying facilities. Nor does it have an overhead

projector, or screen, that would make the training workshops more effective. The Secretariat

should consider whether any assistance my be possible with regard to the overhead projector.

Task Aug Sep Oct Nov DecFinalise materials(KS)Finalise materials (NRSC)Train trainee teachersTrain additional TrainerTrain ATEOtTrain existing teachersInitiate evaluation

The ‘evaluation’ included above will largely consist of providing information that will be of value to

the education specialist involved in IDC3. This person will need to know details of the scheme being

operated, such as how may teachers and schools, and which ones, had been involved.

It is expected that the specialist will ‘re-evaluate’ the materials used in the pilot scheme - with

special reference possibly being given to children and schools in rural areas.

3.4 NRSC Secretariat assistance


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For the pilot project to succeed (during the T-IDC phase) it will be necessary for the NRSC

Secretariat to confirm (to Gazipur PTI) that the assistance discussed (and ‘promised ‘) by the

visiting specialist at the conclusion of IDC2 will be available. This support would involve:

a) providing photocopies of the material for trainers to give out to those attending the workshops, or

(in the case of ATEOs) planning to hold their own workshops.

The materials currently consist of 12 sides of A4 (in the English version). This might change if the

Secretariat were to employ an ‘artist’ to improve the pictures contained in the materials. The

proposed pilot scheme might require providing between 300 to 800 sets of materials.

b) providing financial help with the workshops. In Bangladesh, government workers (such as

teachers) if required to attend a seminar or workshop for training normally expect to receive both

the travel costs plus a small attendance allowances - to recompense them for the additional ‘duty’.

Both of these costs are more or less fixed according to existing agreements, but in any case they

are not large.

It was agreed that all ATEOs in Gazipur could attend a days workshop in Gazipur without having to

be paid overnight accommodation costs. Individual travel costs would differ but on average would

be (of the order) 20-25 thakas. Each person attending would need to receive an attendance

allowance of 125 thakas - this means that no lunch would need to be provided (unless the

Secretariat were feeling generous!).

The two workshops proposed to train all the AETOs in Gazipur wouId therefore cost 4-5 thousand

thakas.

These estimates do not provide money to pay for the time needed by the trainer to conduct the

seminars. While this would be provided for nothing it may be acceptable for the Secretariat to

support the time he spends - especially if this turns out to be more than originally proposed (see

Section 3.5 below)

c) additionally, it is strongly recommended that the Secretariat undertake to employ a graphic artist

to improve the quality of the ‘pictures’ that are included in the materials. Education materials work

better if they are professionally produced - and even more so in the case of children. None of the

educational specialists involved in this project had the professional skills required to perform this

function. It is suggested that Mr Ferdous be involved in this activity.

The MOE have experience of producing such materials.

It is estimated that this work might cost between 1,000 and 1,500 thakas.

3.5 Extending pilot scheme

While no provision was made for extending the pilot scheme outside Gazipur, it may be worth

placing on record that during discussions with ADC Jallil (Dhaka Traffic Police) on the proposed

scheme in Gazipur, he expressed the strong desire for a similar exercise to take place in Dhaka


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itself. He suggested that this might be accomplished by ‘simply’ getting the Dhaka DPEO to

contact the DPEO in Gazipur.

If this were to happen and the Secretariat were to support the extension of the scheme, it would

require additional funding. This might also involve paying for Mr Ferdous (or other trainers) time to

work in Dhaka and not Gazipur.

The visiting specialist has taken no action with regard to this possible extension.

3.6 Pilot scheme and IDC3

The pilot scheme is expected to continue (managed and coordinated by the NRSC Secretariat) until

IDC3 starts. The education specialist should then review the scheme and decide on whether it

should continue to be supported and what particular form it should take. In any case it is likely that

Gazipur District (and probably their PTI) will continue to be involved as any new materials,

developed for older children, will need to be trialed in schools during the evaluation phase.

4 FUTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

This input into the IDC programme has only produced materials suitable for children starting

primary school (Class 1). There will therefore be a need in the future to develop additional materials

for older children. These will be need to teach more complicated skills - such as how to cross the

road safety.

It would be sensible for this process to follow the incremental policy adopted for this input, so that

gradually materials become available for older and older children.

It is also important that road safety is not just treated as a ‘one lesson a year’ subject, but that

teachers continually remind children of the need for care near traffic and regularly reinforce what

they have been taught in formal lessons in the classroom. Teachers will need to have this pointed

out to them both during their initial training and subsequent re-training.


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5 RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Short-term

The pilot scheme in Gazipur District should be actively supported by the NRSC Secretariat. This is

especially important during T-IDC in the absence of visiting education specialists. It is likely that

the contacts made with Gazipur will be continued into IDC3.

A graphic artist should be given the task of improving the ‘pictures’ in the materials.

The pilot scheme should be reviewed at the start of IDC3. It can then either extended or reduced in

size. However, it is recommended that any future materials be made available to Gazipur District so

that they can continue with their plans to provide safety education for the children in their care.

5.2 Long-term

Longer term proposals for the provision of road safety education in schools in Bangladesh, covering

the years 1999 to 2004 (the duration of IDC3), are provided in the ‘Children’s Traffic Education in

Bangladesh’ Report.


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ANNEXES

Annex A: Terms of Reference for Children’s Traffic Education Input

Annex B: Contents page of ‘Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh’ report

Annex C: Organisations and Individuals Consulted

Annex D: Pilot Materials (English)

Annex E: Pilot Materials (Bangla)

Annex F: Notes on ‘Evaluation Workshop’ and ‘Pilot scheme’ discussions

Annex G: Report on evaluation from Sripur Primary School

Annex H: Report on evaluation from Nawgpoor Primary School

Annex I: Final materials (English) - without figures

Annex J: Final material (Bangla)


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ANNEX - A

Terms of Reference for Children’s Traffic Education Input


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Road Safety Education Advisors

Location: Ministry of Education

Counterpart: Md. Tabarak AliSenior Specialist, National Curriculum and Textbook Board

Reporting to: IDC Team Leader

Objective: To increase the effectiveness of road safety education in schools and to assist NGOs to promote road safety education awareness in the community


1 Introduction

1.1 It is proposed to use two specialists to undertake the tasks identified below. this approach has thebenefit of combining the skills and expertise of two specialists, thereby enhancing the value of theirinputs. This makes the best use of limited resources, enables more tasks to be undertaken in the shorttimescale and increases cost effectiveness. The approach of using more than one specialist to address asector of activity has been used with success in several other countries. experience shows, especiallywhere teaching materials are to be developed, that the end product is better if input from more than oneperson is utilized. It should be stressed that, due to prior commitments and individual areas of expertise,it would not be possible for this work to be carried out by one person before the end of the project.

1.1 The Terms of Reference should be considered as two separate, but related, areas of work:advisory services I road safety education (RSE)materials development

There is a great deal of inter-dependence between the two areas of work and, therefore, the projectwould benefit from having a degree of overlap in the visits of the two consultants. Experience showsthat such short term consultancy inputs are usually more effective if they consist of two visits by eachspecialist. This allows for ongoing activity by local counterparts during the period that the specialists areaway from the country.

2 Advisory Services - Kim Smith, (Senior Consultant, Ross Silcock)

2.1 Phase 1 would review road safety provision in the national curriculum and activities undertaken viaschool based teaching ad through NGOs. This phase would involve consultants with relevantprofessionals in the field, including the ministry of education, teacher training colleges, schools andNGOs. the national curriculum would be reviewed to determine existing road safety content and toprovide advice on ways in which road safety could be integrated within the existing curriculum.

2.2 Teacher training would also be reviewed and recommendations for inclusion of road safety in thesyllabus made in consultation with teacher training colleges and the Ministry. Other professionals, for


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example, police officers with a role in RSE, would also be consulted. It is important for effective roadsafety education for children that visiting speakers to schools are not relied upon but supplement anoverall curriculum based approach.

2.3 Phase 2 would develop a structured program for improving road safety y education. Recommendationsfor further resource/teaching materials would be made based on available accident data and gapsidentified in teaching materials available.

2.4 Kim Smith (KS) would primarily be responsible for undertaking the Advisory services and would alsoproduce a final report and recommendations which would be presented at a final seminar.

2.5 Teachers, head teachers and Ministry of Education officials would be invited to participate in a finalseminar on ‘The Teaching of Road Safety Education to Children.

3 Development of Materials

3.1 In Phase 1 of this part of the project, pilot education materials would be developed based on accidentanalysis and teaching resource requirements. From previous experience, it is expected that a pedestrianteaching resource incorporating classroom based and practical roadside activities will be required. Anintegrated part of introducing a new resource is to train teaches in its use. The schools selected forpiloting the materials will be invited to participate in a teacher training workshop for this purpose.

3.2 A pilot teaching program, using the draft materials, will be developed allowing participating schools totrial the materials during the 3 month period when the specialist is not in the country. On the second visit(Phase 2), the results of the trials would be evaluated and the materials reviewed and finalized.

3.3 During Phase 2 a road safety pilot project would be developed to ensure training of teachers in the useof the materials and allow for incremental use of the resource in schools in urban and rural areas. Thiswould involve training trainers who could then continue training existing teachers, both in the use of theresource and the need for road safety education in general.

3.4 Christian Palmer (CP) would be primarily responsible for the development and piloting of teachingmaterials and would contribute to the final report and seminar.


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Summary of Road Safety Education Input

1 Road Safety Advisory Service Tasks (KS)

1.1 Phase 1 Review of RSE provision and teacher trainingReview of curriculumLiaison with MOE, teachers, NGOsReview of existing resourcesReview of accident data

1.2 Phase 2 Development of star structured RSE programRecommendations for further teaching/resource materialsPreparation of final report

2 Development of Materials Task (CP)

2.1 Phase 1 Review of existing resourcesReview of accident dataPreparation of pilot materialsPilot teacher training workshop

2.2 Phase 2 Evaluation of pilot materialsDevelopment of pilot project in urban and rural areasPreparation of final reportInput to final reportInput to final seminar

Timing of Inputs:Seven weeks for each specialist. The first visit for each would occur simultaneously in February 1998 with thesecond visits being staggered over the period mid may to end of June 1998.

Changes to ToR/staff:

The specialist responsible for the ‘development of materials’ aspect of this work (CP) was did not undertakehis second input. Instead this was done by Allan Quimby (AQ), (like CP a TRL psychologist with overseasexperience of road safety education).

This change of personnel resulted in: - the second input being delayed - the duration of the second input being reduced.

The required delay of the second input was fortunate because the Bangla version of the pilot was not providedto Gazipur PTI until the end of KS’s second visit; and thus allowed them sufficient time to trial them before theirevaluation undertaken by AQ.


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However, the shortened input meant that proposals to extend the provision of materials into more ‘rural’ areaswould need to take place after the second input had taken place.

ANNEX – BContents page of Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh Report


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ANNEX – COrganisations and Individuals Consulted


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Prof Muhhamed Ali (Member of National Curriculum and Text Book Board, NCTB)Mr Kuddus (Curriculum Specialist, NCTB)Mr Tobarek Ali (Curriculum Specialist, NCTB)Mr Shafiul Alam (Curriculum Advisor, NCTB)

Mrs Kawsar Sabina (Superintendant of Primary Training Institute, Gazipur)Mr Hasanrul Ferdous (Experimental Instructor at PTI, Gazipur)

Mrs Meherunnesa (District Primary Education Officer, Gazipur)

Dr Terri Kelly (Education division, DFID, Dhaka)Mr Mike McCarthy (DFID, Dhaka)

Md Iqbal Karim (World Bank)Mr Stein Lundebye (World Bank)

Prof Md Mazural HoqueProf Amalgir Mujibul HoqueProf Md Zakaria(all Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dept of Civil Engineering)

Mrs Mashuda Khatun Shefali (Executive Director of NUK - a NGO)

Mrs Chritine Bardsley (British Council)Eric Thripthrope (British Council)

Mrs Birgiter Lund-Henriksen (UNICEF)

Md Shamsul Haque (Director of Training at the Directorate of Primary Education)Dr A K M Alam (Deputy Director of Training at DPE)

Mrs Neena Afreen (Senior Materials Development Specialist at BRAC - an NGO)Mrs Cerena Samad (ditto)


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{ EMBED Word.Picture.6 }

Sheet 1: Road Safety Vocabulary

Introduction

One of the first steps in road safety education is to develop a vocabulary which can laterbe used to discuss more complicated concepts.

Objectives

• to develop a vocabulary of the road environment• particularly to understand the distinction between pedestrians and traffic• to understand the properties of various road users• to understand where various road users should be

Activity one: Naming the parts of the road

It is important that children are able to recognise and describe the various parts of theroad. Unfortunately all roads look different, but they still retain some of the sameproperties.

Draw this simple diagram on the board. Point to the various items and ask the children toname them.

On some roads the footpath is made of stone and is higher than the road. On most roads thefootpath is less obvious.

N.B. Do not rub the diagram off the board - you will use it again later.

RoadFootpath Median


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Activity two: Naming vehicles

Ask the children to list as many vehicles as they can. As the children mention vehicles,write them up on the blackboard.

The list should contain at least the following words:Truck BusCar JeepBicycle RickshawBaby Taxi TempoCart VanPick-up

One word that children may not have heard is ‘traffic’. You should explain that traffic is ageneral word that describes all these vehicles.

Now ask the children to describe each of these vehicles. They should be encouraged to useas many descriptors as possible, but examples are size, how fast they travel, whether theyhave an engine, and so on.

Activity three: The difference between traffic and pedestrians

Another word that children may not have heard is ‘pedestrian’. It is very important thatthey learn this word because it helps them to make the distinction between vehicles(traffic) and people (pedestrians). Ask the children to describe people in relation totraffic - for example ask the children if pedestrians are fast or slow, hard or soft, and soon.

Ask the children to look at the pictures below. For each picture the children should saywhether the picture is of something which is ‘traffic’ or something which is a ‘pedestrian’.


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Activity four: Where do pedestrians and traffic move?

The distinction between traffic and pedestrians is important, because they are supposed touse different parts of the road.

Draw the children’s attention back to the diagram of the road. Name various vehicles andpeople. For each one ask the children if it should move on the road or on the footpath.


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Sheet 2: Dangers On The Road

Introduction

The road is an extremely dangerous place. Although children may claim that they realisethis, they probably have not actually thought about the dangers. The idea is not to scarechildren so that they are afraid to leave the house. It is to give children a respect for thedangers of traffic so that they make safe behaviour a priority when they are near roads.

Objectives

• to understand that many things are dangerous• to understand that traffic and roads are dangerous• to realise why traffic is dangerous• to think and talk about road mishaps/accidents• to realise that mishaps are avoidable• to practice using the words learnt in Sheet 1

Activity one: Dangerous things

Children are probably well aware that certain things are dangerous (for example fire),however they may not be so aware of other dangers. Ask children to look at the picturesbelow. When they have all been named, write the words on the blackboard (alternativelyyou could draw the pictures on the board before the lesson starts). Ask the childrenwhether each item is safe or unsafe - for the ‘unsafe’ items ask the children to explain whythey are unsafe.

Fire

Knife Paint Brush

Banana

LadderKeyMosquito

Longi


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Now repeat the exercise using the pictures below. All of the dangerous items are vehicles.When asking the children why the vehicles are dangerous make sure they remember theirdescriptions of vehicles used in Sheet 1 - vehicles are fast, hard and so on, and make surethey mention road accidents.

Activity three: Why are accidents dangerous?

The previous activity should have brought out the fact that traffic is dangerous because itcan cause mishaps/accidents. If a vehicle collides with a pedestrian the result isoften terrible, because vehicles are heavy and travel very fast - road mishaps hurtpeople more than they hurt vehicles!

This activity illustrates this point. It is very simple but also very effective. Theexercise should be done outside the classroom, perhaps on the verandah.

Take an egg and draw on a face. Explain to the children that children’s heads arevery brittle, just like the egg. Then explain that vehicles are very hard, just like theground. Ask the children what they think will happen when the egg and the groundmeet. Now drop the egg from head height and observe the results. Explain to the childrenthat this is what happens in road accidents - the children get hurt and the vehicles areundamaged. You could also explain that the egg was only travelingat about 20 km per hour when it hit the ground - vehicles are often travelingfour or five times as fast!

Activity four: Describing road mishaps

Jeep

School bag

Motorcycle

Flower Bus

Slate

Apple

Truck


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Write on the blackboard “Anyone can have a road accident.” Ask the class if anyone hashad, or nearly had, a road accident (or if the know of anyone who has). Ask then how it felt(e.g. frightening, painful) and write they key words up on the board. Ask the children ifthey think that the mishap could have been avoided if the children had behaved differently.

Split the class into small groups (e.g. five or six children) and get them to discuss amongstthemselves the circumstances of the accidents they have had or nearly had. Give them a fewminutes to talk, and then select a few children to tell the class about their experiences. Ifthere is time you could ask your class to write a brief account of one of their experiences.

Try to bring out the following points: traffic is dangerous and can hurt you, roads are fortraffic, the footpath is for pedestrians, you should behave safely near the road and thataccidents are avoidable.

Sheet 3: Safety By The Road

Introduction

It is not enough to tell children that the road environment is dangerous and that they shouldbehave safely - children need to be told what safe behaviour really is. Many of theactivities described below are carried out in the school compound.

Objectives

• to understand that it is not safe to run on or near the road• to know that children should be accompanied - and should hold hands with an adult that

they know - when walking near roads• to know that they should walk facing the oncoming traffic

Activity one: Holding hands

As the children in your class are very young and their perceptual abilities have notdeveloped sufficiently to betotally safe near roads, they should be accompanied by anadult. Whether children are being accompanied, or whether they themselves areaccompanying other, younger children, they should hold hands.


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In the compound draw two lines on the ground with a stick - tell the children that this is theroad. Ask pairs of children to demonstrate how they should walk along together. Tell onechild he/she is the adult and the other is the child. The pair should walk together holdinghands on the right hand side of the road (this is important and is explained later in thesheet), with the older child nearest the road.

Activity two: Walk - don’t run - near roads

Still in the compound, ask the children to run, skip, walk backwards and walk forwards.Ask the children which they think is the safest way to move near roads. Walking is thesafest way to move because it minimises the chances of tripping and allows you to stopeasily in the case of an emergency.

For the next demonstration you will need two children to be pedestrians and four childrenas helpers. Ask one pedestrian to walk and the other to run, and tell them that when yousay ‘stop!’ they should try to stop as quickly as possible. Ask the helpers to mark whereeach of the children was when you said stop, and where they were when they finallymanaged to stop - each helper should mark one of these places (see Diagram A).Ask the children to measure the difference in stopping distance. Back in the classroom youcan demonstrate the importance of this. Draw diagram B on the board - this shows thestopping distances. Now add lines representing roads as in diagram C. In the event of anemergeny the walker would have been able to stop on the footpath, but the runner wouldhave ended up in the road and would have been exposed to danger.

Runner

Walker

Distance

Runner Walker

Diagram A

Diagram B Diagram C

CarIf running stops here,in the middle of theroad

If walking stops here -still on the footpath

Pedestrian sees carapproaching on side road


3/2/9/allan/cont

Activity three: Walk facing the traffic

It is very important that children walk facing the traffic - that is they should walk on theright side of the road wherever possible. The only exceptions are if there is no footpath onthe right bu there is on the left, and in situations where crossing the road to get to theright exposes the children to unacceotable levels of danger.

Vehicles make noise - either an engine noise, or a horn or a bell. When walking with ourbacks to the traffic we have to guess the position of the vehicles by their noise. This ismuch less accurate than by using our sight. The importance of facing the traffic can bedemonstrated in the compound by simulating the road environment.

Arrange around 20 children randonmly in a 2m by 5m area. Ask them to walk forwardsslowly and ask them to hum (to simulate the noise of the traffic). Ask anoher child to walkslowly backwards through the other children with his/her eyes shut. This child should tryto avoid bumping into any other children, just using the sound as a guide.

Now ask him/her to walk through the other children forwards with their eyes open but withtheir hands over their ears.

Ask the children which they think was easiest. Ask the children which is best - eyes or ears- for avoiding vehicles.

Child tries to avoid other childrena. walking backwards with eyesclosedb. Walking forwards with earscovered

Children walk forward slowly, humming


3/2/9/allan/cont

ANNEX GReport on evaluation from Sripur Primary school


3/2/9/allan/cont

Mawna J.M. Govt. Primary SchoolSripur, Gazipur

21-7-98

"Report on road Safety Education"

Road accident is a every day matter in Bangladesh. Though there are many reasons for the accident but accidents of thepedestrian due to ignorance are not less and involvement of Children are more. As a result every day young lives are lost. Toget rid of accidents due to ignorance of the pedestrian, it is necessary to introduce learning in the primary school. Aiming tothis one workshop was held at Gazipur P.T.I. in 8/7/98 on "Road Safety Education". In this connection necessary papers weresent to the school on 1/7/98 for training of the Children. Basing on the papers training courses were held for the students fromClass III to Class V. The program and results are given below :

Class Training Date of training Time Remarkseat number

Class I 1 4-7-98 3:30-4:15 " 2 5-7-98 "

" 3 6-7-98 "Class II 1 8-7-98 "

" 2 & 3 13-7-98 "Class III 1 14-7-98 "

" 2 & 3 15-7-98 "

As per above program practical training was given

Experience from the training

Many children of this school use road as pedestrian. It is pity that few children know about the rules of the road andconscious about it. Road is dangerous, they have no realisation. This has been proved from the descriptions given by thechildren which they saw. They have no clear idea that road pavement is for the traffic and footpath is for the pedestrian. Thechildren only know that drivers are responsible for the accidents. They do not know that as a pedestrian they have noknowledge.

Result of the training

1) They are enthusiastic to learn the words used in road safety.2) The children have acquired sufficient knowledge that the road is very dangerous3) They have learnt the rules for the pedestrian4) The children are now cautions to use the road

At the end it can be said that if the children are taught about road safety in the schools, accidents due to ignorance will bereduced in near future. This is a continuos process and every year progress to be maintained and the workshop is to becarried out. Along with this remedies are to be found not for other causes of accident.

Md. Fakrul IslamHead MasterMowland J. M. Govt. Primary SchoolSripur, Gazipur.


3/2/9/allan/cont

ANNEX HReport on Evaluation from Nawgpoor Primary School


3/2/9/allan/cont

37 No. Nawgoor Govt. Primary SchoolPO. Kodda Bazar, P.S. Gazipur, District, Gazipur.

REPORT

Safe crossing of road

After getting training on safe road crossing, we arranged training class wise in our school. The children knew the names ofdifferent parts of roads, name of traffic, difference between traffic and pedestrian, which things are dangerous, how accidentcan be avoided, standing on road pavement side is risky, crossing the road through walking and rules to cross road safely.The good result due safe crossing of the road, and to understand them we used egg for effect of accident due to uncarefulcrossing. The school is near a road. We took the children on road and asked the children one by one to cross road safely.Every children enthusiastically crossed the road safely. The children clearly understood the other rules of the road from otherpaper. 'Safe road crossing' is realy very useful and acceptable by the children. It will minimise the loss of life. We recommendto extend this program and keep if continuos.

Safiuddin AhmedHead Master


3/2/9/allan/cont

Government of The People’s Republic of BangladeshMinistry of CommunicationsRoads and Railways Division

Third Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance ProjectInstitutional Development Component

Education and Publicity in Bangladesh

December 1999

Road Safety Education and Publicity End of Visit ReportIDC3 December 1999

F:\ManagementSvcs\Idc3_DFID\06reports\07Road Safety\Road Safety CD\Education & Publicity\end of visit report by Education & Publicity Specialist\end ofvisit report by Education & Publicity Specialist.doc

1

EDUCATION AND PUBLICITYEND OF VISIT REPORT

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Technical Assistance Inputs

1.1.1 This report has been written by Kim Smith of Ross Silcock Limited, following twoshort inputs to IDC3 at the end of 1999. She was present in Bangladesh from 4October to 19 October, inclusive, and from 22 November to 16 December inclusive.Terms of Reference are included in Appendix A.

1.1.2 A local education and publicity advisor was appointed to the Secretariat to workclosely with the expatriate consultant. Dr Zohora Shamim started working on 4October 1999 and was appointed for a three month period. Some of the activitiesreported on in this document were progressed by Ms Shamim during the period whenthe foreign consultant was absent from Bangladesh.

1.2 Format of Report

1.2.1 The main output required in the TOR was a “Final Report on activities, includingrecommendations on future road safety education and publicity activities and publicawareness campaigns”. This report is intended to address that requirement. It is alsoused as a way of gathering together the various documents relating to the input and theresulting papers and reports.

1.2.2 The main body of this report deals with the activities undertaken, following the sameorder as the TOR. Recommendations on future road safety education and publicityactivities are included in sections 4. Future publicity campaigns are dealt with insection 3.7.

1.2.3 Previous IDC reports in this sector have included the following:• Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2);• Development of Road Safety Education Materials for Lower Primary School

Children in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2);• Road Safety Publicity in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2); and• T-IDC End of Visit Report.

It should be noted that this report builds on information documented in the previousreports rather than going over the same information again.

2 EXISTING CASUALTY SITUATION

2.1 Background

2.1.1 Previous reports on education and publicity have included some information on theexisting crash and casualty problem. It became apparent during the consultant’s



1

EDUCATION AND PUBLICITYEND OF VISIT REPORT

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Technical Assistance Inputs

1.1.1 This report has been written by Kim Smith of Ross Silcock Limited, following twoshort inputs to IDC3 at the end of 1999. She was present in Bangladesh from 4October to 19 October, inclusive, and from 22 November to 16 December inclusive.Terms of Reference are included in Appendix A.

1.1.2 A local education and publicity advisor was appointed to the Secretariat to workclosely with the expatriate consultant. Dr Zohora Shamim started working on 4October 1999 and was appointed for a three month period. Some of the activitiesreported on in this document were progressed by Ms Shamim during the period whenthe foreign consultant was absent from Bangladesh.

1.2 Format of Report

1.2.1 The main output required in the TOR was a “Final Report on activities, includingrecommendations on future road safety education and publicity activities and publicawareness campaigns”. This report is intended to address that requirement. It is alsoused as a way of gathering together the various documents relating to the input and theresulting papers and reports.

1.2.2 The main body of this report deals with the activities undertaken, following the sameorder as the TOR. Recommendations on future road safety education and publicityactivities are included in sections 4. Future publicity campaigns are dealt with insection 3.7.

1.2.3 Previous IDC reports in this sector have included the following:• Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2);• Development of Road Safety Education Materials for Lower Primary School

Children in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2);• Road Safety Publicity in Bangladesh: Final Report (IDC2); and• T-IDC End of Visit Report.

It should be noted that this report builds on information documented in the previousreports rather than going over the same information again.

2 EXISTING CASUALTY SITUATION

2.1 Background

2.1.1 Previous reports on education and publicity have included some information on theexisting crash and casualty problem. It became apparent during the consultant’s



2

second visit that national data was now available1. Some of this data is included hereto update previous information.

2.1.2 The main points from analysis of the 1998 national data, using the MAAPfive databaseare summarised as:• The majority of casualties are 26 – 30 years old (19%);• 47% of casualties are aged between 21 and 35;• Children (aged 0 – 15) account for 15% of casualties;• One third of casualties (33%) are pedestrians, followed by 14% bus occupants and

8% baby taxi occupants;• 51% of fatalities in Bangladesh are pedestrians;• Of the pedestrian casualties, 76% are male;• 28% of pedestrian casualties are aged between 21 and 35;• A further 28% of pedestrian casualties are children aged between 0 and 15; and• 54% of pedestrian casualties (61% of pedestrian fatalities) involve a collision with

a heavy truck or bus.

2.1.3 It can, therefore, be concluded that the main priority, in terms of road safety educationand publicity activities in Bangladesh on a national scale is pedestrian safety.

2.1.4 Figure 1 shows pedestrian casualties by age. From this it can be seen that the two agegroups most at risk are children aged 6 to 10 and young men.

Figure 1: Pedestrian Casualties by Age (all severities, provisional) - 1998, Bangladesh

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

0..5

6..1

0

11..1

5

16..2

0

21..2

5

26..3

0

31..3

5

36..4

0

41..4

5

46..5

0

51..5

5

56..6

0

61..6

5

66..7

0

71..7

5

>75

Age Group

No

. Cas

ula

ties

2.1.5 One unusual result is that, although for most age groups males are much more likely tobe killed or injured, for 6 to 10 year olds, the incidence of female casualties is muchcloser. There could be various explanations of this, for example, perhaps children upto the age of ten are treated more similarly, but that after that age girls tend to be moreprotected. In general, the differences in reported casualties between males and

1 Data is provisional and requires validation



3

females is likely to be due to the fact that women tend to have different travel patternsand are less exposed to the traffic environment.

2.1.6 While gender issues are important in any society, in Bangladesh at present the mainpriority in terms of road safety has to be men. However, it is important to recognisethat road crashes involving men, especially young men who may often be the mainbreadwinner of the family, also have an impact on women.

3 ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 The following sections outline the activities undertaken by the Education andPublicity Specialist during the two inputs, and where relevant, the local consultant.The following sections discuss the activities undertaken, in the same order as the TOR(see Appendix A).

3.2 National Publicity Campaign

3.2.1 The first task outlined in the TOR required the consultant to “assist preparation ofTV/radio/film road safety publicity/education material and advise on production andbroadcast matters”. Essentially this has been achieved by assisting the NRSC andBRTA to develop and implement a national road safety publicity campaign – the firstsuch campaign in Bangladesh.

3.2.2 Although the overall aim of any road safety publicity campaign is ultimately toachieve behavioural change and to reduce the number of casualties, it must berecognised that this is not possible to achieve with a single campaign. Behaviouralchange requires a sustained programme of publicity and education, combined withengineering and enforcement measures. Subsidiary aims of undertaking the campaignwere identified as being:• to raise the profile of the NRSC;• to raise awareness of road safety and the need for publicity;• to provide a training opportunity for local Secretariat staff; and• to target a major crash and casualty problem.

3.2.3 It should be noted that although the intention was to develop and implement a highprofile campaign, the level of exposure to a message is partly linked to the amount offunding available. The funds available for this campaign were extremely limited(around $20,000). Some elements of the campaign were either free of charge, or lowcost, however, some expenditure will always be necessary to ensure an appropriateand effective media mix. Free airtime was obtained from BTV and Bangladesh BetarRadio.

3.2.4 There is currently limited (but improving) data available in Bangladesh. Althoughthere are some concerns about the accuracy of data and the degree of under-reporting(and under-recording), the available data was used as a basis for campaigndevelopment. Good practice in publicity recommends the use of a data-led approach(which usually includes, but is not limited to crash and casualty data). It was also



3

females is likely to be due to the fact that women tend to have different travel patternsand are less exposed to the traffic environment.

2.1.6 While gender issues are important in any society, in Bangladesh at present the mainpriority in terms of road safety has to be men. However, it is important to recognisethat road crashes involving men, especially young men who may often be the mainbreadwinner of the family, also have an impact on women.

3 ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 The following sections outline the activities undertaken by the Education andPublicity Specialist during the two inputs, and where relevant, the local consultant.The following sections discuss the activities undertaken, in the same order as the TOR(see Appendix A).

3.2 National Publicity Campaign

3.2.1 The first task outlined in the TOR required the consultant to “assist preparation ofTV/radio/film road safety publicity/education material and advise on production andbroadcast matters”. Essentially this has been achieved by assisting the NRSC andBRTA to develop and implement a national road safety publicity campaign – the firstsuch campaign in Bangladesh.

3.2.2 Although the overall aim of any road safety publicity campaign is ultimately toachieve behavioural change and to reduce the number of casualties, it must berecognised that this is not possible to achieve with a single campaign. Behaviouralchange requires a sustained programme of publicity and education, combined withengineering and enforcement measures. Subsidiary aims of undertaking the campaignwere identified as being:• to raise the profile of the NRSC;• to raise awareness of road safety and the need for publicity;• to provide a training opportunity for local Secretariat staff; and• to target a major crash and casualty problem.

3.2.3 It should be noted that although the intention was to develop and implement a highprofile campaign, the level of exposure to a message is partly linked to the amount offunding available. The funds available for this campaign were extremely limited(around $20,000). Some elements of the campaign were either free of charge, or lowcost, however, some expenditure will always be necessary to ensure an appropriateand effective media mix. Free airtime was obtained from BTV and Bangladesh BetarRadio.

3.2.4 There is currently limited (but improving) data available in Bangladesh. Althoughthere are some concerns about the accuracy of data and the degree of under-reporting(and under-recording), the available data was used as a basis for campaigndevelopment. Good practice in publicity recommends the use of a data-led approach(which usually includes, but is not limited to crash and casualty data). It was also



4

important to demonstrate the use of MAAP data by practitioners, to build ondevelopment work undertaken through IDC.

3.2.5 Data analysis suggested that the campaign should target young male pedestriancasualties. Basic roadside observations were undertaken to determine likely pedestrianbehaviours to be targeted through the campaign. The two main target groups wereidentified as either the pedestrians themselves or bus/truck drivers. The campaignbackground can be summarised as:

Pedestrian CampaignPossible

target groupsPedestriansTruck/bus drivers

Age 21 – 35 yr.Gender Male

Observedbehaviours

Pedestrians:• Do not look for traffic before crossing;• Run across road;• Cross anywhere (including through roundabouts);• Stand in the road;• Walk on both sides (back to traffic);• Walk on road.

Drivers:• Don’t see pedestrians• Speed• Importance/macho/king of road

Other issues Pedestrians thought to be poorer section of society

3.2.6 It was decided that the first major campaign organised by NRSC (and BRTA) shouldtarget pedestrians as they account for over 50% of fatalities in Bangladesh. In Dhakaalone, 60% of fatalities are pedestrians. In addition, implementation of a pedestriansafety campaign would comply with the current National Strategic Road Safety ActionPlan (1997 - 1999). It was further decided that the pedestrians would initially betargeted rather than the bus and truck drivers.

3.2.7 It should be noted, for provision of future campaigns, that in Dhaka the second highestcasualty group is rickshaw occupants, and on a national scale, pedestrian casualties arefollowed by bus occupants.

3.2.8 A campaign brief was prepared and given to several local advertising agencies. Theywere required to submit a proposal with itemised costings and creative ideas andBROTEE (Centre for People’s Participation, Training and Research) weresubsequently appointed.

3.2.9 The campaign was launched on Tuesday 7 December 1999 by Anwar Hossain, MP,the Minister for Communications who unveiled the campaign banner. The eventgenerated some press coverage and was reported on the evening news on Bangladesh



5

Television (BTV). The campaign brief, materials associated with the launch andphotographs are included in Appendix B.

3.2.10 The campaign consisted of posters, banners, TV adverts and radio messages. Each ofthese are briefly described below:

• Posters: Two posters with the message “look right and left before you cross”.Poster 1 had a photograph of a man waiting to cross, poster two showed a man,woman and child. Both posters were on a yellow background, included the NRSClogo and wording and “BRTA”. 10,000 of each poster were printed (double crownsize) and distributed in Dhaka and the regions.

• Banners: 650 yellow banners with the same text message as the posters, and thelogos was produced. The banner was approximately 1m by 1.5m.

• TV: Three 30 second public service commercials were filmed using well knowncelebrities. A 45 second advert showing the consequences (on the family) of apedestrian fatality was also produced. All TV commercials included the NRSCand BRTA logos at the end. They were shown (free of charge) by BTV to obtainnational coverage.

• Radio: Four short radio messages were produced. All had the same signature tuneand ended with a message “brought to you by the NRSC”.

3.2.11 The campaign was intended to run for one month. This time period is generallyadequate for maximum exposure to the message. Longer periods are not effective asthe public become used to the message and are no longer aware of it. Fundingconstraints prevented wider coverage within Dhaka.

3.2.12 Ideally, the campaign should have been evaluated by pre- and post-testing knowledgeand attitude surveys. However, this was not possible due to time and budgetaryconstraints. Some basic market surveys were conducted to ensure that the campaignmessage was appropriate to the target group and understood by the general public.Several potential messages were trialed by BROTEE in this way.

3.3 Training of Local Secretariat Staff

3.3.1 Technology transfer through shadowing and on-the-job training was undertaken on aone-to-one basis. A short paper on possible future training options for Secretariat staffis included in Appendix C.

3.4 Coordination of Road Safety

3.4.1 Road safety coordination, one of the major roles of the NRSC and it’s Secretariat, hasbeen promoted throughout the input. This has been achieved primarily throughmeetings with many concerned organisations and individuals (see Appendix D).



6

3.4.2 Specifically, advice was sought by LGED Tangail on the contents of two drafthandbills that they had prepared on women’s safety and first aid respectively.Detailed comments were prepared and submitted to LGED.

3.4.3 UNICEF produces a book entitled “Facts for Life”. It is intended as a book forcommunicators and outlines low-cost ways of protecting children’s and mother’s livesand health. The book is produced internationally as a draft, and is then adapted inBangladesh. 37,000 copies of the first edition (printed in 1995) were distributed.Since then, a second edition (1997) has been produced and 500,000 copies distributed.The third edition is currently being prepared and will be produced early in the newyear. It was agreed that a draft chapter on road safety education could be presented forconsideration to the Bangladeshi experts committee that decides the contents of Factsfor Life. While there is no guarantee that it will be accepted, it was felt that an attemptshould be made, as this was too good an opportunity to miss. A similar opportunity isunlikely to arise again for two years. The draft chapter is included in Appendix E.

3.4.4 Discussions have also been held with UNICEF to determine the possibility of roadsafety being included as an issue into the “Meena” initiative. Meena is a regionalinitiative in South East Asia and is currently used in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan andNepal. It is soon to be introduced in other countries, including Vietnam, Afghanistan,Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

3.4.5 The initiative was originally introduced in 1990 to improve girls’ rights, to encourageschool attendance and to increase self-esteem, and is based on the Convention of theRights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women. The initiative combines the use of animated films,BBC radio series, books, posters, flip charts and facilitators guides. There are now 12episodes which include health and social issues, such as gender equality, sanitation,hygiene and diarrhoea. 24 September is designated as Meena Day in the region.

3.4.6 There is a possibility of including road safety messages in Meena in the future. This isan exciting opportunity as it is always much more effective to build road safetyeducation into existing resources and networks that to develop a new approach. Roadsafety is increasingly being seen as a health issue and can easily built into suchprogrammes. In addition, all children have the right to receive road safety educationand to be protected from involvement in a road crash.

3.4.7 In the future, UNICEF have stated that they would be prepared to include one or tworoad safety messages in the activities undertaken on Meena Day and to consider roadsafety issues when developing new materials. At this stage, it is not likely that anepisode of the cartoon will be prepared on road safety alone. UNICEF has beensupplied with some basic guidelines on road safety education and priority messagesfor inclusion in materials on other issues (see Appendix F).

3.5 Quarterly Newsletter

3.5.1 A newsletter can be a good way of disseminating information about road safety. It canalso assist in the co-ordination function of the NRSC Secretariat by featuring articlesabout activities undertaken by various projects or other agencies.



7

3.5.2 It had been intended that the first edition of what would, hopefully, have become aquarterly newsletter be produced. However, changes to the focus of the road safetyinputs as a whole meant that this activity had to be postponed.

3.6 Road Safety Education Pilot Project

3.6.1 The consensus of opinion of those consulted is that the best way to introduce materialsinto schools is as supplementary teaching materials through the NCTB. The previouspilot project of the materials was undertaken in Gazipur, however, it was suggestedthat it would not be possible to re-start this until March/April 2000. In the meantime,the work sheets have been re-translated, by the local education and publicity advisor,to make the language more appropriate and to clarify points that were previouslyqueried.

3.6.2 It is generally accepted that inclusion of road safety in a country’s national curriculumis the best way to ensure that children are incrementally taught appropriate safebehaviour. However, in Bangladesh there is a danger of the curriculum beingoverloaded with various health and social issues. The best way to improve road safetyeducation is, therefore, to develop supplementary teaching materials that support thecore subjects and core competencies of the existing curriculum.

3.6.3 An earlier version of the IDC worksheets has been sent to the NCTB for theirconsideration and eventual inclusion in supplementary materials if appropriate. In duecourse, the re-translated version will need to be sent to NCTB. They should also besent to Tangail District who had started using the previous materials.

3.7 Future Publicity Campaigns and Promotional Activity

3.7.1 The TOR required the consultant to develop a list of potential publicity campaigns forfuture implementation. A long list of suggestions has been prepared and is included asAppendix G. The suggested messages are based on a combination of crash andcasualty data, observation during several visits to Bangladesh, opinions of the localconsultant and experience.

3.7.2 It is recommended that, initially, at least one new national campaign per year bedeveloped and implemented, depending on availability of funding. Ideally it shouldfocus on pedestrian safety to ensure that this major casualty problem is systematicallytackled. The target group and campaign message can change, but with the overall aimof reducing pedestrian casualties. As more funds and technical capability becomeavailable, this could be increased to two campaigns per year, with a second topic beingtargeted.

3.7.3 Based on the national data available, the second campaign should be aimed at buscrashes and casualties, especially focussing on rural areas. In Dhaka, the secondpriority is rickshaws.

3.7.4 Evaluation of future campaigns is strongly recommended to ensure that lessons arelearnt from each campaign. If sponsorship is secured, this should include additionalfunds for evaluation, where possible.



8

3.7.5 Good practice included in previous IDC reports on publicity2 should be followed toensure best value for money and a consistent approach. It is recommended that anadvertising agency be appointed where possible as this often results in a better (moreeffective) product.

3.7.6 In addition to organised national publicity campaigns, co-ordinated and organised bythe Road Safety Secretariat (RSS), District Road Safety Councils need to identify theirown casualty problems and develop local publicity accordingly. To reduceduplication of effort, it is essential that DRSCs keep the RSS informed of theiractivities.

3.7.7 Formal organised publicity campaigns can be supplemented by other promotionalactivity on an ad hoc basis, including but not limited to:• press releases;• articles in newspapers, journals and magazines;• seminars and workshops;• production of the quarterly newsletter (see 3.5);• safety aids (such as the rickshaw reflectors currently being promoted by the RSS);• give-aways (such as key fobs);• promotional videos on a particular subject; or• lobbying decision makers.

3.7.8 In addition to casualty reduction aims, such activities are useful in raising generalawareness of road safety and the scale of the problem in Bangladesh and can also raisethe profile of the NRSC. Any materials produced, including press releases andarticles, should always mention the NRSC and/or RSS to increase name recognition.

3.8 Sources of Funding

3.8.1 Due to time constraints, only one private company was approached with a view tosponsoring the publicity campaign. Also, the Community Road Safety InitiativesProject (World Bank) was investigating the possibility of setting up a road safety fund.There was a danger of duplication of effort if both projects approached the privatesector.

3.8.2 Considerably more investment needs to be made in road safety publicity and educationso that there is a continuous stream of ongoing advice, information and educationavailable to road users in Bangladesh. The activities of the proposed Road SafetyBoard and the newly staffed RSS should assist this aspect in future years. Increasingthe visibility of the RSS as the organisation with main responsibility for road safetywill help.

3.8.3 Apart from considerably greater investment in this sector by governmentorganisations, the goodwill and corporate responsibility of the private sector should beharnessed by getting them, where possible, to sponsor specific campaigns and roadsafety education initiatives. This could include sponsorship of production of

2 Road Safety Publicity in Bangladesh: Final Report. IDC2, 1998



9

training/teaching materials, sponsorship of printing and distribution of documents andimplementation of publicity campaigns.

3.8.4 In other countries the private sector (e.g. banks, insurance companies, manufacturersand distributors) are often willing to invest large sums in road safety as part of theircorporate responsibility and/or marketing and public relations activity. There isalready some interest in Bangladesh and, once full-time technical staff are appointedto the RSS, one of their functions should be to raise funds through sponsorship.

3.9 Education and Publicity Sector Plan

3.9.1 In developing a revised National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan, comments duringconsultations on this, and previous inputs, have been taken in to account. It had beenintended to convene a Technical Advisory Group, however, there was little support forthis approach. Instead, the preferred approach appears to be for the consultant toprepare recommendations that can then be reviewed by local specialists. In addition,this would allow a consistent approach to other sector inputs.

3.9.2 The activities included in the previous Plan (July 1997 to June 1999) were, on thewhole, broad and non-specific. Many of the actions have been carried out, althoughthis has often been the result of expatriate inputs through IDC rather than by the localorganisations mentioned in the plan. This limits the degree of ownership that ispossible. Activities have also, on the whole, been carried out later than had beenplanned.

3.9.3 Table 1 shows the current status of the actions included in the previous plan. Noformal monitoring system has been applied, and this is a subjective assessment, but isonly used as an indication of how progress has been achieved to date. This also givesa basis for development of the next action plan for this sector.



10

Table 1: National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan, July 1997 – June 1999:Action on Education and Publicity

Children’s Traffic EducationMinimum Output By Date Status Comments

Design educationprogramme

MoEBRTA

Sept1997

Partlyachieved

An education programme has been designed,e.g. in terms of suggested inputs to theenvironment curriculum. Draft worksheets forteachers were piloted under the IDC project.The programme has not been implemented.

Procure trainingmaterials

MoENGO

Mar1998

Partlyachieved

Some materials have been procured fromIndia as examples that it may be possible toadapt in the future. Training materials havealso been developed by other projects, e.g.Tangail TIDP.

Start training ofteachers

MoENGO

Mar1998 Complete

Several teachers were trained in 1998 as partof the introduction of pilot educationmaterials.

Implementprogramme

MoEJune1998

In-complete

The pilot education materials were pilotedunder the IDC project. Furtherimplementation was planned in late 1999, butgeneral advice was that it was not possibleuntil March 2000. The process fordevelopment/approval of supplementaryteaching materials is longer than the planperiod.

Publicity CampaignsMinimum Output By Date Status CommentsDesign publicitycampaign toeducate andimprove awarenessof pedestrians andother road users

NGOBRTAPolice

July1997

Complete Review of crash and casualty data confirmedthat pedestrians are a problem in Bangladesh.A local advertising agency was appointed todevelop a campaign.

Arrange funding BRTANGO

Sept1997

Complete Limited funding was secured for thecampaign. Future funding for publicity andother activities, through a road safety fundwas being investigated by CRSIP project.

Implementcampaign

NGOMOI

PoliceBRTA

Dec1997

Complete The NRSC Secretariat was responsible forimplementing the campaign, in consultationwith BRTA. The assistance of the TrafficPolice in an advisory role was also requested.

3.10 Revised National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan

3.10.1 The revised draft Action Plan for education and publicity is included in Appendix H.This is more detailed than the previous plan and is designed to assist the executingagencies by providing more guidance than in the earlier edition. It is suggested that anappropriate Technical Working Group be formed to discuss the plan prior tofinalisation and adoption of the plan by the Government.

3.10.2 Although some initial technical assistance is suggested within the plan period, this isintended to develop local capability such that there is no further need for long termexpatriate inputs. The aim is for sustainable, local road safety provision. However, at



11

present there is limited technical capability within Bangladesh. Specific education andpublicity activities specified within the plan would be used as demonstration projectsto give training to locally appointed RSS staff.

4 THE WAY FORWARD

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 In this section, the activities included in the draft Action Plan are discussed in moredetail. The intention is to give some of the reasoning behind the suggested activitiesand to indicate how they can be achieved.

4.1.2 Any provision of road safety supplementary materials must go through the Ministry ofEducation (MoE). It had been suggested previously that the best approach is for theChairman of BRTA to write to the Minister of Education requesting that road safetyinput in the curriculum be revised in the next revision cycle. The meetings that havebeen held with various individuals in the education sector on this visit have reinforcedthis. This is now a matter of urgency.

4.2 Formal Education

Include appropriate road safety education in primary curriculum supplementarymaterials

4.2.1 The amount of road safety in the curriculum does not have to, and in reality, cannotincrease. However, the existing road safety lesson needs to be further reviewed toensure that it is appropriate to the age group and that it focuses on crossing skills. Thecurrent lesson places too much emphasis on the knowledge of traffic signs. The bestapproach will be to develop supplementary teaching materials that are then passed tothe NCTB for comment and adoption.

Include road safety education in secondary curriculum supplementary materials

4.2.2 It is reported that there is currently no provision for road safety in the secondarycurriculum. Again, the overloading of the curriculum suggests that the best approachis to develop supplementary teaching materials. These could support existingcurricular areas.

In-service teacher training programme

4.2.3 Once supplementary teaching materials have been developed and approved by NCTB,it is recommended that a programme of in-service teacher training seminars becommenced. There are various existing programmes in existence that it may bepossible to link road safety with, rather than developing a new scheme. A sustainableoption for the formal education system would be to link into an establishedprogramme of in-service teacher training, such as sub-cluster training, organised bythe MoE.



11

present there is limited technical capability within Bangladesh. Specific education andpublicity activities specified within the plan would be used as demonstration projectsto give training to locally appointed RSS staff.

4 THE WAY FORWARD

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 In this section, the activities included in the draft Action Plan are discussed in moredetail. The intention is to give some of the reasoning behind the suggested activitiesand to indicate how they can be achieved.

4.1.2 Any provision of road safety supplementary materials must go through the Ministry ofEducation (MoE). It had been suggested previously that the best approach is for theChairman of BRTA to write to the Minister of Education requesting that road safetyinput in the curriculum be revised in the next revision cycle. The meetings that havebeen held with various individuals in the education sector on this visit have reinforcedthis. This is now a matter of urgency.

4.2 Formal Education

Include appropriate road safety education in primary curriculum supplementarymaterials

4.2.1 The amount of road safety in the curriculum does not have to, and in reality, cannotincrease. However, the existing road safety lesson needs to be further reviewed toensure that it is appropriate to the age group and that it focuses on crossing skills. Thecurrent lesson places too much emphasis on the knowledge of traffic signs. The bestapproach will be to develop supplementary teaching materials that are then passed tothe NCTB for comment and adoption.

Include road safety education in secondary curriculum supplementary materials

4.2.2 It is reported that there is currently no provision for road safety in the secondarycurriculum. Again, the overloading of the curriculum suggests that the best approachis to develop supplementary teaching materials. These could support existingcurricular areas.

In-service teacher training programme

4.2.3 Once supplementary teaching materials have been developed and approved by NCTB,it is recommended that a programme of in-service teacher training seminars becommenced. There are various existing programmes in existence that it may bepossible to link road safety with, rather than developing a new scheme. A sustainableoption for the formal education system would be to link into an establishedprogramme of in-service teacher training, such as sub-cluster training, organised bythe MoE.



12

Initial teacher training at PTIs

4.2.4 Initial teacher training in road safety can be achieved through the Primary TrainingInstitutes (PTIs). The system in Bangladesh is such that once the national curriculumis changed (and it is understood that this is also the case when there are changes tosupplementary teaching materials) the teacher training curriculum automaticallyfollows.

4.3 Non Formal Education

Road safety included in non formal curricula

4.3.1 The Directorate of Non Formal Education (DNFE) has already included a chapter onroad safety in their textbook for slum children and Hard to Reach programme (whichthey say is as a direct result of the IDC project). This needs to be reviewed, and otheropportunities for inclusion identified. As with the formal education sector, the bestapproach may be to develop supplementary materials.

4.4 Materials

NRSC worksheets finalised/distributed

4.4.1 The worksheets that were developed under IDC2 have been re-translated to ensure thatthe language used is more appropriate. In order to finalise and distribute them, it isnecessary to obtain NCTB approval. This procedure should be started as soon aspossible. In the meantime, indications are that it may be possible to pilot the amendedmaterials in the field early in the new year.

NFE flip chart developed and distributed

4.4.2 One possibility that has been discussed previously with the DNFE is the developmentof a flip chart or other materials for use with adult literacy and other communityprogrammes. The actual work could be undertaken by an NGO, but the RSS mustcoordinate with the DNFE to ensure that the flip chart also meets their needs.

Child-to-Child sheet translated/distributed

4.4.3 Some organisations within Bangladesh use the Child-to-Child programme todisseminate health messages. There is already a Child-to-Child activity sheet on roadsafety that could easily be translated from English to Bangla and modified slightly tomake it more appropriate to Bangladesh. This would allow immediate inclusion ofroad safety into an existing, albeit not yet widespread, scheme.

Additional materials developed

4.4.4 It may be possible to adapt teaching materials in the short term from other countries(bearing in mind cultural differences). In the longer term, it will be necessary todevelop and produce new materials, based on needs. This will generally be wherethere is a gap in provision that is not covered by other organisations or projects.



13

4.5 Community Programmes

Include road safety in adult literacy programmes

4.5.1 The benefit of including road safety within existing adult literacy programmes is thatit ensures best use of limited resources. There is additional benefit as it gives anopportunity to disseminate safety messages to parents - a group that is often difficultto access.

Community theatre production

4.5.2 Theatre has been used successfully in many countries to promote road safety.Bangladesh has a tradition of drama and puppetry and this can be used as a mediumfor getting road safety messages to appropriate groups. This approach is particularlyuseful to target community groups (especially where literacy rates are low). However,productions should be used as part of a wider programme rather than as a stand-aloneactivity to maximise the benefits. It is essential that they focus on one topic and donot try to cover too many road user groups or behaviours.

Talks to relevant groups

4.5.3 Research suggests that one-off talks are not effective alone in changing road userbehaviour. However, there is a place for giving talks to interested groups in order toraise awareness of road safety issues and to encourage them to undertake their ownprogramme of activities. Talks to community organisations, such as the Lions or theRotary Club can be useful as often their members are in a position to influence thesafety culture of their own companies.

4.6 Publicity

Press releases – general awareness raising

4.6.1 Press releases are a simple way to increase public awareness of road safety. They cancover crash and casualty data, NRSC/RSS activities and particular issues of concern.In Bangladesh the system of releasing press releases is particularly easy and effectiveas the RSS simply have to send a press release to the Press Information Department(PID) of the Ministry of Communications. PID then distribute the information to themedia.

New national campaigns (minimum 1 per year)

4.6.2 At least one new national campaign should be organised annually. The RSS shouldcoordinate the campaign and can be involved in development, but should contract outthe production of materials either to an NGO or to an advertising agency. For thenext, say, five years, it is recommended that the campaigns target pedestrians or busoccupants. However, data will need to be reviewed to determine whether these arestill the priority areas. Data should also be used to determine the target groups.



14

Repeat national campaigns (1 per year)

4.6.3 The most expensive part of producing a campaign is the development of materials.Once a master copy is available, reproduction of campaign materials can be achievedat relatively low cost. It is therefore recommended that the same, or at least the mostsuccessful, campaigns are repeated. Depending on funding available, they couldeither all be repeated every year, or by rotation. This would be a cost-effective way ofincreasing the amount of publicity undertaken.

Local publicity campaigns

4.6.4 As well as national publicity campaigns, there is a need to develop local campaigns,based on local crash and casualty data and needs. These should be coordinated ordeveloped by the District Road Safety Committees, but with guidance from the RSS.The RSS need to be aware of local campaigns so that information and campaignmaterials can be shared to avoid duplication of effort.

4.7 Training of Secretariat Staff

In-service training

4.7.1 If technical assistance to the RSS is forthcoming, from whichever source, the foreignconsultants should be encouraged to undertake training of local staff. Project activitiescan be used as demonstration projects. Best practice in education and publicity mustbe followed to ensure that local staff are aware of the main issues.

Overseas training (course + placement)

4.7.2 There are various options for overseas training. For example, possibilities exist in theUK for attendance at a two-week training course combined with placement at a localauthority road safety section. This would give the delegates broader experience ofroad safety practices in a developed country. There are many Bangladeshicommunities in the UK and some of the road safety sections serving thesecommunities have offered placements.

5 CONCLUSIONS

5.1.1 There is great scope for improving road safety education and publicity, and thefunctions of the RSS, in both the short and the long term. Ideally, momentum fromactivities undertaken during IDC2 and IDC3 should not be lost. The newly appointedGovernment staff to RSS will, however, require training to ensure that they arecapable of meeting the road safety challenge, especially in the initial period.

6 REFERENCES

Dhaka Metropolitan Police: Traffic Accident Analysis Annual Report 1998

IDC2 (1998) Children’s Traffic Education in Bangladesh: Final Report



14






In-service training




5 CONCLUSIONS


6 REFERENCES





14






In-service training




5 CONCLUSIONS


6 REFERENCES



Appendix A

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY SPECIALIST

Position: Education and Publicity Specialist

Location: NRSC Secretariat

Report to: IDC3 Team LeaderNRSC Secretariat Coordinator

Counterpart: Mr Amanullah Choudhury, Director (Engg), BRTA

Timescale: 1.5 months during IDC3

Objectives: Oversee development of programme of road safety publicity campaigns andgive training and guidance on best practices in road safety education andpublicity to newly recruited local education and publicity specialist

Description of Role and Tasks:1. Assist preparation of TV/radio/film road safety publicity/education material and advise on

production and broadcast matters2. Give training to local Secretariat staff and assist with capacity building3. Assist and promote coordination between NRSC, NGO and consultant road safety

specialists4. Assist Secretariat in production of NRSC quarterly newsletter5. Evaluate proposal for pilot project in road safety education and advise on implementation6. Identify road safety publicity campaigns for funding and advise on future publicity

campaign programme for inclusion in NRSC stand-alone road safety project7. Investigate and identify potential sources of funding for future public

education/awareness-raising campaigns8. Assist NRSC Education and Publicity Technical Working Group to develop 2-year

Education and Publicity sector Action Plan.

Outputs: Final Report on activities, including recommendations on future road safetyeducation and publicity activities and public awareness campaigns.

Appendix BPEDESTRIAN SAFETY CAMPAIGN 1999

This appendix contains the following items:

1. Campaign brief2. Press release (1)3. Press release (2) – included in press pack4. Factsheet – included in press pack5. Photographs of materials6. Photographs of launch

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY COUNCILBANGLADESH PEDESTRIAN CAMPAIGN

CAMPAIGN BRIEF

Background

In 1998 over 500 people died on the roads of Dhaka. 60% of those killed were pedestrians and 36% of all casualties were pedestrians. The NRSC Secretariat therefore intend to run a low cost, but high profile publicity campaign on this issue in November/December 1999.

From the data (Dhaka Metropolitan Police: Traffic Accident Analysis Annual Report 1998)the following emerge:• there is no effect of month, day of week or time of day;• 21 – 35 year olds are the main casualty group; • 84% of victims are male;• most pedestrian casualties were hit by a truck (24%), a bus (18%) or a minibus (16%).

Campaign Information

Target Audience: 21 – 35 male pedestriansSecondary Target: Truck/bus/minibus driversAction: Most collisions are with pedestrians crossing the road away from

junctionsObserved behaviours: Pedestrians

Run across roadCross anywhere (including roundabouts)Stand in the roadWalk on road Walk on both sides (back to traffic)Do not observe trafficDrivers:Don’t see pedestriansSpeedImportance/macho/king of road

Main message: Look and listen to make sure it is safe before you cross the roadTiming and Duration: Mid November 1999 for approximately 1 monthOther issues: Tend to be poorer section of society; literacy ratesPossible media mix:(for consideration)

Radio;TV advert/filler;Cinema;Press;Leaflets/posters (minimal text);Public meetings;Drama production or puppet show.

Note: all campaign materials to include NRSC logo or tag line (“National Road SafetyCouncil of Bangladesh – working for safer roads in Bangladesh”) to raise general awareness of NRSC.

NRSC Permanent Secretariat, BRTA, Old Airport Road, Allenbury, Dhaka. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel & Fax: 9113280

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 5 December 1999Reference: NRSC/PR/2

FIRST NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN

Mr Anwar Hossain MP, the Minister of Communications will launch the first national road

safety campaign on Tuesday 7 December. Safety messages will appear throughout December

on posters, banners, TV and radio.

The Minister will launch the campaign by unveiling a banner showing the campaign message

which is aimed at pedestrians throughout Bangladesh.

ENDS

The Minister will launch the campaign at BRTA headquarters at 3.30pm on Tuesday 7

December 1999. Members of the press are cordially invited to attend.

For more information, contact Patrick Gleeson, NRSC Coordinator. Tel: 9113280

NRSC Permanent Secretariat, BRTA, Old Airport Road, Allenbury, Dhaka. E-mail: [email protected] Tel & Fax : 9113280

PRESS RELEASE

Date: 7 December 1999Reference: NRSC/PR/3

LOOK BEFORE YOU CROSS THE ROAD

In an attempt to save lives, the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) today launched their

first ever national campaign. Safety messages will appear throughout December on posters,

banners, BTV and Betar Radio.

Every year thousands of people are killed and injured on the roads in Bangladesh. Many of

those injured are maimed for the rest of their lives. The campaign highlights the

consequences of road crashes and the fact that the whole family can be affected, not just the

victim. The NRSC are calling for pedestrians to look for traffic before they cross the road.

Many collisions occur when a pedestrian simply steps into the road without looking. This

mistake could cost them their livelihood or even their life.

Mr Anwar Hossain MP, the Minister of Communications launched the campaign at BRTA

headquarters by unveiling the banner.

The campaign has been developed through the ongoing IDC project which is funded by the

UK Department for International Development.

ENDS

NRSC Permanent Secretariat, BRTA, Old Airport Road, Allenbury, Dhaka. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel & Fax: 9113280

PEDESTRIAN SAFETYFACT SHEET

Over half of the people killed on roads throughout Bangladesh are pedestrians.

As well as looking right and left before crossing the road, pedestrians can keep themselves and their families safe by following these simple rules:

☺ Walk along the right hand side of the road so that you are facing oncoming traffic,especially if there is no footpath;

☺ Hold hands with young children to stop them running into the road;☺ Teach children to “stop, look and listen” before crossing the road;☺ Use overbridges and subways when they are available as this is safer than crossing a road;☺ When trying to cross a road wait on the footpath or at the edge of the road;☺ Do not run across the road;☺ Wear something light coloured at night so that drivers can see you.

For more information about the campaign or pedestrian safety, contact:

Patrick Gleeson, Coordinator, NRSC Secretariat, BRTA, Allenbury, Old Airport Road,Tejgaon, Dhaka. Tel: 9113280. E-mail: [email protected]

From 1998 national data (provisional), the following were found:

• One third of casualties (33%) are pedestrians, followed by 14% bus occupants and 8% baby taxi occupants;

• 51% of fatalities in Bangladesh are pedestrians; • Of the pedestrian casualties, 76% are male;• 28% of pedestrian casualties are aged between 21 and 35; • A further 28% of pedestrian casualties are children aged between 0 and 15; and• 54% of pedestrian casualties (61% of pedestrian fatalities) involve a collision with a

heavy truck or bus.

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS (Posters)

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS (Banner)

PHOTOGRAPHS OF LAUNCH

Launch of Pedestrian Road Safety Campaign by Mr Anwar Hossain MP, the Minister of Communications at BRTA. Tuesday 7 December 1999.

NRSC Secretariat Road Safety Education Specialist, Dr Zohora Shamim being interviewed prior to launch.

Appendix C

TRAINING OPTIONS FOR NRSC SECRETARIAT STAFFIN EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY

In the earlier IDC project report on Road Safety Education in Bangladesh, several options fortraining Secretariat staff responsible for education and publicity were presented. As part ofthe current input of TA by the Road Safety Education and Publicity Advisor, these have beenreviewed. These recommendations are concerned only with training opportunities in the nextone to two years.

It is recommended that a combination of overseas and in-service training is most appropriatein Bangladesh.

Both the proposed manager and any local technical staff would benefit from a structuredtraining programme, comprising of two main phases:

Phase 1: In-service training through TA

This relies to a great extent on longer term inputs of a specialist consultant and sufficientfunds for implementation. The latter allows theoretical training exercises to be followedthrough and gives opportunities for technology transfer via demonstration and pilot projects,while also ensuring that activity continues under the NRSC.

During this phase the basics of road safety education/publicity provision would be taughtthrough regular in-house training workshops and shadowing of the specialist consultant.

Phase 2: Short course in the UK

The British Institute for Traffic Education and Research (BITER) run an approved one-weekcourse for new entrants to road safety in the UK. This course would be of benefit to allprofessional staff working in the Secretariat, including the Manager, as although it isprimarily designed for the UK, the principles of RSE are the same. The BITER courseincludes:

• The role of the Road Safety Professional;• Education and Publicity;• Introduction to Accident Investigation;• Working with Groups;• Enforcement; and• Integrated Approach.

Delegates are generally expected to have some experience of road safety prior to joining thecourse.

Timing: Dates for the course in the year 2000 are 2 – 7 April and 17 – 22 September 2000.Cost: £934.00 excl. VAT + air fare + return rail fare from London to Birmingham.

Appendix D

PERSONS AND ORGANISATIONS CONSULTED

BANGLADESH BETAR RADIOM I Chowdhury, Director General

BANGLADESH ROAD TRANSPORT AUTHORITY (BRTA)Md Amanullah Choudhury, Director (Engineering)Md Abdur Rab, Assistant Director (Engineering)

BANGLADESH SCOUTSHabibul Alam, National Commissioner (Programme)Md Rafiqul Islam Khan, Deputy National Commissioner (Programme)Md Abul Husain Sikder, Acting Executive SecretaryNizam Ahmed (BUET) – Scout Leader

CAMPETapon Kumar DasAnita Zeenat Zahan

COMMUNITY ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVES PROJECT (World Bank)Naheed Mustafa Ahmed, (ActionAid Bangladesh)Leif EllevsetMichael GouldJude de VeraJulie Viloria

DHAKA METROPOLITAN POLICEMd Mukbul Hossain Bhuiyan, Deputy Commissioner, Traffic

DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY EDUCATIONChris Cumming, ESTEEM ProjectFK Chowdhury, ESTEEM ProjectAluddin Ahmad, IDEAL Project Director

DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATIONAbdur Rahman, Director General

DFIDTeri Kelly, First Secretary, Senior Education Advisor

IMCTMurtaza Ahmed Babu, Co-ordinator, NGO Network on Road SafetyZebun Naher Khan Poli, Co-ordinator

F:\ManagementSvcs\Idc3_DFID\06reports\07Road Safety\Road Safety CD\Education & Publicity\end of visit report by Education &Publicity Specialist\Appendix E - Facts for Life.doc

1

Appendix EUNICEF: FACTS FOR LIFE

SUGGESTED CHAPTER ON ROAD SAFETY

What every family and community has a right to know

Road Safety

NOTE TO COMMUNICATORS

It is estimated that at least 5,000 people are killed in road traffic crashes every year inBangladesh. However, the level of under-reporting means that the problem may actually bemuch worse. It is also estimated that around 40,000 people are injured. Some will bedisabled for the rest of their lives.

The four prime messages in this chapter can help to prevent these tragedies.

Teaching children about road safety from an early age can help to develop good road safetyknowledge and behaviour, and can save lives. It is a long term strategy as we need to changeattitudes.

It is essential that parents, older brothers, sisters and others who take care of children knowwhat they need to do to prevent children from being involved in a road crash. Very youngchildren need to be protected. As they grow older and become more independent they need tobe taught safe road user behaviour.

Many of the adults who are killed or injured are young men, which has serious implicationsfor their wife, children and extended family.

PRIME MESSAGES

1. Road crashes are often avoidable. Research shows that human error plays a part in around95% of road crashes.

2. Very young children need to be protected. They do not have the skills required to be safeon the road and should not be allowed out alone.

3. By teaching road safety to children, we can prepare them for the future and help todevelop positive, safe attitudes that will reduce the number of people killed or injured inyears to come.

4. Everyone in the community has a responsibility to teach road safety to children.

Appendix G

DRAFT PUBLICITY PROGRAMME There is a need to develop sustained, well planned road safety publicity campaigns for the general public that focus on behavioural changes. It is essential that such campaigns are data-led, i.e. relevant data should be used to determine the subject of publicity and also the target group. One obvious data source that can be used for campaign planning is crash and casualty data. In Bangladesh adequate national data is becoming more readily available. The MAAP database, which has been introduced to Bangladesh, allows appropriate data to be used by road safety practitioners. To be more effective in changing some of the more ingrained road user behaviours, it has been found that publicity measures work better when combined with increased enforcement activity. In addition, engineering remedial schemes implemented should be publicised. The level of literacy of the target audience will affect both the choice of media, and the eventual design of materials. In Bangladesh, literacy rates are low, especially in some rural areas. It is also necessary, whenever possible, to evaluate the campaign in terms of whether it has been effective in changing the targeted behaviour, but also whether the materials have been remembered, and whether they were placed for optimum exposure to the target audience. The evaluation can, and should, be used to improve future campaigns. Previous IDC project reports1 have detailed the design and evaluation of publicity campaigns to raise public awareness and, ultimately, to change behaviour and reduce the number of casualties. The following is a long list (but not exhaustive) of possible campaign messages, based on data available, general observations and on experience. Pedestrians are a priority area, especially in urban areas, due to the high number of casualties. In rural areas speeding trucks and buses are reported to be a crash problem. Suggestions for messages are given, but these need to be further developed as part of campaign planning and design. Those messages that are considered, at this stage, to be priority areas of concern are marked. The National Road Safety Council Secretariat (or similar) have overall responsibility for the road safety publicity programme in Bangladesh, either co-ordinating inputs from others, or through direct provision. The publicity programme needs to be reviewed annually, based on data (i.e. initially publicity should be used where there is a crash and casualty problem, rather than a perceived problem). It is recommended that at least one major campaigns be implemented annually. For the initial period of activity, say five years, one national campaign should target pedestrian safety. Road safety publicity is a long term intervention and behavioural change can only result from

1 IDC 2 (1998) Road Safety Publicity in Bangladesh: Final Report

sustained campaigns, supported by engineering or enforcement. The message and target group can change for each campaign, but this will allow previous messages to be built upon. Other messages and priority areas can be targeted through the media as a general awareness raising exercise, or through lobbying decision makers.

ROAD USER

GROUP

BASIC MESSAGE COMMENTS PRIORITY

Stop, look, listen before crossing the road � Do not run across the road Walk on the footpath when you can Urban, but often no paths are

in use by hawkers

Walk facing oncoming traffic Rural and urban � Do not stand in the road Use footbridges/subways Urban Cross at police controlled junctions Often traffic does stop, so

easier to cross

Walk at the side of the road Rural areas �

Pedestrians

Wear something light coloured at night � Stay away from the road Hold hands with an adult when crossing Play away from busy roads Teach children to stop, look, listen � Parents – set a good example Do not run into the road �

Children

Keep younger children away from the road Aimed at older siblings Always ride on the left Red reflector on the back, white on the front Do not take drugs and drive � Look and signal before turning � Make sure your brakes work

Rickshaws

Always stop at red traffic lights Make sure your brakes work Ensure lights are clean and working General vehicle maintenance Signal before turning Always stop at red traffic lights

Baby Taxis

Passengers get out at side of road (i.e. left) Do not drink and drive Target at border crossings � Drive less hours – tiredness can kill Target owners and unions � Only overtake when there is nothing coming Mainly rural � Use lights at night and in the rains Watch out for pedestrians � Slow down – don’t speed Mainly rural � Slow down through villages Rural

Truck Drivers

Always stop at red traffic lights Do not let people sit on the roof Do not overload with passengers Drive less hours – tiredness can kill Target owners and unions � Only overtake when there is nothing coming Mainly rural �

Bus Drivers and passengers

Use lights at night and in the rains Watch out for pedestrians � Slow down – don’t speed Mainly rural � Slow down through villages Rural Always stop at red traffic lights

Bus Drivers and passengers (cont.)

Passengers - do not sit on the roof

ROAD USER

GROUP

BASIC MESSAGE COMMENTS PRIORITY

Slow down – don’t speed Mainly rural � Watch out for pedestrians Only overtake when there is nothing coming Mainly rural Always wear seatbelts when they are fitted Drivers/front seat passengers � Always wear seatbelts when they are fitted Rear seat passengers Sit children in the back not in the front Use special seats for children Look and signal before turning

Car Drivers

Always stop at red traffic lights Always wear a motorcycle helmet � Make sure your helmet is fastened Only carry one passenger Look and signal before turning

Motorcycles

Slow down – do not speed Do not block footpaths Do not park on footpaths – they are for pedestrians

Target through shops/offices

Driving rules Based on violations Publicise the number of crashes/casualties Raise awareness of problem � Publicity about engineering measures �

General

Publicity in support of enforcement �

Appendix H

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN UPDATE

EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY

Draft

Problem

To develop safe road user behaviour, children need to be taught skills rather than focusingsimply on rules, regulations and knowledge of traffic signs. To be effective, road safetyeducation requires a clear structure within a recognised curriculum with a planned, sustainedand coherent programme of learning, based on sound educational principles. This is still notthe case in Bangladesh.

In terms of road safety publicity for the general public, there is little activity. There is a needto develop a long term data-led publicity strategy with adequate funding or sponsorship.

Road safety education is a long term intervention, aimed at developing positive attitudes inchildren such that they become safer road users in the future. Publicity is an indispensablepart of any nation’s road safety strategy. It is most effective when used in combination withengineering and enforcement initiatives.

Objective

To implement road safety education and publicity programmes in order to improve theknowledge, attitudes and behaviour of all road users, through a combination of formaleducation, non-formal education, adult programmes and mass communication.

Progress

Since the publication of the Road Safety Action Plan (1997 – 1999), there has been a greatdeal of activity in this sector. Some of this is the result of donor agencies including educationand publicity in road schemes and additional initiatives have been developed andimplemented by local organisations. In addition, the Global Road Safety Partnership havebegun implementation of a Community Road Safety Improvement Project as one of its focusprojects.

Recent activities include:

• CAMPE devoted one issue of their newsletter entirely to road safety education;• The Directorate of Non Formal Education (DNFE) have included a chapter in their text

book for slum children and the Hard to Reach Programme;• LGED in Tangail have developed a road safety book for children, produced by CAMPE;• CAMPE have developed their own action plan for road safety for their member NGOs;• Bangladesh Betar Radio have offered free air time to BRTA;• NRSC Secretariat have appointed a local education and publicity advisor;• A major road safety campaign, targeting pedestrians, has been developed by the NRSC.

Action on Education and Publicity

Further and sustained activity in this area is required. There is still a need to develop supplementary road safety in line with the nationalcurriculum. In addition hard-to-reach and children dropping out of the formal education system must be targeted through non-formal education,NGOs and other organisations. This requires development and production of teaching materials and trained teachers. Advice also needs to begiven to the general public via targeted publicity campaigns. Other essential activities required include community education programmes andgeneral awareness raising.

Suggested Plan of Activity

Formal EducationMinimum Output Organisations Training

requiredEquipmentrequired

TArequired

Timing

1. Include appropriate road safety education in primary curriculumsupplementary materials

PMEDNCTBRSS

3By end2004

2. Include road safety education in secondary curriculumsupplementary materials

DSE?NCTBRSS

3By end2004

3. In-service teacher training programme MOE 3 3 3 Ongoingfrom endof 2000

4. Initial teacher training at PTIs MOEPTIs

3 3 3 Ongoingfrom2001

Non Formal EducationMinimum Output Organisations Training


TArequired

Timing

1. Road safety included in non formal curricula DNFENGOs 3 3 3

By end2004

2. NGO training programme for teachers DNFENGOs 3 3 3

2000 –2001

MaterialsMinimum Output Organisations Training


TArequired

Timing

1. NRSC worksheets finalised/distributed RSSDEOsNGOs

3 3 3By end2001

2. NFE flip chart developed and distributed DNFENGOsRSS

3 By end2000

3. Child-to-Child sheet translated/distributed NCTBNGOs

3 By end2000

4. Additional materials developed RSSNGOsDNFENCTB

3 3 32000 -2003

Community ProgrammesMinimum Output Organisations Training


TArequired

Timing

1. Include road safety in adult literacy programmes DNFENGOs 3 3 3

By end2002

2. Community theatre production RSSNGOs 3 3

By end2001

3. GRSP Community Road Safety Improvement Project DRSCRSSNGOs

4. Talks to relevant groups RSSDRSC 3 3 3

Ongoingfrom mid

2000

PublicityMinimum Output Organisations Training


TArequired

Timing

1. Press releases – general awareness raising RSSPolice

3 3 Ongoing

2. New national campaigns (minimum 1 per year) RSS/NRSCDRSC

3 3 3 Annual

3. Repeat national campaigns (1 per year) RSS/NRSCDRSC

3 Annual

4. Local publicity campaigns DRSC 3 3 3 AnnualTraining of NRSC Staff

Minimum Output Organisations Trainingrequired

Equipmentrequired

TArequired

Timing

1. In-service training RSS 3 3 2000 -2001

2. Overseas training (course + placement) BITERUK LocalAuthority

3 April2000

Key: BITER: British Institute of Traffic Education ResearchDEO: District Education OfficerDNFE: Directorate of Non Formal EducationDRSC: District Road Safety CommitteeDSE Directorate of Secondary EducationMOE: Ministry of EducationNCTB: National Curriculum Textbook BoardNGO: Non Governmental OrganisationNRSC: National Road Safety CouncilPMED: Primary and Mass Education Directorate, Ministry of EducationPTI: Primary Training InstituteRSS: Road Safety Secretariat






Draft Report on

Road Safety Publicity in Bangladesh

June 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION

2 TERMS OF REFERENCE2.1 Comments on TOR

3 REVIEW OF EXISTING SITUATION3.1 Road safety

3.1.1 Accident data and vehicle growth3.1.2 An outsiders view3.1.3 An insiders view

3.2 Publicity activity

3.2.1 General situation3.2.2 Traffic Police3.2.3 Dhaka City Council3.2.4 Roads and Highways Department3.2.5 Bangladesh Television3.2.6 Bangladesh Radio3.2.7 Non-Governmental Organisations

4 THE WAY FORWARD: RECOMMENDATIONS4.1 General comments4.2 Administration: role of NRSC4.3 Short term actions required

4.3.1 Expansion of NRSC Secretariat4.3.2 Establish Publicity Action Group Steering

Committee4.3.3. Establish Publicity Action Group4.3.4 Terms of reference for Publicity Action Group4.3.5 Preliminary market research

4.4 Continuing the process: long term actions4.4.1 Conducting campaigns: long term timetable4.4.2 Specialist input4.4.3 Liaison with other bodies4.4.4 Funding4.4.5 Co-ordinated with other sectors4.4.6 Targets, monitoring and evaluation4.4.7 Priorities for campaigns4.4.8 Long term campaign time-table4.4.9 Good practice guidelines for Bangladesh

5 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

ANNEXESA: MESSAGES USED BY POLICE IN RECENT TRAFFIC WEEKB: TRAINING OPPORTUNITIESC: MARKET RESEARCH AGENCY WITH ROAD SAFETY EXPERIENCED: MANUAL FOR CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS IN BANGLADESHD: MANUAL ON CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS IN BANGLADESH

Executive Summary

Bangladesh has a serious road safety problem; and the available evidence suggests it is getting worse. In order totackle this growing problem there is an urgent need for a concerted, sustained and wide ranging programme ofsafety initiatives. While it is clear that countermeasures are necessary in a number of different areas, road userbehaviour is known to play a major role in any safety problem. There are a number of different ways ofimproving road user behaviour, for example by means of training, engineering and enforcement. However, it iswidely recognised that in many developing countries many accidents are caused by a general lack of knowledgeof the traffic regulations together with behaviour that would be widely be considered to be dangerous in manydeveloped (and safer) countries. In order to help tackle this problem a publicity and education programme will berequired.

To date there has been very little road safety publicity and education conducted in Bangladesh and most of thatconducted, typically initiated by the Traffic Police, has been short term, localised and inadequate to bring about amajor change in road user’s behaviour. Accident rates are still rising - although so are exposure factors such asvehicle numbers and kilometres driven..

The National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan identifies a number of key sectors to improve safety. One ofthese is to initiate a long term programme of education and publicity designed to improve road user knowledge,attitudes and behaviour. This is to be initiated and co-ordinated by a Permanent Secretariat, which is likely to besupported by both government ministries and non-governmental agencies as required.

It is likely that sponsorship and aid funding will be required to support this programme, although in the pastBangladesh has made good use of ‘public service broadcasting’ in bringing about change; and steps need to betaken to add road safety to the list of social issues (e.g. health, conservation and family planning) that have beentargeted by mass media communication in the past.

This report reviews the current situation with respect to road safety publicity and gives proposals, both short andlong term, as to how such a programme could be achieved:

The main recommendations are:

Within the recently activated NSRC Secretariat provide someone with both road safety and mass communicationexperience who will be required to assist the Secretariat to co-ordinate and manage the publicity sector of theplan. The same individual might undertake a similar role for the education sector of the programme.

Constitute a small Publicity Action Group who would assist the Secretariat in carrying out the long termprogramme. Within this Action Group would be a smaller Steering Committee who would be responsible formotivating and driving forward the groups actions and would be responsible for the Groups overall size andmembership. The Steering Committee could act as a ‘fast stream’ decision making process within the Group totake decisions on campaign materials or proposals submitted by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO).

The NRSC Secretariat should contain a Press Secretary (or Public Relations specialist) whose task will be tomaintain a high public profile for road safety and the Secretariats activities.

The NRSC Secretariat and Publicity Action Group will together be responsible for managing, planning, conductingand monitoring a long term education and publicity programme based on ‘good practice’ - as described in the‘campaign manual’ included as Annex D of this report.

Their eventual aim should be to conduct a minimum of two major campaigns a year - but in the short term theywill need to produce a wide variety of safety materials, bring road safety to the public’s attention and encouragethe belief that individuals have a personal responsibility for ‘changing things’; the desire for change is very strong .In the short-term it may be better to encourage as much activity as possible rather than being too regimented bygood practice; the process can be improved and fine tuned when there is the beginning of a recognisable process

and sufficient activities are underway that efforts can be addressed to improving their, and future campaigns,effectiveness.

Local Government Institutes (LGI) are being set up with the intention of providing a regional focus for road safetyactivity. It is recommended that the majority of their activities are co-ordinated, although conditions in someparticular regions may make it appropriate to conduct localised campaigns. However, the Secretariat shouldautomatically be informed of any proposed activities so that they will not interfere or conflict with national efforts.

It has to be acknowledged that significant improvements in accident rates may take some time to arrive; especiallyif the current problem of under-reporting of accidents is corrected, which may make an improving situationappear worse!

ADAB Association of Development Agencies in

Bangladesh

BRRL Bangladesh Road Research Laboratory

BRTA Bangladesh Road Transport Authority

BTV Bangladesh Television

BR Bangladesh Radio

CAB Consumers Association of Bangladesh

CMPPE Campaign for Popular Education

CRP Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed

DCC Dhaka City Council


GoB Government of Bangladesh

IDC Institutional Development Component

LDI Local Department Institute

MOComm Ministry of Communication

MOEd Ministry of Education

MOI Ministry of Information

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

NMV Non-motorised Vehicle


NRSSAP National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan

RHD Roads and Highways Department

TRL Transport Research Laboratory

RRMP2 : Institutional Development ComponentRoad Safety Publicity in Bangladesh

7idc\gulshan\3\2\report\req_q.doc

1 INTRODUCTION

The Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Second Road Rehabilitation and

Maintenance Project (RRMP2) in Bangladesh, which is jointly funded by the UK’s Department for

International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, provided for a series of short-term road

safety inputs to run alongside the longer term engineering programme.

These safety inputs were in a number of areas that included:

• Accident data analysis


• Driver testing and training

• Vehicle inspection


• Education (in schools), and

• Publicity.

Each of these inputs was proposed as a result of a preliminary review of road safety in

Bangladesh undertaken by TRL (Project Report TRR 79/1/50) reported in 1996; and which were to

be completed by the end of July 1998.

In conjunction with this initiative a National Road Safety Council (NRSC) was constituted in 1995

and a number of strategic working groups were set up. This resulted in a National Road Safety

Strategic Action Plan (NRSSAP) being announced in 1997.

This plan identified a number of road safety sectors that included:

• National Road Safety Council

• Accident data system

• Road engineering

• Traffic legislation

• Traffic enforcement


• Vehicle safety

• Education and publicity, and

• Medical activities.



These various activities were to be co-ordinated by the NRSC Secretariat. This Secretariat has

recently become active, although not yet working at its anticipated full strength; and is currently

located within the Bangladesh Road Traffic Authority (BRTA), which is involved in a number of

the Council’s projects and actively supported its original creation.

The present expectation is that in addition to occasional specialist IDC input the Secretariat will

have a small full-time team of Bengali safety practitioners who will take the lead and responsibility

for sustaining NRSC activities; at least in the short-term. This staff could, for example , consist of

individuals seconded from organisations such as BRTA, DRH, MOI, DCC, and the Traffic Police

(although no such agreements have yet been reached); with their initial periods of secondment

ranging from, perhaps 12 month to 3 years.

As the role and funding of the Secretariat become more defined they may become more, or totally,

independent of government and become the major Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with

prime responsibility for road safety within Bangladesh.

While in many countries the Government itself takes the major responsibility for road safety and

provides the greatest source of funding, this situation is unlikely to occur in Bangladesh, at least in

the foreseeable future, because of the increasing role of NGOs and their ability to provide funding

for such activities from sources other than government.

This report is based on the findings of the IDC road safety publicity specialist who visited Dhaka for

approximately one month in May and June 1998. He was required to review the current situation

and propose ways that a sustainable road safety publicity effort could be initiated and maintained.

In addition campaign priorities were to be identified, based on available accident statistics and

detailed proposals for a long term publicity programme were to be considered. In addition staffing,

funding and liaison with other sectors were to be reviewed. Also, a publicity campaign manual was

to be produced that provided information on ‘good practice’. The terms of reference (ToR) for

this input are given in Section 2.



2 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR PUBLICITY INPUT

The terms of reference for this component of the IDC project are:

Road Safety Publicity Specialist

Location: NRSC permanent secretariat/DMP Traffic Police

Reporting to: NRSC Executive Director

Objective: Develop local capabilities in road safety publicity necessary for mounting

effective road safety campaigns

Description of Role and tasks:

1. Review current level of expertise and resources allocated to road safety public ity.

2. Assist permanent Secretariat/DMP Traffic division in designing and implementing road safety

publicity campaign based on accident data.

3. Produce a road safety campaign manual

4. Co-ordinate publicity campaigns with enforcement and engineering sectors.

5. Identify monitoring indicators and evaluation process to be undertaken in associated with

campaign.

6. Recommend ways of soliciting finance and support from private sectors.

7. Establish contact with road safety publicity professionals in neighbouring countries and relevant

training professional associations or training institutes.

8. Provide road safety publicity expertise to NRSC as required.

9. Provide seminar on work undertaken in road safety campaigns.

10. Produce final report identifying the desired road safety publicity role, and identify the required

manpower, training, financial resources, relevant performance targets and appropriate

monitoring indicators. Functional responsibilities should be clarified along with the “next

road safety step”.

Counterpart from Government: Permanent Secretariat Executive Director/ADC Traffic.

Milestone Achievements:

1. Publicity campaign onset

2. Publicity campaign manual production

3. Seminar and road safety publicity plan

Timing of Input: 5 weeks



2.1 Comments on ToR

After the drafting of these ToR a decision was make to ‘launch’ the Bangla Version of the

NRSSAP. This document was to serve as an adjoint to an English language version that had been

available since the seminar on NGOs in road safety held in September 1996. The aim of this launch

was to encourage activity with respect to the contents of the plan, further publicise the road safety

problem and promote the start of a concerted safety programme by the recently activated NRSC’s

Secretariat. An important aspect of the launch was to increase the involvement of local

individuals and organisations in the road safety programme.

In conjunction with this launch it was decided to hold a technical seminar detailing what progress

had been made to date, and what was proposed for the future, in each of the 9 different sectors of

the plan - one of which combined Education and Publicity.

This was scheduled to take place a few days before the specialist’s departure. As a result it was

decided that the publicity specialist would provide input and support for the launch, rather than

initiate or conduct a particular campaign (see ToR number 2) before the launch had taken place.

This decision was justified as it is considered that in Bangladesh there is no general public

recognition that road safety is an issue or a problem; this awareness, and public ownership of the

problem is a prerequisite of any successful long-term programme designed to improve road user

behaviour. It was considered that the publicity involved in the launch (which generated considerable

television, radio and newspaper coverage) would initiate this awareness process within the public

and safety practitioners - both those currently involved, or those likely to become involved in future

road safety activity. For these reasons the launch and seminars were seen as a start of a public

awareness process that raised the profile of road safety as a social and economic issue.

Also, the topic and target group of the initial campaign was to have been decided upon by

reviewing available accident data. At the time of the visit there were still some concerns about the

accuracy of the accident data that was available. No ‘proper’ campaign could have been conducted

and evaluated in the short period of time left after the ‘launch’ - or perhaps even during a single 4

week input - and in any case, any such activity before the launch would have been ill conceived.

Towards the end of his visit the specialist held a Seminar/Workshop to talk about good practice in

road safety publicity and describe his recommendations for future activity in this sector in

Bangladesh. As many as possible of those likely to involved in this sectors activity were invited and

approximately 30 people attended, including the Chairman of the Council. Following his presentation

a discussion took place, during which several individuals expressed opinions regarding the future of

the Secretariat and publicity activity. These comments were noted for due consideration by those

empowered to co-ordinate the expansion of the Secretariat that were to take place after the

departure of the publicity specialist.

3 REVIEW OF EXISTING SITUATION



3.1 Road safety

3.1.1 Accident data and vehicle growth

At the moment Bangladesh has a serious road safety problem; and available evidence suggests that

it is worsening at a disturbing rate. However, a lack of reliable accident information makes it

difficult to know how large the problem actually is, how it is changing and what the main safety

problems are.

The IDC project introduced a system of accident data collection (based on TRL’s MAAP5

computer system) which is now providing some road traffic accident information. However,

because the introduction of the reporting is comparatively new there are some concerns about the

results currently being produced. However, there appears to be little doubts that a concerted, long-

term and multi-component safety initiative is urgently required in Bangladesh. There should be

similar concerns about the worsening situation faced with respect to traffic congestion and pollution.

Compounding these problems is the sizeable growth that is taking place in road transport. Over the

last 20 years there has been a national annual growth of about 9% in passenger and freight

transport, while in the last 5 years there has been an annual average growth of 10.5% for the

number of registered cars and 7.7% for trucks. Over the same period figures suggest that the

annual growth for buses was only 1%; but that the number of auto rickshaws and tempos more than

doubled, with an annual rate of increase in their numbers of around 30%. Such sustained growth in

motorised transport - together with the accompanying (and largely unregulated) growth in non-

motorised transport, such as rickshaws, cycles, push carts and street vendors - was almost bound

to lead to safety, congestion and environmental problems.

3.1.2 An outsider’s view

The following general comments reflect only the personal observations of the visiting specialist.

The present road safety problem in Bangladesh has many elements. Significant improvements need

to be made to the roads, the vehicles using them as well as the behaviour of road users themselves.

However, it is clear that erratic and selfish road user behaviour is a major element in the problem

and will need to be improved if any significant safety gains are to be achieved.

Road user behaviour within Dhaka itself is undisciplined. Road users, of all types, appear impatient

and give little thought as to how their behaviour will affect others. This egocentric behaviour also

reveals itself in other behaviours such as queuing to buy tickets or waiting to collecting luggage at

the airport . Importantly, their tolerance of risk factors goes well beyond what would be considered

to be acceptable in most developed countries. They are also surprisingly tolerant - or resigned - to

the conditions and do not appear unduly troubled by other people’s actions that might require them

taking rapid action to avoid an accident. Any unoccupied road space appears to ‘belong’ to

whoever can occupy it first, and horns are sounded frequently - even when in stationary traffic

jams.



There was either widespread ignorance of traffic rules or their lack of enforcement meant that

they were often ignored. Often vehicles of all types, including buses, would attempt to avoid jams by

using the wrong side of the carriageway - even on dual carriageways with a central barrier in place.

Traffic lights on red (except at a few key junctions) were not treated as signals to stop and wait for

green.

One factor that seems to contribute significantly to the safety problem is the mix of motorised and

non-motorised vehicles so that fast moving vehicles are often in close proximity to slow moving

vehicles such as rickshaws and carts.

There is a clear, but constantly challenged, ‘pecking order’ within the different road users that is

based on size and power. At the bottom of the pecking order are pedestrians and at the top are

buses and trucks .

It was not unusual to see pedestrians having to take swift evasive action to avoid being hit by

vehicles.

Conditions at night appeared even more dangerous, with most non-motorised vehicles not having

lights and even a small number of motorised vehicles having no visible rear lights.

While the specialist had very limited experience of travelling outside Dhaka the impression gained

on one trip was of similar unregulated behaviour pattern - but compounded by the speeds and

generally increased size of the vehicles involved, and the likelihood that they would be overloaded.

Overtaking appeared to be a particularly hazardous game of chance.

3.1.3 An insider’s view

Almost without exception people with experience of the road and traffic conditions in Bangladesh

declared then as being unacceptable ; while those with long-term experience commented on how

things were deteriorating.

A large number of factors were given as to why the road safety situation was seen as being poor.

These included: speed, reckless driving, lack of knowledge and observation of traffic rules,

rickshaws etc.

A significantly important ‘insider’s’ view was obtained during a discussion about road safety with

the Chief of Dhaka Traffic Police (DPC Mustaque Hossain Khan - who has considerable

experience in other districts, in addition to Dhaka) . He suggested the ten main causes of traffic

accidents in Bangladesh were:

1. Lack of knowledge of regulations by road users

2. Use of fake licenses (i.e. lack of proper training and testing)

3. The large numbers of rickshaws on the road and vendors on the footpath

4. Unfit (unsafe) vehicles



5. Limitations of executing traffic laws

6. Inadequate punishment for traffic law violators

7. Overloading of vehicles by passengers and goods

9. Reckless driving

10. Inadequate manpower and equipment of traffic police

3.2 Publicity activity

3.2.1 General comments

It is generally recognised that effective road safety initiatives typically need a number of different

components and that these should be co-ordinated. These can involve elements of engineering,

enforcement and education. Publicity and education inputs are recognised as being necessary to

improve road user’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour and are extensively used in many countries

to provide inputs into road safety programmes.

To date there has been very little road safety publicity conducted in Bangladesh; and any that has

been conducted has been short-term, unsystematic and localised . In some cases it has broken the

normal ‘rules’ of road safety publicity by providing too much information and providing it in an

unsuitable way. For example the leaflet campaigns targeting rickshaw drivers in Dhaka (that was

part of a Traffic Week) did not taken account of their low level of literacy and the current

conditions under which they operate. The ‘campaign’ also failed to recognise the need of

progressive enforcement to change generally acceptable behaviour or the practical circumstances

in which they operate; little is likely to be achieved by requiring rickshaw and mini-taxi drivers to

‘park in designated parking areas’ if these have not been provided.

3.2.2 Traffic Police

What limited amounts of road safety public awareness campaigns that have taken place in the past

have mainly be initiated by the Traffic Police within Dhaka itself. This effort normally takes place in

conjunction with an annual Traffic Week (translated in the English language press as a Traffic

Consciousness Week).

During this period both the radio and television broadcast messages and slogans provided by the

Traffic Police and voluntary organisations such as the Girl Guides and Rover Scouts distributed

leaflets to road users, drivers and rickshaw drivers at a small number of locations within Dhaka.

Also, at a number of locations posters and banners on traffic regulations were displayed, and

messages were broadcast via (seven) mobile public address systems; and Traffic Police on

horseback patrolled the city displaying posters. Increased enforcement accompanying the campaign

meant that on the first day 1463 violations of traffic rules were handed out and fines totalling Tk

49,050 were collected - around three times the normal amount. Additional funding required for these

activities is provided by DCC.



While road safety messages are included within the overall programme other issues are given more

attention. For example a short film produced by the Traffic Police, and shown on television a small

number of times, targeted traffic congestion (by advising people, such as rickshaw drivers not to

park where they would obstruct traffic, and street vendors not to obstruct pedestrian footpaths).

The most recent Traffic Week also targeted the use of fake driving licenses, in addition to

distributing leaflets giving safety advice to rickshaw pullers, the general public and motor vehicle

drivers - the actual messages contained on these leaflets are given in Annex A..

No evaluation of the effectiveness was conducted and the feelings of several Dhaka residents was

that while many people were aware of the event and the increased enforcement taking place - and

things were generally improved while it was going on - things quickly returned to ‘normal’

afterwards.

No activity took place outside Dhaka itself.

3.2.3 Dhaka City Council (DCC)

DCC have also planned to provided financial support for road safety awareness campaigns to

accompany its ‘CRASH programme’ (Identification and Implementation of Immediate and Short

Term Programme for Improvement of Transportation system of Dhaka City). While this project had

planned to initiate a demonstration project on a stretch of the Airport Road (from Mohakhali to PG

crossing) that was to include engineering and enforcement components in addition to publicity (to

make the public aware of the project) this programme has not yet started; and it is not known when

it will be implemented. There are now proposals being considered for engineering improvements to

accident black spots on this road.

3.2.4 Roads and Highways Department (RHD)

The RHD have also demonstrated that they are aware of the need to improve the behaviour of

drivers using ‘their’ roads. For example they have provided safety messages targeting speed on

road signs on the Dhaka - Chittagong Highway. Four of the messages displayed (on separate signs

in either Bangla or English included):

“Drive slow Live and let live”

“Drive slow Save life Maybe this is yours”

“Drive slow Life is more valuable than time”

“Obey traffic signals Aid safety”

The effectiveness of this particular campaign is unknown, although current behaviour suggests that

considerable improvements are desirable. Given the general lack of fundamental awareness of the

safety issue and of road risk almost any effort is perhaps better than none; however, the value of

such programmes is probably very limited.

3.2.5 Bangladesh Television (BTV)



Television is often considered to be the medium most suited to mass communication and public

information broadcasting - and this is matched by the cost of publicity campaigns conducted on

television.

BTV have shown road safety material usually at the request of the Traffic Police to accompany

Traffic Week. This usually takes the form of written slogans with a voice over. The Traffic Police

did produce a short 2 - 3 minute film but this was aimed more at preventing congestion and the use

of fake licences than with increasing knowledge of the regulations and improving behaviour. BTV

made no charge for these transmissions and suggested that any future materials, within limits, could

also be transmitted free of charge.

In addition to Traffic Week activities road safety issues were sometimes covered at other times in

news broadcasts and in magazine and discussion programmes .

However, the use of television to promote road safety appear to have been minimal compared to

other types of ‘public service’ broadcasts concerning issues such as health, family planning and the

efficient use of water and electricity. However, it was suggested that road safety was not seen as

being either a matter of public knowledge or concern; and thus not ‘good’ television material.

However, BTV did respond positively to the prospect of transmitting materials on road safety - and

would do so for free as they would be considered as public service broadcasting - although they

were not able to produce these types of materials themselves, and were unaware of the existence

or planning for any such materials. There are 10-15 freelance production companies that could

produce transmission quality materials.

3.2.6 Bangladesh Radio

In a country such as Bangladesh with high levels of illiteracy - and poverty - radio is also likely to be

a powerful means of public education. In fact Bangladesh Radio reported that they were already

involved in a wide variety of public information broadcasting on social and economic issues such as

health, the use of electricity and water and family planning, in addition to regular road safety

education and publicity. While some of this was at the request of bodies such as the Traffic Police

to accompany Traffic Weeks, a significant amount of general road safety information was included

in their regular adult news and magazine programmes, as well as in their children’s programme.

This appeared to take place because they recognised there was a need for such information and

that they in an idael position to provide it.

The National Channel, which starts transmitting at 6:00am, incorporated a sizeable amount of public

information, both general and specific, and is the only channel on the air before it is joined by the

Commercial Channel at 10:30. This means that it is potentially a very effective means of

communicating road safety messages. In addition the schedules contained special interest

programme for groups such as long distance drivers, women and children.



Other public service broadcasting that required extensive air-time were sponsored by organisations

such as UNICEF

3.2.7 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)

NGOs currently play a key role in many areas of the social, economic and political development of

Bangladesh. They appear to have come to play this role because overseas aid agencies (whether

voluntary or governmental) wanted to move their efforts from simple reconstruction to

improvements in the social structure and felt this could be better achieved by the use of NGOs

rather than via the Government. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) appeared prepared to let

NGOs adopt this role and as a result they are involved in many different areas, but to date not road

safety publicity.

In September 1996 the MoC held a seminar on the role of NGOs in traffic safety. As a result a

number of NGOs have begun to develop their interest in those aspects of road safety that appear

within their capabilities. These have included both education, training and publicity programmes,

although to date no approval or financial support has been given for their proposals.

One particular NGOs that had produced costed proposals for conducting road safety education and

publicity programmes was the International Voluntary Services (IVS). Their proposals have not yet

been approved by the funding agencies, although as yet they have not been rejected. It is believed

that the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) are also producing some proposals for road

safety initiatives in this area.

The Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) are a hospital/clinic who calculated that

19% of their patients had been injured as the result of road accidents and believed that they should

become involved in prevention as well as rehabilitation. They were hoping to be involved in the

proposals made by IVS.



4 THE WAY FORWARD: RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 General comments

If any progress is to be made with the road safety problem it is clear that a long-term, co-ordinated

and systematic programme of measures will need to be introduced. One of these will need to be a

wide ranging public education and safety awareness campaign conducted in conjunction with other

activities such as increased or improved enforcement.

The current safety situation is extremely worrying and considerable energy and resolve will need to

be displayed by all those attempting to bring about improvements. However, failure in this task will

result in a future road safety situation in Bangladesh that is difficult to contemplate.

4.2 Administration: role of NRSC

It is likely that any long-term co-ordinated publicity programme will fall within the overall

responsibility of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC). This organisation was constituted in

July 1995 and it’s first task was to setup a number of focused working groups to review various

areas of road safety. They identified a small number of key sectors (such as Education and

Publicity) for each of which they reviewed the problem and defined a series of objectives.

A draft National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan was submitted to the NRSC in February 1997.

An English version of this plan was agreed and was seen as the focus for plans to progress the

initiative. A Bengali version of the agreed plan became available in June 1998. A wide ranging

safety seminar, covering all sectors of the plan, was held on the same day as this version of the plan

was launched. This activity took place shortly after the start was made towards establishing a

Permanent Secretariat, within BRTA, whose primary task was to progress the Action Plan.

At least in the medium term the responsibility for initiating any effective and sustainable road safety

information and publicity programme is likely to lie within the Secretariat of the NRSC Secretariat.

However any programme will need to be conducted in conjunction with other interested parties

such as the Traffic Police, the MOI, the recently formed Local Government Institutes (which were

planned to play a key role in road safety outside Dhaka), and NGOs; and this is recognised within

the plan itself.

4.3 Short term actions required

4.3.1 Expansion of NRSC Secretariat

In order for the NRSC Secretariat to be in a position to initiate, manage, co-ordinate and monitor the

extensive safety programme proposed by the NRSC it will be necessary for the Secretariat to have

additional manpower.

While the amount of support required will need to be regularly reviewed, initially it is likely that it

could be staffed by individuals from, for example , BRTA, RHD, MOI (or MOE) and the Traffic



Police; this would mean that each person was responsible for two different sectors of the plan,

although not all sectors are likely to involve the same amount of input. It is possible that these

individuals would be provided on secondment from their various organisations (who would continue

to pay them) for periods initially of between 12 months to 2 years.

The individual responsible for the publicity programme (and possibly also the education

programmes), should, ideally, have prior experience of both road safety and mass communication

methods. However, such people are scare and this may mean that training will be required; and

some suggestions for this are contained in Annex B.

There are individuals (for example, within MOI) who have the required experience and skills in

mass media communication but lack the background in road safety. As there are probably more

training opportunities available in road safety than are available in mass media communication, it

might be that a specialist ‘public communicator’ is trained in ‘road safety’, rather than vice-versa.

The Secretariat should also contain a (full time) Press Officer or Public Relations Officer who will

be required to publicise all sectors of the plan by producing regular press releases and providing

materials for articles and stories in the newspapers and in the general media. This person would

have a key role to play in keeping road safety high in the public’s consciousness and on the political

agenda.

4.3.2. Establish Publicity Action Group Steering Committee

At an early stage of its operation the NRSC Secretariat should establish a small but committed

Road Safety Publicity Steering Committee (RSPSC) - only 5 to 6 people would be involved. This

should include the responsible member of the Secretariat, plus high level representation from

BRTA, the Traffic Police, BTV and BR. Some appropriate NGO participation may also be called

for.

Amongst the first task of the Steering Committee will be to set down objectives and decide what

other representation is required on the larger Action Group. This should be based on their own skills

and interests and the programmes of activity they would expect to undertake. It is expected that the

Chairman of the Steering Committee would act as the Chairman of the whole Action Group

The Steering Committee should review the Groups objectives and consider the overall membership

of the Group on a regular basis and take any action required to meet its objectives.

4.3.3 Establish Publicity Action Group

The first task of the RSPSC will be to establish what other representation is required on the

Publicity Action Group. This should not be too large (perhaps 8 - 10 persons in all) and consist of



individuals (and organisations) that are likely to produce activity and actions rather than drift into

inertia when they contemplate the size of the problem they face.

4.3.4 Terms of reference for Publicity Action Group

The Members of the Publicity Action Group should undertake to conduct a minimum of 2 major

campaigns each year - possibly including one national and one focused on Dhaka itself. This is the

minimum programme that should be attempted - it may be possible that more effort is required;

especially given the large number of problems that currently need to be tackled.

In addition (especially in the short term) it is hoped a number of other lower key campaigns can be

undertaken. There is an urgent need for road safety publicity materials of all types.

In order to achieve this they will need to involve other organisations, such as NGOs, advertising and

market research agencies and creative consultants.

It is suggested that the whole Action Group meet 4 times a year at a meeting convened by the

Secretariat. The Steering Committee should attend a smaller meeting immediately prior to the

meeting attended by the whole Group. Specially convened meetings of the whole Group, the

Steering Committee or particular sub-groups (for example to view and decide upon campaign

materials prepared by an agency) should be arranged as required. Each meeting must have an

Agenda aimed at producing the Groups agreed programme.

Funding for these various activities will need to be provided by the Secretariat; either by obtaining

sponsorship or from overseas aid.

These efforts should be supported by inputs from staff from other Ministries, NGOs and, ideally, in

the short-term from visiting specialists.

4.3.5 Preliminary market research

Effective road safety publicity depends on having appropriate information. This information can be

about what different types of road users know, what they think about road safety , what their

motivations and fears are, what are their favourite newspapers, radio and television programmes

and who or what they respect. This information can help determine things such as what message to

use and how best to transmit it.

This kind of information is normally collected by means of both qualitative and quantitative market

research methods. Such surveys often provide key information about what contributes to particular

behaviour and thus what kinds of persuasive messages are required. It can also reveal key issues,

for example, what people think of the traffic police and their role. This background knowledge can

show the need for initial messages that are required before attempting to modify behaviour.

There is at least one market research company operating in Dhaka, whose parent company is in

India, that has experience of collecting such information, and feeding it into the publicity programme



(by, for example, using the information to develop materials, decide on media, or to examine

campaign effectiveness) in similar developing countries such as India and Nepal (See Annex C.)

If money was available it is proposed that a limited number of such market research surveys are

conducted before the start of IDC3 in January 1999. This would provide the Secretariat and

Publicity Action Group with valuable information about road user attitudes and motivations, as well

as where they might be able to find such support for the long-term programme of campaigns (and

evaluations) proposed below.

4.4 Continuing the process: longer term actions

4.4.1 Conducting campaigns

The Secretariat and Publicity Action Group must undertake the task of conducting a long-term

rolling programme of campaigns. For each campaign they will need to decide on the how much

outside assistance they will require - for example in designing materials, making television

commercials and conducting a campaign evaluation - and manage the process in a systematic and

efficient way. The Secretariat will act as the focal point and co-ordinator but could fill largely an

administrative and facilitating role once the appropriate NGOs and individuals have been identified.

Although every campaign is different it is necessary to be systematic in how they are conducted in

order to avoid missing any key elements - or perhaps sliding into inactivity.

Conditions in Bangladesh are now at a critical stage and although other elements are also urgently

required, it is of paramount importance that effective targeted campaigns are commenced, and

maintained, very soon.

It is proposed that the long-term plan should include two major campaigns each year, but every

opportunity should be sought to increase this especially in the earlier critical years.

This will necessarily depend on available funding but given the standing of public service

broadcasting (on television and radio) and the widespread recognition and willingness to become

involved in road safety, plus the opportunity for ‘free’ publicity and awareness campaigns that could

be provided by the newspapers, there may not be a need for extensive funding. Also, DCC for

example, could be persuaded to provide support for campaigns based in Dhaka, such as providing 3

- 5 hundred permanent billboard sites that would be dedicated (for say the next 5 years) to road

safety . They might also be persuaded to maintain these billboard and use them to place posters

provided by the Secretariat/PWG.

Because each campaign is different it is impossible to specify in detail how long it will take to

design, plan and conduct it. While initially it may be planned to run some campaigns for one month,

it may be considered that others may need to be run for longer; some may need to be extended or

repeated after a few months time - or interim evaluations. Follow-up (‘repeat’) campaigns are

normally expected to take less effort as they do not involve preparing materials - unless it is

decided to develop new materials.



Also, the start-up time for each campaign will also vary. For example, scripting and making a film

for showing on television will take longer (and cost more) than designing and evaluating posters.

As a ‘rule of thumb’ campaigns can take up to 6 months to prepare and conduct - but can be done

faster if necessary. The proposal of conducting two major campaigns each year gives the long-term

programme a structure - but this structure needs to be flexible.

While mistakes will be made it is judged that at the moment activity and determination are perhaps

more important than scientific and methodological rigor especially in an area (such as road safety

publicity) where very few rules are available to follow.

4.4.2 Specialist input

In the initial stages specialist input and support is recommended. This should only be provided when

the Secretariat has in place the person who will be managing the programme of campaigns in the

long term; possibly to coincide with the start of IDC3.

An input of one month is recommended when that person is initially involved in: identifying

individuals and organisations who are to be involved, finalising plans and processes, organising

sponsorship and identifying priorities. This activity should be led by the Secretariat, rather than being

directed by the specialist, who should only be required to offer strategic guidance and support.

A second specialist input could take place 6 to 8 months later. This would review progress to date

and provide further assistance with developing the long-term strategy, which organisations were to

be involved (based on their inputs to date) and in what roles. If satisfactory progress was being

made the decision could be made that no more inputs were required; however, a decision on a

possible (final) third input should be delayed to this second input.

4.4.3 Liaison with other bodies

With regard to publicity (part of the Education and Publicity Sector within the Strategic Plan) it is

clear that the Secretariat will need to work closely with the Traffic Police and other Government

Institutions in order to make progress. Also the programme would benefit from continued inputs

from publicity/advertising professionals - to supplement the short term input provided by visiting

specialists.

The growing involvement of NGO’s, together with the Secretariat slowly distancing itself from

Governmental influence, will also be required if long-term funding and sponsorship is to be

obtained.

The Ministry of Information already have in place a structure for dealing with mass communication

and public education outside Dhaka; but as yet have not become involved in road safety campaigns.

4.4.4 Funding

In many countries funding for road safety activities, such as publicity, is provided by central or local

government (such as the Ministry of Finance, or the Treasury Office) in the same way that money



is provided for road maintenance and buildings; an efficient transport network being judged as

essential as health, education and defence.

Money is raised by general taxation and distributed according to national priorities. In some

countries centrally collected taxation on transport (e.g. fuel and vehicle road tax) produces more

money than is actually spent; and sometimes this ‘extra’ can be use to subsidise other means of

transport (e.g. public buses and trains) that are more socially desirable and reduce traffic congestion

and pollution. Similarly, funding is provided for road safety initiatives - such as publicity and

awareness campaigns - as it is recognised that they can contribute significantly to road user safety

and can generally be shown to be cost effective (by cost benefit methods) if they effectively target

particular problems.

At present in Bangladesh there is very little money provided for road safety programmes - such as

for publicity. This is an important weakness in terms of the long-term viability of any safety

initiative. It is recommended that the government should be encouraged to collect and distribute a

small road safety and environment tax (for example on fuel or the cost of a vehicle licence). This

policy has been adopted in other countries, with regular reviews of how such money will actually be

distributed; but which allows both long-term planning and reduced time spent on soliciting money by

sponsorship.

In the absence of any regular, central funding it is recognised that publicity campaigns will only be

possible if private sponsorship is obtained. Continuing dependence on overseas ‘aid’ money is not

seen as being a viable option in the long-term.

Many other countries (both developed and developing) use sponsorship to fully or partially fund such

programmes - and this remains an option for Bangladesh and the NRSC.

While the efforts to raise such funding needs to initiate from the Secretariat itself sponsorship and

aid may become easier to obtain as it distances itself from government influence.

Sponsorship should be sought from large multinational companies involved in transport, such as oil

companies, vehicle manufactures, tyre manufactures, etc, who have often been willing to provide

such help in other countries - as have producers of soft drinks intent on raising their public status.

While some campaigns (such as those based on television advertisements or billboards) are best

supported by a single sponsor, others (based on booklets for example) can have a number of

smaller sponsors.

4.4.5 Co-ordinated with other sectors

There are many safety problems that could be improved by targeted education and publicity

campaigns. However, such campaigns are unlikely to be effective in terms of reducing the numbers

of traffic accidents, unless they are undertaken in concert with accompanying engineering, traffic

management, driver improvement and enforcement activity. Some of these needs - such as the

segregation of motorised and non-motorised traffic, improvements to the vehicle fleet and road



network and more police enforcement of traffic regulations - will form part of the other sectors of

the national plan.

The synergy generated by this multifactor approach is more likely to produce benefits rather than

single, half-hearted measures that are quickly abandoned as being unworkable. This will involve

considerable determination, and discomfort, on the part of those involved - but the alternative that

would follow inaction is difficult to imagine.

When faced with the traffic conditions and road user behaviour that currently exists in Bangladesh

the question of ‘where do you start’ may be heard. One approach adopted successfully in other

countries is to introduce a ‘demonstration project’. This approach nominates one area, or stretch of

road, and carries out engineering improvements allied with increased enforcement (which can start

off ‘soft’ before switching to ‘hard’). Such an approach also needs to include extensive public

information and publicity campaigns before, during and after the campaign. The police need to

maintain a high profile until a change of behaviour is secured; and reinforce this as required. This

involves regular monitoring of behaviour to know when additional enforcement is required.

Once established in one area similar projects can be introduced elsewhere based on the experience

gained in the first project.

Similarly, public information campaigns will be needed to introduce alongside any changes in traffic

legislation, driver training and testing or vehicle fitness. It is important to realise that traffic violations

should be widely publicised as they then act as a deterrent rather than simply a punishment given to

an (unlucky?) individual.

4.4.6 Targets, monitoring and evaluation

Setting campaign targets, monitoring and evaluation - mentioned in the ToR (Section 2 ) are all

dealt with in Annex D. While these components may be difficult to introduce to Bangladesh in the

short term, and require expenditure of scarce resources, they can be introduced as the responsible

authorities and agencies gain experience and confidence.

Each campaign will need to decide on its own indicators. In the early stages of the programme this

may simply involving counting events, over say 6 half-hour periods on a particular day, of

particular pedestrian movements, vehicles using the wrong direction on a particular carriageway,

overtaking ‘conflicts’ on a particular stretch of road, etc. In the long-term other indicators such as

violations and particular accident types may be used.

4.4.7 Priorities for campaigns

There are no problems with identifying things that need improving with road user behaviour in

Bangladesh. However, a lack of accident and exposure information make it difficult to identify what

are the main priorities. Also, while information about the accident situation in Dhaka is becoming

increasingly available there are concerns about how accurate it is.



In spite of this lack of objective information some priorities for campaigns might include:

General awareness

- of accident problem

- knowledge of traffic rules

- The size (and waste) of their rapidly increasing accident problem

The segregation of different road users:

- pedestrians and traffic

- motorised and non-motorised traffic (e.g. slow vehicles to left)

Night-time conditions

- illuminating vehicles at night

- pedestrians wearing something light (to aid conspicuity)

Pedestrian behaviour

- if possible don’t walk in road

- walk facing on-coming traffic

- don’t cross on roundabouts (e.g. spend less time in road)

- help and inform young and old

In rural areas:

- be careful of trucks and buses (don’t count on other for your survival)

- vehicles take a long time to slow down and stop

- at night drivers cannot see you as well as you can see them (if they have lights)

In urban areas:

- a loud horn does not give you priority or safety

- give others more room

4.4.8 Long term campaign time-table

These will need to be determined by the Secretariat and the Action Group when they are in place

based on the funding arrangements known at the time. Specialist input at this time would be

particularly useful - as would experience of previous mass communication projects undertaken in

Bangladesh.

4.4.9 Good practice guidelines for Bangladesh



Annex D of this report contains a ‘Manual on how to conduct effective road safety publicity

campaigns in Bangladesh’. Issues that are of particular relevance to Bangladesh, such as: the lack

of general lack of awareness of road safety as an ‘issue’ and the question of what media to use

(because of the high rate of illiteracy ) are considered here.



5 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Road safety publicity campaigns should be managed and co-ordinated by the NRSC Secretariat.

This will involve someone familiar with both mass media communication techniques (preferably in

Bangladesh) and road safety working full-time within the Secretariat itself; possibly also having

responsibility for the education programme.

The Secretariat will be assisted with a specially constituted Publicity Action Group which would

include individuals from other ministries and other Non-Governmental Organisations. This Group

would contain a small Steering Committee (that would include the responsible member of the

Secretariat) who would monitor the overall objectives and success of the Group and determine

whether changes were required.

The Secretariat and Publicity Action Group would seek help from other ministries, Non-

Governmental Organisations, press, radio and television, market and advertising agencies, creative

consultants, etc. as and when required.

The possibility of obtaining sponsorship to fund particular (or all) campaigns should be investigated.

This should start with approaching petrol companies, vehicle manufactures, tyre companies, vehicle

insurance firms etc. Soft drink firms have also provided support in other countries.

Also, arrangements will need to be agreed with radio and television to treat road safety in the same

way as other ‘public service’ broadcasting, that is by providing reduced rates or even free air-time.

In order to support the whole safety programme and maintain a high profile for road safety -

especially in the early stages - it is suggested that the Secretariat contains a full-time Press Officer

or Public Relations Officer.

The Secretariat should aim to conduct two major campaigns each year. The priorities should be

based on available accident data and the campaigns based on, as much as possible, on ‘good

practice’. The Secretariat should recognise it

At least in the short-term (meaning perhaps 4 to 5 years) the production and circulation of as many

materials as possible should be initiated or encouraged.

While some campaigns could focus on Dhaka, other campaigns such target the whole country;

possibly making use of Local Government Institutes or the networks already established by the

Ministry of Information.

Traffic Weeks should continue in the short-term (possibly 3 or 4 years) but the police should be

provided with professional help to make them more focused and effective.

Publicity programms will need to be co-ordinated with other sectors of the National Plan. This will

be the task of the Secretariat. For example, new legislation, driving test requirements and

enforcement campaigns will need a significant publicity and public awareness component. A pilot



scheme including engineering improvement, increased enforcement (‘soft’ then ‘hard’) in addition

to widespread publicity should also be considered.



ANNEX A

MESSAGES USED BY POLICE IN RECENT TRAFFIC WEEK

(Translations provided by IDC staff)

Information for rickshaw Puller

Keep the rickshaw in a line.

Always pull the rickshaw through he left side of the road.

Get yourself to know the Road Safety Rules before you are in the road with a rickshaw.

Without signal and suddenly do not turn you rickshaw.

Do not park your rickshaw as you wish but park in the specified area.

Do not keep you rickshaw in the turnabout.

Do not try to overtake other rickshaw.

When you are in the road please keep the licence and other documents with you.

Do not pull the rickshaw at night without light.

Under aged and old man are not allowed to pull rickshaw.

Check the brake before you start with rickshaw.

Information for General Public

If you wish to cross the road, first look at right then left then right again. It is safe to cross the road

through zebra crossing.

Walk through footpath. if there is non, walk through the right side of the road.

Cross the road through the nearby zebra crossing.

While crossing the road take help from the Traffic Police if there is any.

It is a request to the Pedestrians, please get the knowledge about the Road Safety rules.

It is a request to the general public to give the knowledge to their children about the road Safety

rules.

Information for Motor Vehicle Drivers

Do not drive your car roughly. Try to remember that life is more valuable than time.

Park your vehicle in the specified area.

Do not drive the faulty vehicle.

Keep all the necessary valid documents with you.



Do not drive the vehicle that emits black smoke.

Do not use hydraulic horn on your vehicle.

Follow the traffic rules and help the Traffic Police to apply these.

Follow traffic signals.

Use black paint on the upper portions of the head light at night.

Reduce the speed of you vehicle in road junction, Turnover and Zebra Crossing.

Do not use black paper and black glass in the vehicle.

Do not use metallic number plate.

You will be in accident any time too. Think about your family.



ANNEX B

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

There are relatively few people who have experience in both road safety

and mass communication. In order to provide this support for the Secretariat it may be appropriate

to provide some training or relevant experience overseas.

There are more training opportunities available in road safety than in mass communication;

especially those of a short duration (such as a week) .

The British Council provide week-long course on road safety for developing countries. This course

(the last one was based at Leeds University) has half a day (out of 5) dealing specifically with road

safety publicity.

Other relevant courses may exist - but the author of this report is currently not aware of any.

Courses run by the Market Research Association (on Marketing) are not considered suitable.



ANNEX C

MARKET RESEARCH AGENCY WITH ROAD SAFETY EXPERIENCE

ORG-MARG are a sizeable market research agency with a reputation for sound and reliable work.

Their parent company is based in India (in Bombay) but they have a number of offices in

neighbouring countries including Dhaka and Nepal.



ANNEX D

MANUAL FOR CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS

IN BANGLADESH

1 INTRODUCTION

2 WHY CONDUCT CAMPAIGNS?

3 WHY PUBLICITY RATHER THAN ENFORCEMENT OR ENGINEERING?

4 WHAT FORM CAN THEY TAKE?

5 SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES

6 ORGANISATION AND PLANNING: SOME GENERAL POINTS

7 JUSTIFICATION FOR CONDUCTING CAMPAIGNS

8 INITIAL STAGES IN CONDUCTING CAMPAIGNS

9 CHOSING A TOPIC

10 DECIDING ON THE TARGET GROUP

11 DESIGNING THE CAMPAIGN

12 PREPARATORY RESEARCH

13 CHOICE OF MESSAGE

14 CHOICE OF APPEAL

15 CHOICE OF MEDIA

16 CHOICE OF MEDIA IN BANGLADESH

17 ROLE OF POLICE

18 TIMING OF CAMPAIGNS

19 DURATION OF CAMPAIGNS

20 STAGES OF CAMPAIGN

21 SEQUENCING A CAMPAIGN

22 CAMPAIGN EVALUATION

23 DESIGNING, POSTERS, LEAFLETS AND ADVERTISEMENT

24 HANDLING THE PRESS

25 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING

APPENDIX: FIGURE SHOWING STAGES OF CAMPAIGN



Campaign Manual

1 INTRODUCTION

The guidelines contained in this manual are aimed at providing a brief overview of some of the

factors that are involved in planning, developing and running effective road safety publicity

campaigns. They do not attempt, or claim, to provide a simple ‘cookbook’ for conducting

campaigns.

It should be recognised that most experience and research on road safety campaigns has taken

place in developed countries; and that there is very little information and reported research about

campaign that have been conducted in developing countries such as Bangladesh.

In any case campaigns that have been successful in one country may not work in others because

the appeal, timing and circumstances may not be appropriate.

However, there are a number of guiding principles (‘good practice’) that if followed are more likely

to result in successful and cost effective campaigns being conducted.

While safety should form an integral part of any country’s future transport policy and planning (in

the same way as road building and maintenance), road safety publicity should only be seen as one

element of a long-term safety programme that should utilise other approaches, such as safety

engineering (eg traffic calming), improvements to driver training and testing, vehicle testing, safety

education in schools and improved police enforcement.

All countries can be considered to have a road safety ‘problem’ to some extent; and this is likely to

be the case for the foreseeable future. Some countries problems are significantly worse than others

and while some countries are managing to improve the safety of their roads other countries are

faced with a rapidly worsening situation.

This means that while in some countries the target might be to simply hold the accident rates (or

costs) at the same level while economic development increases the number of drivers, cars and

km/miles driven, some countries should undertake a programme aimed at reducing road accident

numbers by a target amount each year.

In Bangladesh at this time it may be a marked achievement to simply reduce the accelerating rate

at which accidents appear to be rising; although any targets set should be challenging; and

achievable.

This manual also contains some useful references that provide more extensive and detailed reading

on the subject of publicity campaigns.



Campaign Manual

2 WHY CONDUCT CAMPAIGNS?

Most accidents are the result of road user behaviour and campaigns can serve a number of

functions:

• to educate road users

• increase the public’s awareness of the problem

• change attitudes and beliefs

• improve behaviour

• inform about new laws and enforcement

• prepare for future legislation, so it can be introduced effectively

• the ultimate objectice is to reduce the number and severity of traffic accidents.

3 WHY PUBLICITY RATHER THAN ENFORCEMENT OR ENGINEERING?

• most accidents are the result of driver (or road user) error

• many happen because of a lack of knowledge of traffic rules

• poor attitudes ( for example, to seat-belt and crash helmet wearing) may be more of

a problem than simple lack of knowledge

• enforcement requires the use of scarce resources and can be expensive (and

unpopular with the public; and the police themselves)

• driver training (and retraining) can take a long time to work through into the

system

• ‘people engineering’ can be more cost effective than ‘real’ engineering

• drivers are very adaptive and will try and counter any restrictions that are imposed

on them.

4 WHAT FORM CAN THEY TAKE?

Some may need to be paid for:-

• leaflets, posters, banners, billboards

• newspaper/magazine advertisements

• radio and TV (‘fillers’)

• in cinemas

• cassettes, videos



Campaign Manual

• stickers

• talks, exhibitions,

• public address systems, etc.

Some can be free (‘below the line’):-

• newspaper stories and editorials

• TV documentaries and magazine articles

• hidden in the storyline of popular programmes and dramas

• word of mouth.

5 SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES

• Campaigns should always be part of an integrated approach

• Campaigns, whether they are selling road safety or cigarettes are still an inexact ‘science’; and

most of the research and experience has been directed at commercial products rather than

those dealing with public service broadcasting

• Each campaign is unique because every country has its own social and cultural characteristics

and is at a particular stage in it’s cultural, economic and educational development

• Campaigns can only work if they are timely and co-ordinate with other actions. For example

there is little to be gained by encouraging pedestrians to use pedestrian crossings if there aren’t

any, or for people not to travel on the tops of buses if there are too few buses to allow

everyone to travel inside

• It is difficult to change established behaviours, especially if they result in some subjective

benefit (they are ‘positively reinforcing’), for example, speeding and dangerous overtaking will

result in shorter journey times; and more profit for bus and truck operators.

6 ORGANISATION AND PLANNING: SOME GENERAL POINTS

• Individual campaigns should be seen as a single element of a long-term publicity programme

• It is necessary to set objectives for each campaign (which should be challenging but achievable)

against which performance can be monitored

• Individual campaigns can have both long-term (eg accident reduction) and short-term (eg

improved knowledge or attitudes) objectives

• Long term success can only be achieved if an important individual (eg Prime Minister) or

organisation (eg Ministry of Transport, or National Road Safety Council; which may include



Campaign Manual

members from different Ministries or Departments) accepts the responsibility for road safety

and provides a long-term commitment in terms of both staff and funding

• Sufficient funds need to available to allow long term planning.

7 JUSTIFICATION FOR CONDUCTING CAMPAIGNS

• An economic appraisal comparing costs and benefits (cost benefit analysis) can be used to

measure effectiveness and justify expenditure, although these analyses are crucially dependent

on the monetary value placed on a human life

• Experience in other countries similar in economic standing to Bangladesh suggests that road

accidents ‘cost’ as much as 1% of GNP. An equivalent expenditure on effective road safety

measures (such as publicity campaigns) is likely to pay for itself many times over and thus

repreent an overall economic gain; at present very little is being spent on road safety initiatives

in Bangladesh

• commercial sponsorship can often provide long-term funding; this option has not yet been

satisfactorily explored in Bangladesh

8 INITIAL STAGES IN CONDUCTING CAMPAIGNS

There are a number of stages to any campaign:

• Decide:

• topic/target group

• message

• appeal

• media

• Set objectives (part of evaluation)

• Develop and evaluate materials

• Conduct campaign proper (monitor and modify if required)

• Evaluate and report

9 CHOOSING A TOPIC

• Priorities need to be constantly monitored and updated

• Should be based on factual information (such as accident data if it is available and reliable)

rather than personal experience or folklore



Campaign Manual

• Accident statistics should take account of the relative numbers of different road users or

vehicle types (‘exposure factors’), for example, although there may be fewer child pedestrian

accidents than adult pedestrian accidents the difference in overall numbers may mean they are

more at risk

• Simple accident numbers (about who, when and where) may not answer the crucial question

why, and provide the solution to how they can be prevented

Therefore the choice of campaign topics can be based on a variety of sources, that include:

• Accident statistics (These are vital for both deciding on choice of campaigns and evaluating

accident countermeasures)

• In-depth analyses or case studies

• Observation of road behaviour (eg conflict studies).

• Other statistics:

• numbers of violations issued by the police

• hospital accident information (eg number of head injuries to motorcyclists because of

not wearing crash helmets, or not wearing them properly)

• surveys (eg asking about knowledge of regulations)

• Panel of experts

• Being required because of the introduction of new:

• legislation

• enforcement policy

• Economic factors, such as the relatively high cost of multi-vehicle accidents

The topic should be:

• specific (‘target’ one thing at a time)

• unambiguous and simple to understand

• realistic

• timely

• suitable for the communication techniques used (keep it simple)

• also don’t expect too much

General campaign messages - such as ‘Drive safely’ or ‘Keep death off the roads” - are now

recognised to be less effective than campaigns which target particular behaviours and types of road

user.



Campaign Manual

Specific targeted campaigns are likely to be more effective than more general initiatives, such as

‘Traffic Safety Weeks’, although these have rarely, if ever, been properly evaluated

However, in countries, such as Bangladesh, with a history of conducting an annual Traffic/Safety

Week, it may be sensible to do both, that is continue to conduct a more general Safety Week in

addition to more specific (targeted) campaigns; conducting a ‘Traffic Safety Week’ is better than

nothing!

10 DECIDING ON THE TARGET GROUP

Road safety problems are typically specific to particular types of road user and therefore campaigns

should specifically target that type of road user.

Target groups can be based on:

• particular types of road user

• pedestrians

• cart pullers

• cyclist

• richshaw drivers

• baby taxis

• car drivers

• bus/lorry driver

• characteristics of the road user

• age or gender

• social/economic/educational/ethnic group

• whether live in city or country.

It is important to have a clear idea of the target audience (for example: sex, age, wealth and literacy

) as this will determine the type of message used, the type of media to be used; plus specific details

such as the particular newspapers and radio and TV programmes that should be used.

In some cases the target groups for campaigns is different from the accident problem being

countered, for example, pedestrian safety can be improved by campaigns directed at drivers - as

well as pedestrian themselves.

In some instances the target group can be different from the group whose behaviour is the problem,

for example, some campaigns attempt to improve child behaviour by targeting their parents.



Campaign Manual

Some problems may need to consider more than one target group, for example reducing pedestrian

accidents may require campaigns that target pedestrians (both adults and children) as well as

drivers - and to persuade the traffic police tobecome more involved.

11 DESIGNING THE CAMPAIGN

After the topic and target groups for an individual campaign have been chosen there are many

stages and elements to a successful and well organised and managed campaign, for example, see

Figure from OECD report (1978) in Appendix.

These stages include:

Management and planning

• Need co-ordinating committee /responsible person/budget

• Set clearly defined objectives

• Campaign evaluation should be part of planning

• Allow adequate time (up to 6 months)

• As there are very few road safety practitioners who also have the necessary advertising,

marketing and mass communication skills specialists from appropriate advertising and market

research agencies and/or Government Departments should be used whenever possible

• Consider other methods to influence behaviour (for example, legislation, enforcement or

engineering). That is have an integrated plan

• Individual campaigns can be more successful if they are linked by a common slogan or logo

which gives each campaign more weight and continuity

• It should be recognised that safety benefits in one area can transfer to other areas (‘halo

effects’), for example, children who have been trained in crossing the road safety in school

may set an example and pass on what they have been taught when they are out with their

parents

12 PREPARATORY RESEARCH

• This is an essential phase and can determine the main links between knowledge, attitudes,

behaviour and accidents; as well as the main requirements of the campaign message.

• It can take the form of collecting quantitative or qualitative information. The first required

surveys using large numbers of people, the second often uses in-depth focus ‘groups’ to

examine attitudes and underlying reasons for undesirable behaviour.



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13 CHOICE OF MESSAGE

Publicity materials are designed to convey information (the message) in a particular way or style

(the appeal).

The final choice of message should be made after preliminary research and all materials should be

evaluated before use (‘copy-tests’). Ideally this is done by asking members of the target group

(usually in a focus group of 6 to 8 people led by a trained ‘facilitator’) whether they understand the

material, whether it is persuasive and would be likely to change their attitudes and behaviour and

also that of other similar people.

Alternatively materials can evaluated by interviewing people of the right target group in the streets.

Material designed for school children can be tested in school classes.

Campaign messages should:

• Be specific and clear. Do not simply ask people to ‘be careful when walking in the road’, but

say exactly what they should do (eg, to walk facing oncoming traffic); and not to ‘cross the

road in a safe place’ but to cross at designated crossing point, or where they will spend less

time exposed to traffic (eg, not across a roundabout)

• Offer sensible, positive advice about what to do - not what not to do. For example, to ‘only

overtake when you have a clear view of the road ahead and behind you (ie don’t follow on

behind an overtaker that obstructs your view ahead); and not simply ‘do not overtake

dangerously’

• Encourage acceptance of the message by informing them about the numbers and consequences

of accidents; that is justify the campaign

• Encourage acceptance of the message by showing good behaviour and successful outcomes

• Have a credible source, or make sure that is the message is delivered by someone, or an

organisation, that is highly regarded and liked by the public. For example, a popular film star or a

famous sports person are likely to be more effective when communicating with youths than, for

example, police officers.

Also, remember that most people think they are good drivers and safe road users, and believe that it

is other people who are the problem.

14 CHOICE OF APPEAL

The type of ‘appeal’ made needs to grab attention and influence target group:

• Emotional aspect make for greater persuasion compared to more rational, analytical or

statistical appeals, such that showing accidents or their victims (which could be the family of

the accident victim) is better than giving accident statistics.



Campaign Manual

• Campaigns can have several appeals. For example, in the UK a series of adverts for a drink-

driving campaign showed the consequences for the victim’s family and friends, the driver’s

family (eg wife and child), the driver himself losing his license and job, as well as the

emergency services having to deal with a fatal accident. This helps to avoid boredom setting in

if only one ‘story’ is used. Similarly the intensity of the appeal can be increased to recover

interest

• To be effective material must be attractive to target group. This requires preliminary research

to identify ‘best’ appeal or combination of appeals.

The following types of appeal have been identified:

• horror

• fear

• grief

• informative/factual/statistical

• endorsement (by involving famous person/celebrity)

• humour (which can be satirical or ‘tongue-in-cheek’)

• family responsibility

• sex.

There is very limited research evidence - and in any case what works well in one country may not

work in others, but:

• too much ‘horror’ can be counterproductive because people will find it distasteful and

unconvincing

• serious, rather than humorous, messages are usually more effective (however, humorous

campaigns have worked in some countries - this is why the material always has to be

evaluated before being used)

• the ‘author’ of any message has to be respected and credible. For example, having the traffic

police (who may be unpopular and distrusted) telling people what to do is unlikely to work

• the offender or perpetrator of ‘crime’ should not be identified as this can result in a ‘not me’

response

• never insult or offend people

• use local or familiar conditions so target group can identify with what they see

• beware of imported materials (people do not associate with them)

• music and songs can be used to intensify and popularise the message



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• successive campaigns should vary the type of appeal used (simply using horror or grief all the

time will soon become boring and ineffective)

• be up-to-date and ‘state-of-the-art’, not old fashioned.

15 CHOICE OF MEDIA

The media chosen to communicate the campaign will depend on:

• the target group (eg TV ownership, rate of illiteracy)

• the type of information to be transmitted

• cost (can be free).

You can use many media with different or complementary characteristics, also the combination of

several media is likely to give best results.

Preliminary research on what media is most suitable for various target groups makes it possible to

set up more effective media plan for different campaigns.

Targeting can depends on reading and viewing characteristics, so that particular newspapers and

radio/TV programmes are selected.

Choices about the use of printed materials should take account of the literacy rate of the target

group

Posters should be situated to reach audience near to required behaviour (for example, have posters

encouraging rickshaw drivers to keep to the left - using a symbolic picture - can be situated at

rickshaw garages/workshops, and posters for children can be posted in schools.

The following media are usually considered (‘media mix’):

• TV

• radio

• cinema

• newspapers (adverts, news stories and editorials)

• magazines

• leaflets, brochures and newsheets

• billboards and hoardings

• posters

• stickers

• videos, tapes, talks, speeches, lectures, street broadcasts



Campaign Manual

• special demonstrations, exhibitions/events, competitions

• telephone/fax could be possible (eg for bus/truck companies)

Some general pointers about media:

• low cost media eg radio, press and leaflets can work

• TV campaigns have been effective in developed countries but they can be expensive; unless

provided free of charge

• even when TV ownership is not high it can be effective (for example, there may be a single TV

in rural villages that is viewd by the whole village; and importantly and what it shows is highly

respected)

• special cheap rates for public service broadcasting should be negotiated

• it is possible to co-operate with commercial companies to provide funding and sponsorship -

however company used should not be associated in any way with causing road accidents, for

example those selling alcohol

16 CHOICE OF MEDIA IN BANGLADESH

Bangladesh has a low literacy rate - so written materials should only be used to target limited

specific groups.

Radio is particularly popular - and the National Channel covers the whole country; and has periods

when it is the only channel on air.

TV can be used to cover the whole country - some rural villages have communal viewing

Also videos are becoming increasingly popular.

Cinema attendence is high and have been used successfully for other programmes (eg health,

family planning, reduce use of water and power).

The Ministry of Information has a systen in place for communication with people (often illiterate)

living in rural regions - developed for programmes such as health and family planning.

Within Dhaka permanent poster sites, dedicated to a series of different road safety messages,

should be considered.

Market research surveys can identify the most effective media for different target groups. Also,

which newspapers are read, and television and radio programmes that are most popular.

Bus and truck drivers listen to audio cassettes, although the use of stickers, signs and posters at

rest stops are also considered as likely to be effective.

Rickshaw ‘service garages’ could be used for this this target group.



Campaign Manual

17 ROLE OF POLICE

Many campaigns depend crucially on the role to be played by the Police in supporting or enforcing

the campaign. It is necessary to reach agreement about such activities at an early stage of the

planning and, if necessary, provide guidelines and training.

Police enforcement can take the form of an initial ‘soft’ stage (which might last for about two

weeks) where offenders are simply warned (and possibly given a instructional leaflet or booklet)

followed by a ‘hard’ phase where they are actually fined or even have their license suspended.

Ideally, this stage should continue until the desired behaviour change is achieved.

The enforcement strategy should be accompanied with as widespread media coverage as possible,

that should warn people in advance about what will happen; and then possibly inform them about

the number of people being fined, for example, each day or week.

In addition to the police some campaigns may depend crucially on other organisations, such as

schools, bus and truck companies, etc. Again these will need to be involved from an early stage.

18 TIMING OF CAMPAIGN

• If the campaign topic is seasonal (eg for wet season or holiday periods) it should be run at that

time of year

• It is reasonable to think of running more than one campaign each year. Two a year is about

right, although in Bangladesh the scale of the problem means that a graduated approach will be

required with a number of campaigns initiated as quickly as they can be organised and funded

• Specific campaigns can be tied in with other safety activities eg National Safety/Traffic Weeks

• National holidays/festvals/ceremonies should be avoided, unless they are part of the problem

being targeted - for example in the UK a drink-drive campaign was targeted for the Christmas

period when this behaviour was more likely to occur

• Weather conditions need be to considered when planning the timing of campaigns and certain

times (such as the monsoon) should avoided - unless the campaign is to inform people that it

takes longer to stop a lorry or bus on wet roads

• In Bangladesh suitable times for campaigns are likely to be before the start of the monsoon (for

example April-May, when Traffic Week normally takes place) and during the winter months of

November-February.

19 DURATION OF CAMPAIGN

• In general avoid short campaigns as they have little impact

• As many of the target group as possible (‘penetration’) should be reached by the campaign



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• However, it is not effective for the target group to experience the campaign so many times that

it becomes boring and annoying (‘saturation’)

• The message/appeal can be changed during a campaign once the majority of the target group

has been reached to maintain interest

• Estimate the time necessary to change behaviour - this should be long enough to be noticed and

withdrawn when maximum effect is reached (usually a maximum of 12 weeks)

• Should continue until desired effect produced (eg 2 months) although this will depend on

available resources and behaviour targeted.

20 STAGES OF CAMPAIGN

In addition to having designed materials consider having a:

• pre-campaign press release(s)

• press launch

• post-campaign press release.

Remember that initial research developing and evaluating materials are crucial stages of any

campaign.

21 SEQUENCE OF CAMPAIGNS

• Although it is possible to run more than one campaign simultaneously this is not advisable unless

they address different target groups

• It is often effective to link two campaigns (eg target pedestrians and drivers for a pedestrian

safety campaign)

• Each campaign should be part of a long-term rolling programme.

22 CAMPAIGN EVALUATION

There are some basic ‘rules’ of evaluation:

• Evaluation should be built into the campaign from the start. There should be campaign

objectives that are measurable so that effectiveness can be assessed

• Sometimes it is possible to conduct a regional or local campaign first before conducting a

national campaign

• The campaign itself should be constantly monitored - and changed if necessary - even as the

campaign proceeds. It may be necessary to extend the campaign beyond the planned finish date



Campaign Manual

• The final evaluation (good or bad) should be used help plan future campaigns. Even successful

campaigns can provide lessons on how to do better next time

• Information on the campaign - and the results of the evaluation - should be reported and made

available to other practitioners and researchers.

Some measures that can be used for evaluation include:

• Change in number of accidents (the ultimate criterion but there are serious reservations, eg

accuracy, relevance, overall trend, time required, other influences)

• Change in observable and measurable behaviour are frequently used

• Change of opinion or knowledge (this could be initial criteria)

• Measures of the proportion of target audience reached (‘campaign penetration’).

The method of evaluation:

• When looking for a change at least 2 measurements are required (eg ‘before’ and ‘after’, but

consider carefully when the ‘after’ period should be)

• The use of a control group (who do not experience the campaign, or experimental treatment) is

often appropriate

• Behaviour can be observed (eg using trained observers, or conducting a video survey - which is

especially useful if looking at something like pedestrian behaviour) or self reported (obtained by

surveys)

• Surveys can measure attitudes, knowledge, behaviour before, during and after campaigns.

• However accidents are the ultimate criterion (but this should target accident type and will take

long time to collect).

23 DESIGNING POSTERS, LEAFLETS AND ADVERTISEMENTS

There are a number of guidelines that should be followed.

Do:

• ‘Sell’ the benefits rather than stress the disbenefits

• Be positive rather than negative

• Be active and powerful (rather than passive and restrained)

• Have a ‘short’ main message

• Put the message at the top

• Have people and actions in pictures

• Use local pictures/situations



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• Design for the target audience

• Evaluate a range of the materials (by testing them on volunteers from the target group)

• Use pictures to break up text

• Use colour photographs and clear illustrations

• Make sure the graphics do not hide the message

• Use a clean, unfussy design

• Do not include technical information

• If possible use professionals (artists, graphic designers etc)

• Remember, ‘A picture says a thousand words’.

And also:

• Don’t have too many words

• Don’t use long or difficult words

• Avoid ambiguity, cliches and being too clever (or subtle).

• Don’t use:

small print (hard to read)

CAPITALS (slow to read)

difficult to read typefaces (eg script or italics)

too many typefaces

light coloured writing on dark backgrounds

• don’t do anything to offend (Consider race, sex, religions and politics)

• Don’t order the final print run before seeing what you will get

• Check carefully for spelling and grammar errors (at every stage)

• If you using an unfamiliar language (or languages) get more than one person to translate what

it means

• Don’t use a cheap looking product.



Campaign Manual

24 HANDLING THE PRESS

Recognise they have their job to do

Recognise you need them more than they need you

Tell them the story (who, what, when and where - and how) and suggest an ‘angle’

Give them good warning about future events

Organise events to avoid inconvenient times and conflicting events

Issue regular press releases - not just once in a while

Have a contact name and telephone number on any release

Ask them what they want (eg frequency and content)

Recognise that they require news stories as well as materials for editorials

Know their deadlines

Do not be obstructive

Be careful with statistics - be clear and precise (and accurate) and make sure they are reported

accurately

Cultivate a professional working relationship, mutually beneficial

Thank them for a job well done.

25 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING

ELLIOT, B.J. (1989). Effective road safety campaigns: A Practical handbook, Federal Office of

Road Safety, Department of Transport Communications. Report CR 80. Canberra.

JACOBS G.D., DOWNING A.J. and HILLS B.L. (1987). Road safety in developing countries.

Information Note produced by Transport and Road Research Laboratories’s Overseas Unit,

Crowthorne, UK.

MACLEAN, A.S. (1988). Technical Note No.1: Assessing the impact of public communication

programs. Australian Road Research, 18(3).

OECD. (1978). Chairman’s report and report of sub-group III, Mass media communications for

pedestrian safety. Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Crowthorne, UK.

OECD, ROAD RESEARCH (1971). Road safety campaigns: design and evaluation - The use of

mass communications for the modification of road user behaviour. OECD Paris.

OECD, ROAD RESEARCH (1975a). Manuual on road safety campaigns. OECD Paris.

OECD, ROAD TRANSPORT RESEARCH (1993). Marketing of traffic safety. OECD Paris.



Campaign Manual

OECD, ROAD TRANSPORT RESEARCH (1994). Improving road safety by attitude

modification. OECD Paris.

RoSPA road safety programme manual. Guidelines for research, design, monitoring and evaluation

of education, training and publicity activities. RoSPA, Birmingham, UK.



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26 Appendix: Figure showing campaign stages (from OECD)






Traffic Legislation and Enforcementin Bangladesh

May 1998

{EMBED Unknown}

aits

Traffic Legislation and Enforcement in Bangladesh

by

Jon NeadesAiTS.

Prepared for : Institutional Development Component of RRMP2

Customer : WSP International Ltd

This is an unpublished report prepared for WSP International Ltd. and must not be referred to in any publication without thepermission of AiTS or of WSP. The report was prepared by Jon Neades and the views expressed are those of the author and notnecessarily those of AiTS or of WSP.

© Copyright AiTS, 1998.

All rights reserved.

AiTS is a trading name of Ai Training Services Ltd.

RRMP2 : Institutional Development ComponentTraffic Legislation and Enforcement in Bangladesh

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 BACKGROUND


2.1 COMMENTS

3 LEGISLATION

3.1 SUMMARY OF EXISTING LEGISLATION

4 ENFORCEMENT

4.1 INTRODUCTION4.2 STRUCTURE OF POLICE4.3 ROLE OF TRAFFIC POLICE DEPARTMENT4.4 ENFORCEMENT OF LEGISLATION4.5 TRAFFIC CONTROL4.6 GENERAL ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES4.7 COMMUNICATIONS4.8 SPEED ENFORCEMENT4.9 ALCOHOL ABUSE AND DETECTION4.10 INTER-URBAN ENFORCEMENT4.11 ROAD SAFETY

5 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

6 POLICE TRAINING

6.1 INITIAL TRAINING6.2 TRAFFIC TRAINING6.3 DRIVER TRAINING

7 CONCLUSIONS

7.1 LEGISLATION7.2 ENFORCEMENT

8 RECOMMENDATIONS

8.1 LEGISLATION8.2 ENFORCEMENT8.3 TRAFFIC TRAINING

9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ANNEXESAnnex A Review of Legislation

Annex B Schedules from existing legislation

Annex C Schedules from draft Act

Annex D European driving licence system

Annex E Disqualification and endorsements (UK)

Annex F Terms of reference for technical inputs

Annex G Draft plans for development of highway patrols

Annex H Contents of road safety leaflets


{PAGE }

Executive Summary

The findings of this report can be summarised into three main sections, Legislation, Enforcement and

Enforcement Training. Recommendations are made concerning all three areas and a summary of these is

contained below.

LegislationAt present the existing legislation covering road traffic is inadequate in that it does not govern the behaviour

of non-motorised vehicles. Within Dhaka the situation is slightly different however as the Dhaka

Metropolitan Police Order does allow some management of non-motorised vehicles.

The existing legislation deals extensively with some of the administrative requirements, but does not deal

adequately with basic road safety matters. For example entire chapters are devoted to rules governing the

awarding of driving licences or registration certificates. However rules for driver conduct are contained in

one page Schedule to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance.

These facts have been recognised and a draft Road Traffic and transport Act is currently under development.

The draft Act provides an outline framework for the legal structure, procedures and offences necessary to

control the movement of all vehicles on roads in Bangladesh. Several safety items are included in the draft

Act, which is particularly encouraging. In addition, one section allows for the creation of a road safety fund

and provides that monies realised from fines will be paid into this fund.

A multi-sectoral legislative committee was responsible for re-drafting the Act to the state where it now

stands. Many of previous researchers recommendations are to be found within the latest version and this is

welcomed. Part of the draft law is as yet incomplete and all needs careful revision by the relevant

committee to ensure that it is applicable to the needs of the Country.

It is understood that the draft Act has been submitted in its current form to the Ministry of Law for outline

approval. It is at this stage that progress on the Act has stalled. Although the Act has been with the

Ministry of Law for several months, no sign has been given as to when outline approval will be granted or

denied.

Summary of legislative recommendations

The draft Act should be returned as soon as possible from the Ministry of Law and the legislative committee

reconvened to continue work on the Act.

In addition the committee should determine a plan of action and timetable for drafting the subsidiary

legislation which will be needed to complete the complete suite of legislative material.

For maximum impact, the launch of the new Act should be preceded by a publicity campaign to highlight

some of the new features in the Act. A similar campaign should be considered prior to the enactment of

subsidiary legislation once this has been drafted.


{PAGE }

EnforcementTraffic enforcement is severely limited at present by the exclusion of junior ranks, constables and head

constables, from the power to prosecute offenders. This means that the only people entitled to initiate

proceedings are traffic sergeants.

This restriction on police powers is apparently historic in that previously constables were not expected to be

able to read or write. Conferring powers in those circumstances would have been dangerous. In more

recent times, all police recruits are required to pass written tests, so this restriction is now seen as

unnecessary.

The traffic constable and head constable are required to man a series of traffic points or ‘bits’ to control the

flow of traffic. For the most part they appear to have a beneficial effect of traffic flow. However if a driver

chooses to ignore the directions given, then there is little the constable can do to rectify the matter. No

direct sanction is available. If a sergeant is present at the bit, it is interesting to see an increased level of

compliance with constables directions!

Traffic enforcement is through a series of penalty ticket systems. These are specified for a number of types

of offence, contained mainly within the Motor Vehicle Ordinance. Once an offence has been detected, the

ticket is issued and the driving licence seized. Payment of the fine is made, and on production of a receipt,

the licence is returned.

Corruption exists throughout the public sector and unsurprisingly, numerous stories abound of police

corruption. Some are apocryphal, some rooted more strongly in fact, but doubtless it does occur. Without

wishing to provide excuses for this, it is interesting to note that the pay of a constable is around 54 taka per

day. Manual workers, breaking bricks for hardcore, or rickshaw pullers earn more.

Of note is that the majority of traffic enforcement is based around sergeants stopping vehicles at traffic

points. Most sergeants are equipped with motorcycles, but stopping moving vehicles does not appear to take

place. Enforcement is also limited by the total lack of speed detection equipment or alcohol sensing

devices.

Outside the cities, traffic enforcement is virtually non-existent. This leaves the inter-urban routes and other

roads without any form of traffic police presence. As most of the fatal and injury accidents take place on the

inter-urban routes it is obvious that some form of policing should be introduced as a matter of urgency.

The responsibility for investigating and recording accidents is vested in the thana police, not the traffic

department. Although the data collection process is improving, the level of accident investigation possible

by the investigating officer is very limited. The principles of reconstructing accidents, using the evidence

available at the scene are not well known and not practised.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police ran a Traffic Consciousness Week from 3rd – 7th May 1998. This involved six

static locations around the city and seven mobile displays. A series of posters were displayed and three

types of leaflet distributed depending on the class of road user, pedestrian, rickshaw puller or motorist. The

initiative was widely reported in the press and is perceived by the police as a great success. Similar ventures

are planned for the future.


{PAGE }

Enforcement trainingAll traffic police are transferred onto the department after spending some time on other duties. They have

spent either one year or six months in foundation training, depending upon whether they are to be officers or

constables.

A Traffic Training School exists to train transferees. The building housing the School is cramped, without

basic training facilities and in an appalling state of maintenance. It is considered to be totally unsuitable for

training.

Students at this School undergo a six week course, which for constables consists mainly of learning traffic

control techniques. For officers, the course covers application of the laws and how to issue tickets.

A Police Driving School exists at Jamalpur in the north of the country. At present this is used solely for

training constables and head constables to pass the professional driving test and thereafter to act as drivers

for senior officers, who are all entitled to the use of an official car.

Summary of recommendations for enforcement and training

Activity in this sector needs to revolve around three key issues,

• Implementation of highway patrols

• Development of resources (structural and equipment)

• Development of training

It is suggested that coordinated approach is adopted which deals with all issues concurrently. It is

impractical to suggest that enforcement activity can be improved across the country just by providing

suitable vehicles and equipment. What is preferable is to introduce pilot projects to demonstrate the best

and most effective use of new equipment. Development of training abilities can and should then take place

alongside the implementation of the pilot projects.

Funding should be sough to design, build and commission and equip a new TTS on the outskirts of Dhaka

as soon as possible, as the existing building is unsafe. This should include facilities for all types of traffic

training, including driver training. Several courses are recommended for inclusion in the portfolio offered

by TTS.

Several other measures are proposed including, the transfer of accident investigation and reporting to the

traffic police, implementation of a pay review and anti-corruption measures, introduction of a joint police /

BRTA driver and vehicle database and the instigation of a police accident analysis unit.

Jon Neades, AiTS. 21st May 1998


{PAGE }

1 BackgroundThe Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the Second Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance

Project is funded by the UK Department for International Development. Part of IDC is a series of short term

road safety inputs, alongside a longer term, (18 month) road safety engineering input. The short term inputs

are,

• Legislation and Enforcement


• Driver testing and training

• Children’s road safety education

• Road safety publicity

• Accident data analysis


These inputs originate from a report into road safety in Bangladesh written in 19961. IDC was scheduled to

finish in July 1998 and all the inputs are expected to be completed by this time. A transitional IDC has been

set up to run until December 1998 during which time the next phase of activity will be planned.

A National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has been established with a brief to coordinate the activities in the

various sectors. In 1997 a Strategic Action Plan was developed and published by the NRSC. This

document provides direction for all road safety initiatives within the Country and is actively promoted by

the NRSC. The Strategic Action Plan has seven sectors, comprising,

• Finance

• Engineering

• Traffic Legislation

• Traffic Enforcement

• Education and Training

• Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims

• Information and Research

1 Aeron-Thomas, A and Elliott, G. Road Safety in Bangladesh. Final Report by TRL. IDC Project 1996.


{PAGE }

Day to day activities of the NRSC are managed through a Secretariat which is operated through the

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). BRTA have an active role in many of the above sectors and

much of the progress is due to their enthusiastic support for road safety matters.

This report is based on the findings of the traffic legislation and enforcement specialist. Overall this report

is aimed at two sectors of the Strategic Action Plan, traffic legislation and traffic enforcement. The link

between the two sectors is clear. Traffic enforcement can only be based upon an effective system of traffic

legislation.

Logically therefore it is important to set out a clear legislative framework under which the police are to

perform their activities.

The terms of reference for this input are detailed below.

2 Terms Of ReferenceThe original terms of reference for this component of the IDC project are as follows,

Traffic Police Enforcement & Legislation

Location: BRTA

Reporting to: BRTA Chairman and Inspector General, Bangladesh Police

Objective: Advise on revised MVO with focus on safety regulations and police enforcement.


1. Compare current Motor Vehicle Ordinance and draft Motor Vehicle Act and produce report

outlining the main problems and weaknesses of the proposed legislation with priority given to traffic

control and safety regulation recommendations.

2. Assist the Working Party on Traffic Legislation to produce revised traffic legislation.

3. Review prosecution and court procedures to identify the optimal functional division between the

Traffic Division headquarters and civil court, including alternative fine collection systems.

4. Simplify penalty system to increase its chances of sustainability.

5. Identify training needs and develop long term enforcement training strategy.

6. Assist with review and development of Highway Patrolling Policy.

7. Present introductory seminar on traffic legislation and enforcement.

8. Present concluding seminar on work accomplished and recommendations identified.


{PAGE }

Counterpart from Government: BRTA Asst. Director Engineering and senior representative from

Bangladesh Police.


Introductory seminar

Final seminar

Final report on draft MVA

Timing of input: 8 weeks

Date of input: Two inputs, first visit March 1998, second visit May 1998.

Risks and assumptions:

A multi-sectoral traffic legislation working party should be established and functioning to make the most

effective use of the foreign expert. Traffic legislation working party should be willing to have weekly

meetings during the expert’s visit.

The review of court responsibilities will depend on the legal system supplying adequate data on the number

of motor vehicle offence by section violation and duration.

2.1 Comments

The original terms of reference as specified above were amended during the first visit to take into account

several factors. A major factor affecting the input was that the working party on traffic legislation was not

functioning during either of the inputs.

At the time of writing, proposals for the future developmental work in road safety were under consideration.

Although not specifically included in the original terms of reference, the author has included proposals for

development within the legislation and enforcement sectors.


{PAGE }

3 Legislation

For convenience this majority of this part of the report is confined to Technical Annex A where it is split

into three main sections, a summary of the existing legislation, a review of the proposed legislation and

technical comments and suggestions concerning the draft legislation. As there are numerous references to

the Schedules in the first two sections, the more relevant ones are also reproduced subsequent Annexes.

3.1 Summary of Existing Legislation

There are three groups of laws into which all the relevant existing traffic laws can be divided. The table

below lists the relevant legislation reviewed in this report.

Table 1: Existing traffic related legislation

I - Legislation concerning vehicles and driving

The Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983 (MVO)

The Motor Vehicles Rules 1940 (MVR 1940)

The Motor Vehicles Rules 1984 (MVR 1984)

II - Legislation concerning road tax

The Motor Vehicles Tax Act 1932 (MVTA)

Motor Vehicles Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 1989 (MVTO)

The Motor Vehicles Tax Rules 1966 (MVTR)

III - Legislation concerning traffic control within Dhaka City

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976 (DMPO)

The major problem concerning the existing legislation is that it caters almost exclusively for motorised

vehicles. The non-motorised vehicles are covered only within Dhaka under the terms of the DMPO. This

does provide for all modes of transport and is being effectively applied by Dhaka Metropolitan Police as

described later.


{PAGE }

This situation should to be remedied at an early stage and a comprehensive set of rules developed for all

traffic in all areas and types of road. The draft Act goes a long way towards fulfilling these requirements,

but what should also be developed is a Highway Code. This could then explain the requirements of traffic

laws in more easily understood terms. As with other countries codes, this should be cross referenced with

the legislation. The draft Act provides for a Highway Code to be written, but no time scale is given for this

or its subsequent implementation.

The draft Act provides an outline framework for the legal structure, procedures and offences necessary to

control the movement of all vehicles on roads in Bangladesh. The proposed laws have apparently been

drafted from a mixture of the old laws, together with excerpts from British, American and Australian traffic

laws.

Following recommendations by Aeron-Thomas and others in 1996, a multi-sectoral legislative committee

was responsible for re-drafting the Act to the state where it now stands. Many of her recommendations are

to be found within the latest version and this is welcomed.

Several recommendations are not included however. A major omission, in the view of the this author, is

that the wearing of seat belts is not made mandatory. This is a proven, and easily enforced method of

reducing injury severity and should be considered prior to enactment.

In addition, one section allows for the creation of a road safety fund and provides that monies realised from

fines will be paid into this fund.

Part of the draft law is as yet incomplete and all needs careful revision by the relevant committee to ensure

that it is applicable to the needs of the Country. Some parts are repeated and some sections are considered

by this author to be unnecessary. Detailed notes on these aspects are contained within Technical Annex A.

The author understands that the draft Act has been submitted in its current form to the Ministry of Law for

outline approval.

It is the intention of the committee to reconvene as and when the draft Act is returned from Government.

During interviews, it was considered impossible to give a time frame in which the legislation will be

returned and subsequently amended. Similarly a date for the expected enactment of the draft Act was not

given. The latest information suggests that the MOL will not consider the draft Act until it is translated into

Bangla. This means that it is imperative for the legislative committee to complete the draft. Otherwise

much time will be lost.


9

4 Enforcement

4.1 Introduction

Traffic enforcement activities within Bangladesh cover several agencies, not only the police. For example

BRTA are charged with the responsibility of examining vehicles and also for operating weighbridges to

detect overweight vehicles.

Other reports2 3 deal with the enforcement activities of these agencies and it is the intention of this report to

highlight the enforcement capabilities of the traffic police only.

4.2 Structure of police

The police in Bangladesh are all part of one national police service under the command of the Inspector

General of Police (IGP). In common with many other countries the police are split into separate

departments tasked with dealing with particular matters. For example CID departments for crime matters,

general policing for the Thana police and the traffic police dealing with traffic enforcement.

Within the country the police are divided by geographical area into four metropolitan areas, and six ranges

which correspond to the divisions used for local government purposes. The Ranges are sub-divided into a

total of 64 districts and further into 490 Thanas, each with its own police station. Only 30 Thanas are

located in metropolitan cities.

The tables below summarise the main police areas, total numbers of police and traffic police, together with

the populations they serve and the ratio of traffic police per head of population.

Table 2: Metropolitan Police Areas in Bangladesh (Population figures 1995)

Urban Area Population

(x1000)

Total police

personnel

Traffic police

personnel

Ratio of traffic police

to head of population

Dhaka 7631 17810 2263 1 : 3372

Chittagong 6194 4141 395 1 : 15681

Khulna 2380 2142 265 1 : 8981

Rajshahi 2220 1962 90 1 : 24667

TOTALS 18425 26055 3013 1:6115

2 Pearce, T. Vehicle Safety and Roadworthiness in Bangladesh. IDC Project report 1998.3 Newport, S. Axle Loading Studies in Bangladesh. IDC Project report 1998.


10

Table 3: Police Ranges in Bangladesh (Population figures 1995)

Range Population

(x1000)

Total police

personnel

Traffic police

personnel



Dhaka 29648 14542 278 1 : 106647

Sylhet 7582 4326 98 1 : 7734

Rajshahi 27074 12068 278 1 : 97388

Khulna 11818 7351 160 1 : 73863

Chittagong 17207 15399 220 1 : 78214

Barisal 8203 4821 78 1 : 105167

TOTALS 101532 58507 1112 1:91306

Although the population figures are now out of date, these figures reveal a wide range of policing levels

across the country. Dhaka city appears the best served police area with a figure of one police per 3372 of

population. Latest estimates of the population of Dhaka are over ten million, which reduces the ratio to one

police per 4418 of population. This is still almost twice as high than the next best city of Khulna.

The Ranges are not well served by the traffic police at all. A lower figure is to be expected in rural areas,

which traditionally have a lower density of motor vehicles. Overall the traffic department accounts for less

than 5% of the total police strength in the country.

Of interest are the comparative countrywide total figures. These are shown below.

Table 4: Nationwide total policing and population figures

Country Population

(x1000)

Total police

personnel

Traffic police

personnel



TOTALS 119 957 84 562 4 125 1 : 29 080

Career specialisation is not actively encouraged by the senior management. Transfers between departments

are not uncommon and this can lead to a reduction in the skill base in any one department. The traffic police

are no exception to this and this was recognised as a problem in 1993 by Axup4. Despite his, and others

recommendations, little change is evident at the time of writing.

4 Axup, D. DITS Working paper A. Enforcement Background 1993.


{PAGE }

Counter to this, is the fact that a lack of career specialisation is not common in Britain. In Britain it is

considered desirable for police officers to have a general base of experience, rather than too much

specialisation.

The table below outlines the structure of the police service in Bangladesh, the levels of personnel to be

found at varying offices, and differences in description between the ranks in the Ranges and Metropolitan

areas.

Table 5: Structure of police

Within DMP only, the Commissioner has the equivalent rank of Additional IG.

Metropolitan

Inspector General (IG)

Deputy IG Assistant IG Commissioner

Superintendent (SP)

Additional IG

Additional Superintendent(Add SP)

Assistant Superintendent(ASP)

Officer in Charge (OC)

Sub-Inspector (SI)

Constable

Head Constable

Deputy Commissioner

Additional DeputyCommissioner (Add DC)

Assistant Commissioner(AC)

Sub-Inspector (SI)

Constable

Head Constable

Officer in Charge (OC)

National HQ

District HQ

Thana Level

Range


{PAGE }

The traffic department is organised slightly differently. Traffic Inspectors have the equivalent rank of

Officer in Charge (OC). Sergeants exist in the traffic department and have the equivalent rank of Sub-

Inspector. The table below outlines the traffic department structures within both the metropolitan and

districts

Table 6: Structure of traffic police

4.3 Role of traffic police department

The traffic police role is primarily that of ensuring the free flow of traffic and performing escort duties for

VIP’s, especially in Dhaka. Enforcement of the existing legislation is also recognised as a function of the

police, as too is a responsibility for education of the road using public.

Administrative functions, associated with policing, such as the issue and control of driving licences, vehicle

registration and issue of vehicle fitness permits, are performed through BRTA. Unfortunately operational

Metropolitan

DeputyCommissioner

Additional DeputyCommissioner

Assistant DeputyCommissioner

Traffic Inspector

Traffic Sergeant

Head Constable

Constable

District

Traffic Sergeant

Head Constable

Constable

NOTES:The highest ranking traffic officer inKhulna and Rajshahi is ADC. OnlyDhaka and Chittagong have a full DeputyCommissioner as the highest traffic rank.

In the Ranges the Sergeant is generallythe highest rank of traffic police. Theyreport to the Superintendent of Police.


{PAGE }

links between BRTA and the police are limited and to date there is no national computer database available

for the police to check for stolen or forged driving documents.

4.4 Enforcement of legislation

Traffic enforcement in the country is logically separated into urban and rural policing. There is a great

difference in the function of traffic police in these two areas. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was

studied in detail. Unfortunately rural traffic policing is more or less non existent, despite the fact that the

majority of fatal accidents occur in rural areas. (Aeron-Thomas 1996)

Outside the cities, the Thana police are responsible for enforcing traffic law in addition to their other duties.

Due to other work commitments this effectively means that traffic laws are not enforced. This can only be

to the detriment of road safety.

DMP5 have identified a number of issues which they believe are of relevance to the traffic problems in the

city of Dhaka.

• narrow roads

• maintenance of roads

• maintenance of traffic control devices

• need for a city by-pass

• need for flyovers

• high rickshaw population

• inadequate bus and truck stands

• inadequate equipment and insufficient police resources

• ineffective enforcement of laws

• lack of effective accident investigation

• lack of public education respective traffic laws

• lack of a proper public relations policy

• temporary shops on the footpaths

5 Hossain, M. Traffic Problems and Solutions within this City of Dhaka 1997 (?)


{PAGE }

Some of these items are within the remit of the police to control whereas others fall more naturally into the

role of planners, engineers and BRTA. The solutions proposed in the same paper deal with this and suggest

policies which should be applied by not only the police but other bodies.

4.5 Traffic control

Traffic congestion within Dhaka is a major problem, recognised by all. The police seem to take more than

their share of the blame for this situation which has developed due to inadequate roads and ever increasing

traffic levels.

As previously stated a major role of the traffic police is that of controlling the flow of traffic. This function

is performed within Dhaka by a series of points or ‘bits’ as they are known locally. Axup reports that a total

of 232 bits exist within the City, staffed by constables and head constables. (Interestingly ‘bit’ appears to be

a corruption of the term ‘beat’ which is applied by British police, amongst others, to denote an area of

responsibility.)

The police wear a blue coloured shirt in the metropolitan areas and a khaki coloured shirt in the Ranges.

Traffic police are denoted by the addition of white sleeves. Although non-reflective these do at least

distinguish traffic police from their counterparts. Two constables, as a minimum, are allocated to each bit.

The working conditions for the police at bits leaves much to be desired. Reflective jackets are not available,

or not used, whilst performing traffic control. Dust or smog masks were in use by some constables, but by

no means all. Protection from the weather conditions is by using an umbrella, both in rain and strong sun.

Little relief is available for the constables who work a two shift system from 6.00 am through to 10.00 pm.

Traffic control is performed using what is described by traffic management as a ‘head and tail’ system. In

other words priority is given to those directions where traffic flow is seen as the greatest.

On the whole the system works fairly well. Unfortunately at bits where existing traffic signals exist the

directed motion of traffic is often against the phasing of the lights. Most if not all the traffic light systems

are fixed phase and therefore unable to respond to the demands of varying traffic flow. Direction by the

traffic police against the lights is not helpful in instilling respect and observance of traffic lights.

Indeed one feature of traffic flow around the city is an almost total disregard for red traffic lights. Many

drivers chose to ignore certain red traffic lights, particularly when there is a fast flow in that particular

direction. Although no accidents were witnessed at these sites, and no confirmatory data was readily

available, the scope for conflict is obvious.

Anecdotal evidence from local drivers suggests that there is an unwritten system operating throughout

Dhaka regarding observance of traffic lights. Some traffic signals can always be ignored, some obeyed,

when there are police present, and some should always be obeyed. When questioned as to how a visitor was

to interpret this system drivers were unable to answer. When asked how the system is learnt, the reply is

always that it is just ‘known’.


{PAGE }

Traffic control by the police is not as effective as it could be. A contributory cause of this appears to be that

constables do not have the authority to enforce any of the laws relating to traffic. For example, although the

constables have a power to cause vehicles to stop, and to direct traffic, there is no sanction available if

drivers choose to ignore those instructions. Consequently many drivers do ignore the constable,

exacerbating traffic congestion.

Traffic Sergeants are empowered to initiate process against drivers. It seems that if a traffic sergeant is

present at a police controlled junction, driver cooperation is enhanced. Certainly drivers appear more

willing to obey the traffic directions of sergeants. This suggests that an introduction of prosecution powers

to traffic police generally would be beneficial.

4.6 General enforcement procedures

Traffic Sergeants are the key to any form of enforcement within the existing situation. They hold the

equivalent rank of Sub-Inspector and are the most junior rank on which powers to initiate proceedings are

conferred.

In general there are three methods by which proceedings may be initiated. These are under the DMPO for

all vehicles (in Dhaka); under section 159 MVO 1983 special procedure; and under Schedule 12 MVO 1983

offences.

All three methods involve a fixed penalty style of system, where the offender is issued with a ticket and is

obliged to pay a penalty. Driving licences are seized and the alleged offender is obliged to pay the fine at

the main traffic office. On production of the receipt, the driver can then retrieve his licence from the local

traffic station. For those who fail to pay, a team of officers are tasked with issuing warrants and summons.

Warrant serving officers are often found in association with bits, where traffic flow is high, but average

speeds are low. Individual vehicles are thus readily identified and able to be stopped.

Traffic bits also represent an ideal location for performing checks on vehicles and vehicles. Outside of peak

hours, when traffic flow is just too great, the opportunity to ‘pick out’ target vehicles is present at many bits.

The table below shows the number of cases prosecuted and the monies realised in Dhaka during 1996-1997.

Table 7: Cases prosecuted in Dhaka during 1996 – 97

Year Number of cases reported

(cases / Sgt / day)

On the spot finesrealised(taka / Sgt / day)

Amount of total finesrealised(taka / Sgt / day)

1996 162 081 (1.64) 449 100 (4.55) 19 243 980 (195.3)

1997 155 755 (1.58) 114 800 (1.16) 15 189 285 (154.1)


{PAGE }

More serious offences, and document related offences are dealt with by reporting the offender and requiring

them to attend court on a particular day. Figures for these types of cases were not supplied.

The police estimate that around 50 – 90% of all driving licences in circulation are forged, or false in some

way. The highest level of violation appearing to be by drivers of baby taxis. These figures concur with the

similar estimates by BRTA officials. Reasons for the widespread circulation of false licences include the

written driver test and that the licence is readily copied. BRTA are aware of this problem and it is reported

that laminated licences will be available soon, which will carry a photograph of the holder.

Drivers of motor vehicles are required to carry their licence whenever driving a vehicle. If an officer

suspects that a licence is false then that officer is required to seize the licence and forward it to BRTA the

licensing authority. If BRTA deem the licence false, then the officer must locate the offender and report

them for the offence. Even if the offender is located the process of sending the licence to BRTA and waiting

for the return is around seven days.

Most of the current legislation, and the draft Act are written with enforcement powers specifically given to

the Sub-Inspector or Sergeant and above only. Reasons for this can be guessed at, but one plausible

explanation given was that more junior ranks traditionally were of lower ability and often illiterate. This

does not now appear to be the case and there is a minimum academic level set for all police constables on

appointment. If this is the reason for restricting the powers of constables then it no longer applies and

relevant laws should be amended forthwith.

4.7 Communications

Communications between the police is mainly by UHF radio. Senior officers, and the majority of traffic

Sergeants appear to be equipped with a radio. A police central control centre exists within Dhaka and this

centre coordinates the activities of the operational staff.

The general public are able to contact the control centre by telephone to report emergencies, such as

accidents.

It does appear that the senior officers maintain a tight personal control over ground operations. On many

occasions interviews with senior officers were interrupted so that operational instructions could be relayed

to junior staff. Responsibility for day to day operational management does not appear to be delegated to

junior management, but retained at senior levels.

This practice does little to assist the development of more junior managers, nor does it release the senior

management for their natural functions of designing strategy and policies. Implementation should be

delegated to more junior ranks.

4.8 Speed enforcement

There is currently no real speed enforcement capability within the police. Speed enforcement teams (SET)

are in operation in Dhaka but these no not have speed detection equipment. Their only action is to visually


{PAGE }

estimate the speeds of vehicles, which is both difficult and prone to considerable error. Other offences are

also detected by these teams and their use is viewed as an effective deterrent. Forty officers are allocated to

these teams together with twenty motorcycles.

Their effectiveness is also reduced by the lack of effective signing for particular speed limits. As a result

this technically means that the national speed limit applies. Since this is 70 mph for cars, enforcement of

this limit is pointless within the City, where traffic speeds tend to be rather lower on most roads.

4.9 Alcohol abuse and detection

As for speed detection, there is no equipment available to assist the police in this important activity. At

present where a driver is suspected of alcohol or drug abuse they are taken to a hospital for a blood test.

Since the case is considered by the hospital authorities as non-urgent, considerable time often elapses before

a sample is taken. This can, and does, result in offenders blood / alcohol levels dropping sufficiently to

avoid prosecution.

The police maintain that the worst offender for drink / driving are truck drivers, particularly those on inter-

urban routes. Statistical data to support this assertion was not produced.

4.10 Inter-urban enforcement

A form of Highway Patrol is reported to exist outside the cities on inter-urban routes. This is primarily to

deter the actions of dacoits (robbers) who ply their trade in the more rural areas. The police have had some

success in this area, but it does not affect traffic policing to any great extent.

Outside the cities there is the problem of numbers for the Highway Patrol. A total of 73 police personnel are

reported to be assigned to this role nationally. Since there are around 16 000 km of paved road within

Bangladesh6, this equates to a ludicrously low policing level of about 215 km for each police constable.

This does not take account of unpaved roads, of which there are many more kilometres, the effect of which

would be to increase this figure still further. On a police per head of population basis, 73 officers equates to

one officer per 1.6 million head of population.

It is apparent that a substantial proportion of inter-urban accidents involve public transport and trucks. A

tour of selected highways showed that these types of vehicles form the majority of motor vehicles, so this

may be expected. However a major contributory factor must the be the manner of driving and excessive

speed at which all vehicles travel along inadequate roads. There is no attempt to slow down on the approach

to villages, the only warning is a sounding of the horn.

Overtaking manoeuvres on the highways are a matter of concern. Vehicles frequently perform such

manoeuvres on the approach to bends and often around the bends themselves. No consideration as to the

6 RHD figures 1994, Bangladesh Statistics Pocketbook 1996


{PAGE }

behaviour of other road users appears to be made by drivers. Since there is no traffic enforcement on the

inter-urban routes, then it is not surprising that driver behaviour is so poor.

4.11 Road safety

In recognition of their responsibilities to educate the public, DMP ran a Traffic Consciousness Week from

3rd to the 7th May 1998. This was widely reported in the press and involved six static locations around the

city and seven mobile publicity vehicles. Vehicles and static sites were adorned with a series of safety

posters. The Girl Guides and Rover Scouts were also involved in this initiative, broadcasting messages of

road safety over public address systems and handing out road safety literature to road users. These leaflets

covered information to rickshaw pullers, the general public (pedestrians) and drivers of motor vehicles. An

English translation of the leaflets is reproduced in Annex H.

During this time it is reported that there was a noticeable drop in the numbers of accidents and that the

number of poorly maintained vehicles on the roads were reduced. Also of note is that a substantial increase

in the number of violations issued was recorded, up from around 1500 per week to over 7000.

Due to the success of this venture another is planned for September 1998.


{PAGE }

5 Accident Investigation

At present the investigation of accidents is performed by officers from the Thana police, not the traffic

police. Their activities and data collection procedures are covered elsewhere7.

Accident scenes are often attended by the traffic police, but if a fatality or serious injury is suspected then it

is the Thana police who take over the investigation. Damage only accidents are dealt with by the traffic

police within the DMP area.

The following tables outline the police collected accident statistics for the whole of Bangladesh from 1994 –

1997.

Table 6: Accident statistics 1994 – 97 (Source – Bangladesh Police)

Year Fatal Serious SimpleTotal

Accidents

1994 1597 2335 401 3013

1995 1653 2094 770 3346

1996 2041 2508 793 3727

1997 3162 3787 1289 5453

Table 7: Accidents by type of vehicle (Source – Bangladesh Police)

Year Bus Truck Car / Jeep Baby taxi M/cycle

1994 1308 855 245 334 58

1995 1204 925 252 269 95

1996 1570 1202 406 389 71

1997 2030 1909 701 657 237

If these figures are compared with the police generated MAAPfive figures considerable discrepancy is

noted. Discrepancies are even larger, when other data sources are examined. This suggests that under-

reporting of accidents is a problem. If this tendency towards under-reporting is reduced this will inevitably

7 Elliot, G. Accident Data Collection in Bangladesh. IDC Project report 1997.


{PAGE }

lead to an increase in the reported accident figures. A sharp rise in the reported accident rate is expected

therefore over the next few years. The rise recorded here from 1996 – 97 may well be in part due to a

greater reporting of accidents. However further research will be necessary to determine whether this is due

to more accurate reporting, or part of a general trend upwards.

What has emerged is the almost complete lack of any knowledge on the part of the police into forensic

accident investigation. This entails a detailed examination of the scene of an accident, the vehicles and any

witness evidence to determine the likely causes of a particular accident. It differs from engineering accident

investigation in that road engineers tend to examine a series of accidents at a particular site to determine

causal trends.

Senior police officers are aware of the existence of techniques to determine causes of accidents to the

satisfaction of the courts. None however appear to have received any training in these techniques. It is

understood that this aspect of policing is not taught at any of the police training establishments.

6 Police Training

6.1 Initial training

It is possible to enter the police service at three levels, constable, sub-inspector or Assistant Superintendent.

If entering at the most junior level (constable) basic policing skills and procedures are taught at any one of

four District Training Schools. The initial course is of six months duration and the training centres are

located at Khulna, Noakhali, Dhaka and Rajshahi .

Core subjects within the syllabus are reported to be, police procedure, the penal code, crime, traffic and

general police duties.

Training for officers (Sub-Inspector and Assistant Superintendent) is performed at the Police Academy in

Rajshahi. Entrance to the Academy is via the Bangladesh Civil Service examination. The level of success

determining the entrance level of the recruit. Officer foundation training is of twelve months duration.

Much the same subjects are taught as for the constable recruits, although in rather more depth. These are all

taught at a cognitive level, without real application to practical situations. Practical training is reserved for a

six month probationary period at the end of foundation training. It is only at the successful completion of

both parts that officers assume the full responsibilities and powers of the police.

All police, whether destined for traffic, CID or riot control duties, undertake a common syllabus. Posting to

individual stations is made at the conclusion of foundation training for both constables and officers.

A visit to a foundation training school was not possible during the visit of the author.


{PAGE }

6.2 Traffic training

Traffic training is performed at the Traffic Training School (TTS) in Dhaka. This establishment is

responsible for training of all traffic department personnel, not just those from Dhaka.

The TTS was visited as part of the input. Access to the site is poor via a narrow circuitous route through the

old town, taking about ten minutes by four wheeled vehicle.

The building occupied by the TTS is laid out on four floors. It is of a reinforced concrete structure and in an

extremely poor state of repair.

The top floor has already been condemned as unsafe for use. Large areas of concrete have fallen away from

the wall and ceilings on the top floor and also throughout the building, exposing reinforcing rods which are

extensively rusted.

There is a balcony walkway along the front of the building on all floors which gives access to the rooms. In

several places the balcony walling has disintegrated completely leaving portions of the walkway with

unprotected sheer drops to the ground below.

The only access to floors above ground level is via a single, centrally positioned stairwell. This is again

unsafe with crumbling masonry on roofs, ceilings and the stairs themselves. The stairs are of uneven tread

depth with deep pitting on the treads. Fire fighting equipment was not visible, and if fire were to break out

in the building, blocking the stairwell, escape would be impossible.

Some 120 – 150 students plus staff occupy the building. For those students based out of Dhaka sleeping

accommodation is provided in the same building. This is dormitory style with about bed space for 30

students only. Canteen facilities exist on the ground floor. In common with the remainder of the School,

these were cramped and in a poor state of repair.

There are only two classrooms. At the time of the visit, 80 constables were undergoing instruction in one

class, with 40 officers receiving instruction in the other. Both rooms were poorly ventilated and

inadequately lit for effective work. Natural light was through small windows, most of the glass in which

was missing. The rooms were undecorated, suffering from damp, and with crumbling concrete plainly

visible in places.

Classroom conditions were severely cramped with students sat at bench style wooden desks. Up to four

students occupied desk space more suited to two. These were located closely behind one another to fit in all

the students. All rooms were however equipped with electricity.

Visible training aids amounted to a chalkboard in one class and a board showing traffic signs in the other.

There was no external equipment, nor space in which to build any other buildings or install permanent

equipment.

Despite the appalling conditions training takes place eight hours a day. Lectures are given by an instructor

standing at the front of the class. In the larger classroom, the acoustics were such that even with a raised

voice from the instructor, individual words were difficult to make out clearly when seated at the rear.

DMP also provide some training. This is mainly based on the theme of orientation to city policing and

occasionally some update training for existing personnel.


{PAGE }

6.3 Driver training

Driver training takes place in a dedicated establishment at Jamalpur. The only course offered is to teach

potential drivers of senior officers to pass the BRTA professional test. Only constables and head constables

are taken on as students due to their potential role as drivers of officers. The school has more than adequate

classroom facilities and has spare capacity in that respect for at least a doubling of current student numbers.

Vehicles are however severely limited. The School has two trucks one of which is unroadworthy (Parking

brake inoperative, defective tyre, defective lights). Also allocated to the School is one jeep. At the time of

visiting the jeep was unserviceable and not available for examination.

At present batches of around 30 students are taken on each 90 day course. At the end of the course a BRTA

examiner attends the centre and examines the students. The test consists only of a brief drive around a field

in one of the vehicles available. If the trainee is able to perform this successfully then a professional licence

is awarded. Failures are kept at the School and re-tested at a later date. To date 202 students have been

trained by the School since opening in 1995, which was a personal initiative of the current IGP.

Due to the limited availability of vehicles, trainees receive only about ten minutes practical tuition per day.

This is performed in the mornings only, with afternoons reserved for classroom based instruction.

7 Conclusions

7.1 Legislation

Existing laws neglect non-motorised traffic to such an extent that a change in the law is needed Only within

Dhaka, where the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance applies, can any realistic control of non-motorised

vehicles be achieved.

The existing laws do provide a framework to control motor vehicles. They are not perfect, hence the need to

update them for current traffic conditions. It is apparent however that very few of the laws are being

regularly enforced by the police for a variety of reasons.

Much of the existing legislation, and the draft Act are written so that they confer powers only upon the more

senior levels of the police structure. This is inefficient and wasteful of much of the police strength.

This can all be rectified with the introduction of the new Road Transport Act. In draft at the present, this

provides the ideal opportunity to introduce all of the structural and legislative changes required for effective

enforcement.


{PAGE }

7.2 Enforcement

The capabilities of the traffic police are constrained to a very great extent by a lack of resources, both in

personnel, training and equipment. They work in unpleasant conditions, in all weather conditions, with little

protection and are often berated by the public whenever a traffic problem is perceived.

Corruption within the police, or at least the public perception of corruption, is widespread amongst the

population. When the salary levels of police constables are compared with other sectors, one finds that even

rickshaw pullers earn more. This does not provide justification, but is perhaps one reason for these

allegations.

Of course these are not problems unique to Bangladesh. Similar situations exist in many countries. What is

particularly noticeable in Bangladesh however are the positive steps being taken by the police to improve

road safety despite their poor press. They have taken proactive steps to promote road safety and also to

publicise their activities.

Government too appears to recognise the pivotal role played by the traffic police in road safety matters.

Another 300 sergeants and 300 constables have been allocated for DMP. These personnel will take time to

train, but their addition is a step towards increasing staffing to more realistic levels.

DMP is restructuring to divide traffic policing responsibilities into two divisions, one north and one south.

Each division will be headed by a Deputy Commissioner. Existing and additional personnel will be

allocated to each division as necessary to provide a total traffic strength of 2350 officers and constables.

The new structure is due to be fully implemented by August 1998.

In addition to this, the most senior traffic rank in the Ranges is being increased to Traffic Inspector. It is

thought that an increase in staff for the traffic departments in the Ranges will also be forthcoming.

Within Dhaka, the DMP Corporate Plan 1994 has as one of its goals, ‘the increase of traffic law

enforcement and help improve road safety and traffic flow through a multi agency approach’.

This Plan sets a number of targets towards achieving this goal. These include, daily enforcement targets are

to be set, increased numbers of motorcycle patrols and personnel are sought, three year secondment to the

traffic department are to be introduced, community education programmes are to be implemented, a change

in law is to requested to allow traffic to investigate accidents and to allow constables to initiate proceedings.

It is not known exactly to what extent all of these are being met. Where data is available it has been

reported above. However the recognition of the problems and a willingness to perform action to achieve a

genuine reduction in casualties is evident through this document, during individual interviews and most

importantly, in police activity.


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In the field of training, the police have realised that their facilities and the content of the courses offered are

inadequate. The Traffic Training School is literally falling down around the staff and students and the

conditions at that establishment are not conducive to effective learning.

Training equipment available is negligible and the limited facilities are such that further expansion at the

existing site to incorporate an effective range of courses would be impossible. There is therefore a need to

consider the development of a new Traffic Training School. Ideally this should be built towards the outside

of Dhaka, where reasonable access can be ensured and sufficient space available to allow for future

development. The reasons for this are that Dhaka is not only the largest conurbation, but is also relatively

central to the remainder of the country.

Sufficient accommodation should be provided at this new site to incorporate not just the classroom based

training, but also driver training. With a one-site approach to traffic training the School can rapidly become

a centre of excellence and will provide long term cost benefits as management and other overheads will be

reduced.

The TTS should aim to provide a range of courses covering all aspects of modern traffic policing. At

present the School can only offer initial courses for officers and for other ranks. Technical assistance should

be considered to assist in the design and development of a range of courses. This should also include a

longer term input for an enforcement and training co-ordinator whose function would be to assist in the

delivery of shorter term inputs, but also to provide continuity and coordination within this sector. This

approach has already been proven to be successful within the road safety engineering sector.

The overriding factor governing any assistance in this area however must be to ensure the sustainable

development of training by fully utilising local training personnel. It is of little value for foreign specialists

to deliver ‘one-off’ training packages, as this does not develop locally based trainers.

A tried and tested method for training enhancement is to provide in-country training to training staff by

experienced foreign tutors. The local training staff can then be developed as they deliver the training to real

students. Local priorities and peculiarities are easily incorporated within such training. In a relatively short

time scale training is enhanced and is naturally sustainable.

Local training staff must be encouraged to develop their own teaching methods and materials based on the

local traffic conditions, not those prevailing in a more developed country. For this reason investment in

overseas training for local staff should only be considered when substantial expertise has been built up

locally.


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8 Recommendations

The recommendations are split into three sectors, legislation, enforcement and traffic training. Although

each set of recommendations is considered separately within this text, they are inter-related and dependent

upon each other to a great extent.

8.1 Legislation

Expedite return draft Act from the Ministry of Law.

At present work on the draft Act has stopped pending the return of the existing draft. As approval in

principle of the draft Act is seen as a positive step towards enactment, an early return of the Act from the

Ministry is desirable and should be expedited.

Complete draft of new Road Traffic and Transport Act.

Reconvene the legislation committee and resume work on draft Road Traffic and Transport Act, and

subsidiary legislation. This can begin in anticipation of the draft Act being returned from the Ministry of

Law. This will speed the final publication which will be beneficial to road safety. Much of the Act is as yet

unwritten and work on these areas must be completed before the Act can be published.

Detailed proposal for completion are contained in Annex A, section 3 – Technical comments on draft Act.

Several of the major items are included below.

Consider interim Road Safety Act

The legislative committee should consider the feasibility of submitting a temporary Road Safety Act to

parliament. This should contain the safety proposals listed below and also extend police powers to junior

ranks. A temporary Act, would allow more time to progress the full Act and also ensure that safety matters

receive the force of law at an earlier stage. It is estimated that it would take less time for the committee to

complete an interim measure than to complete the full Act.

Extend powers to junior police ranks

The legislative committee should consider conferring enforcement powers on constable and head constables.

This should be linked to an administrative system where police use of their powers is monitored. It is

envisaged that if abuse of the power is proved, that rights to enforce legislation can be revoked through

defined procedures. These changes may require changes to the Police Code. This should not deter

legislators from implementing this recommendation.


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Include section on wearing of seat belts.

Missing from the draft Act is a section requiring seat belts to be worn, if fitted to vehicles. Provision is

made to write regulations on this subject, but the basic offence should be included in the main Act.

Regulations may then prescribe vehicles which are required to have belts fitted, and necessary exemptions.

Review the draft procedures for driving licences.

The proposed system is as cumbersome to administer as the existing system, if not more so. It is not thought

that BRTA have the resources to implement the existing system effectively. The suggestions outlined in

Technical Annex A detail the changes which are proposed. These agree with the changes suggested by the

Driver Training Advisor.

Define appropriate alcohol limits.

The draft Act does not define alcohol limits for drivers of motor vehicles. These should be included.

Add fail to provide and driving whilst unfit offences.

Procedures are defined to require that drivers provide samples for analysis to prove drink or drug abuse.

Offences should be added to legislate that failure or refusal to provide these items constitutes an offence.

An additional offence of driving whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs should also be included.

Amend power to stop vehicles.

The draft Act phrasing of the power conferred on the police to stop vehicles is conditional on the police

suspecting an offence is being committed. This power should be widened by removing the condition. The

police must have a power to stop any vehicle on the road so that the vehicle can be tested to ensure

compliance and also so that the police may check documentation.

Review the draft procedures for vehicle testing.

It is not thought that BRTA have the resources to implement effectively the changes to the testing system

that are suggested in the draft Act. The Vehicle Testing Advisor has made recommendations concerning

this aspect. They are considered sound and should be included, where appropriate in the draft Act.

Review entire pedestrian control chapter.

Much of this Chapter in the draft Act is superfluous and unenforceable. Simple rules as outlined in Annex

A would be better included in the control of traffic chapter.

Simplify Schedule Three.

Although comprehensive, Schedule Three contains too many offences. It is more geared for a computerised

and effective driving licence penalty point system. Neither of which BRTA has at present. It is suggested


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that penalty points are considered for the more serious safety offences only. An example of a simplified

system (from the UK) is included in Annex E.

Remove ‘unspecified offence’ from Schedule Three.

Offence 1239 in the draft Schedule Three allows an unspecified offence to be considered. This should be

removed from the Act as it does nothing to encourage the police to prove a specific offence has been

committed.

Consider additional technical inputs

Specialist advice should be considered during the drafting process. Suitable terms of reference for this input

are attached in Annex F.

Promote Road Traffic Act

The publication of new legislation should be accompanied with a major public information campaign. If

this could be coupled with the introduction of standardised road markings and adequate signing, then there

should be a measurable increase in driver awareness and safety. Coordination of the enactment should be

through the NRSC.

Enact new Road Transport Act.

The Act should be published as soon as realistically possible. Even if all parts cannot be enacted at the same

time, the whole Act should be published and sections introduced by way of Enactment Order as and when

deemed necessary by Government.

Design and implement subsidiary legislation programme.

It is highly unlikely that all subsidiary legislation can be prepared for enactment at the same time as the

parent Act. A detailed programme should be prepared by the legislative committee giving time scales for

drafting, agreeing and enacting subsidiary legislation. This should be coordinated through the NRSC who

can arrange suitable publicity prior to, and during the launch of new regulations.

8.2 Enforcement

Introduce Highway Patrol Capability.

Priority should be given to the introduction of a highway patrolling capability as no effective inter-urban

enforcement currently exists. One area has been identified which requires immediate attention, the Jamuna

Bridge.


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Financial assistance should be sought for at least a pilot phase. Implementation of this recommendation

should begin as soon as possible, in anticipation of the enactment of the new Road Traffic and Transport

Act, but implemented regardless of whether the Act becomes law.

The assistance of an highway patrol specialist should be considered at key stages within the implementation

of highway patrols. Consideration should be given to linking this assistance with that of a training advisor

and co-ordinator. Terms of reference for such inputs are given in Annex F.

Several matters should be considered when developing the pilot projects. In Bangladesh, there are five

major roads into Dhaka. A pilot could be considered on one of these roads, and it is certain that positive

results will be obtained. However for a relatively small additional cost, all five major roads could be

included in a pilot highway patrol project. Due to geography and the administrative borders, the five roads

into Dhaka carry a substantial proportion of the total traffic in the country, with additional benefits that the

roads are all within one RHD area and predominantly within one police Range.

Ideally one patrol vehicle should be installed per 50 kilometres of road. Assuming double manning, to

maintain twenty four hour per day cover, a minimum of eight personnel are required for each vehicle. This

make little allowance for abstractions due to training, leave and other purposes. In addition, adequate

management structures need to be provided. The table below summarises the five roads and main

equipment and staffing levels. Additional equipment will also be needed to provide scene protection and

enforce alcohol abuse and speed limits, these are not considered in this report.

Table 8: Major routes and police patrol levels

Road Dhaka to … Distance (Km) Vehicles required Personnel required

Comilla 116 2 16

Narshingdi 52 1 8

Mymensingh 122 3 24

Tangail 98 2 16

Aricha 87 2 16

TOTALS 475 10 80

Another urgent consideration is the Jamuna Bridge. At present it does not appear as if any provision has

been made for any police presence or other emergency services. From experience of bridge policing in the

UK, the author is aware that there are likely to be many problems associated with the bridge. For example

access, accidents, weather and road works. These will all cause additional difficulties, due to the fact that

there is only one route on, and one route off of the bridge. As a minimum one police vehicle, with towing

facilities, should be deployed full time on the bridge. Two vehicles would be preferable, otherwise closure

due to accidents and weather will not be enforceable. A minimum of sixteen personnel, plus management

should be allocated.


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Increase availability of enforcement equipment.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police have already recognised the need for more enforcement equipment. The Daily

Star newspaper reported on 6th February 1998 that DMP have requested issue of 553 radios, 2228 reflecting

jackets, 514 motorcycles, 14 speed detectors, 14 smoke emission testing devices and 100 breathalyser

devices.

It must be recognised that this only provides equipment for DMP, not the whole country, which will add

considerably to this demand. As a first step reflective jackets must be a priority. At present the blue shirt

and white sleeve uniform of the DMP traffic constable does not aid conspicuity in conditions of poor

lighting or visibility. From a safety point of view reflective clothing must be made available to the traffic

police. For the same reasons of conspicuity, illuminated batons for use on point duty should also be

acquired.

Additional vehicles are also required in the DMP area, and it is assumed also in other metropolitan areas.

Motorcycles are the most effective form of transport in these areas. Outside the cities, four wheeled

vehicles are more appropriate. Protective equipment, signs, cones and the like cannot be carried on a

motorcycle. Protection of accident scenes to avoid additional problems should be a priority.

Smoke detection devices are not considered a priority item for police enforcement.

The items required, with brief details are,

• Reflective jackets and illuminated batons.

Jackets should be high visibility yellow, with reflective bands and comply with the latest

international specifications.

• Speed detection equipment.

A variety of devices should be acquired. Radar is commonly sought after. Speed detection

equipment should also include devices such as VASCAR or Police Pilot, which are more versatile

and do not emit detectable electromagnetic radiation.

• Alcohol testing equipment.

Two types of devices are readily available, recording and non-recording. Although more expensive

the recording devices provide a permanent record of the offence.

• Additional communication equipment.

This should include radios, both hand held and vehicle mounted. Outside the cities VHF has a

better range and when fitted to a vehicle should provide good coverage. In addition base stations

will need to be installed at regional control centres. Repeater stations will also be necessary to

provide coverage of the whole route.

Mobile telephones are a useful addition if radio coverage is not available. This does assume that

mobile telephone coverage is rather better than police radio links.


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• Additional motorcycles within city areas.

A range of motorcycles should be acquired for differing purposes. Smaller (125cc) machines are

useful for general transport, whereas larger (400 – 650cc) machines can be fitted with speed

detection equipment and are sufficiently mobile to follow suspects.

• Four wheel vehicles for use in rural areas.

Suitable specifications will need to be determined. As a minimum vehicles should be equipped with

four doors and sufficient space to carry a range of equipment. It may be that four wheel drive

vehicles are considered more appropriate to the needs of the country.

Introduce targeted enforcement campaigns.

In the short term equipment levels are likely to remain low. It is essential therefore to target the use of

limited equipment in places where it has the most effect. Enforcement campaigns, based on accident and

other data, are an effective measure towards reducing casualties at particular locations and in high risk areas.

Transfer responsibility for accident reporting and investigation.

Dealing with all aspects of an accident falls within the range of functions which should be associated with

traffic policing. The transfer of accident investigation and reporting of the accident should be transferred to

the traffic police, once suitable training has been delivered. An assumption of certain tasks traditionally

associated with general policing, may also prove a persuasive argument for increasing numbers of traffic

personnel.

Monitor enforcement activity.

Procedures should be set up to monitor enforcement activity. These should include locations of targeted

campaigns as well as numbers and types of offences prosecuted.

Design and implement driver and vehicle database.

An effective computer based database, regularly updated, will do much for enforcement. This database

should be designed in conjunction with BRTA who handle registration and licensing matters. Effective

links between BRTA and the police must also be developed alongside the database.

Review and introduce new police salary scales.

Although suggested by others, this recommendation has not apparently been implemented by Government.

At present the basic salary levels are very low. It is essential to have a salary structure that at least provides

a living wage. A salary below the poverty line encourages the acceptance of bribes and is hardly conducive

to effective policing.


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Design and implement counter-corruption measures.

If enforcement powers are to be bestowed on lower ranks, it may be prudent to review the counter-

corruption measures already in place and design new measures to ensure that corruption is reduced. This

may include an ‘authority to institute proceedings’ badge or ID card which should be produced on demand

of the alleged offender. It is envisaged that this badge or card could be withdrawn if allegations against

individual police personnel are substantiated. This could potentially be coupled with a loss of allowances

and would add to the armoury of measures which exist to deal with corrupt officials.

Promote traffic policing activities.

DMP have already identified in their Corporate Plan that their image amongst the population is not good.

Promotion of activities and measures taken to reduce traffic accidents and increase safety should be

encouraged at every available opportunity. Although DMP has a press officer, a dedicated press liaison

officer does not currently exist within police headquarters, such a person should be appointed at an early

opportunity to coordinate press activity.

8.3 Traffic training

Provide new Traffic Training School.

The existing TTS has been identified as inadequate in a number of respects, and is potentially dangerous.

Funding should be sough to design, build and commission and equip a new TTS on the outskirts of Dhaka

as soon as possible. This should include facilities for all types of training proposed below, including driver

training. Bringing the Driver Training School within the TTS would reduce management and other

overheads, which will be of benefit to the police.

Terms of reference for the construction of a new School are beyond the remit of the author , but must be

developed in compliance with existing donor agency requirements.

Develop existing training and design complementary courses.

Until the new School is fully functional, additional training, beyond that currently delivered by the TTS, will

have to be delivered at diverse locations. The RHD training facility at Mirpur is one possibility.

Consideration should be given to identifying other potential training venues.

A number of courses are proposed for delivery by the TTS on a national basis. Development and design of

these courses should be implemented using foreign specialists where appropriate.

Suggested courses are outlined below. Terms of reference for foreign technical advisors are contained in

Annex F.


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Refine existing traffic patrol course.

An initial traffic patrol course is already delivered by the TTS. This should be developed in conjunction

with the proposed changes in legislation. Officers and other ranks should be mixed, particularly if the

power to institute proceedings is conferred on lower ranks. A common syllabus should then be applicable to

all operational traffic personnel.

The course should include elements on traffic law, procedure, enforcement tactics, accident investigation,

accident reporting, first aid, traffic control, and vehicle design and maintenance.

Introduce traffic refresher course.

This should be developed and implemented for all traffic personnel containing similar items at a more

advanced level as in the initial course. When the new Road Traffic and Transport Act is implemented, there

will be a requirement for existing officers to be trained in the new procedures and offences. Thereafter all

personnel should receive refresher training every five years to keep knowledge and skills up to date.

Develop police driver training.

Driver training for the police is limited at present to courses for potential drivers of senior officers. The

traffic police should set an example in their manner of driving otherwise it appears hypocritical to prosecute

other drivers for performing the same types of manoeuvre. In addition, the performance of VIP escort duties

requires enhanced driving techniques. It is considered desirable therefore to develop the driving abilities of

the traffic police to meet these requirements.

Develop police motorcycle training.

This should be developed along similar lines to those suggested for the driver training.

Introduce accident investigation course.

Forensic accident investigation is the study of available evidence to determine to the satisfaction of a court,

the causes of accidents. This is an area of expertise which should be introduced into any professional traffic

police.

Introduce senior officers management course.

Senior traffic managers should be aware of the new equipment when it becomes available and should know

how to implement strategies involving their use. To that end it is considered desirable to design and

implement a management course for traffic management.

Introduce vehicle examination course.

Although not currently proposed, a vehicle prohibition scheme to remove defective vehicles from the roads

has been shown to have a beneficial effect on vehicle condition. If this is considered, it is essential that the


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police are able to examine vehicles for safety components. The profile of the police will also be enhanced if

personnel have an understanding of the construction and maintenance of vehicles so that the correct offences

can be identified. In the longer term it is considered desirable to introduce specialist vehicle examination

courses to selected members of the police.

Implement police accident analysis unit.

Enforcement is better targeted at those locations where it will have greatest effect. This is particularly true

if limited equipment exists with which to perform that enforcement. Accident analysis enables accident and

other data to be used to identify clusters of accidents and target appropriate measures to counter the causes

of accidents. It is by nature very similar to the type of analysis performed by traffic safety engineers and it

is envisaged that many of the principles involved will be directly transferable. An accident analysis unit

should be set up within police headquarters and trained in these techniques using the MAAPfive database

which has recently been installed.

Skilled analysts can also identify engineering measures which may also be applied. Strong links with the

RHD safety unit should also be developed within this unit.

12025


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9 Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the help and cooperation of the following persons within both the

police, BRTA and other organisations. Apologies are extended to those inadvertently missing from this list.

Any mistakes or omissions in the text are of course the responsibility of the author alone.

Mr Ismail Hossain Inspector General of Police

Mr Salim Addl. IG (Training)

Mr Anwar Hossain AIG (Equipment and Training)

Mr Fazlul Haq Bhuiya AIG (Training)

Mr Aziz Sarkan AIG (Admin)

Mr Mahmud Shajahan AIG (Crime)

Mr Mostaq Hossain Khan Deputy Commissioner Traffic

Mr Abdul Jalil Addl. DC Traffic

Mr Azad ADC Traffic

Mrs Mili Biswas Addl. SP Millbarak

Mr Mespah Addl. SP Staff Officer to IGP

Mr Faruk Ahmed SP Jamalpur

Mr Mosharraf Hossain ASP Jamalpur

Mr AN Hussain Chairman BRTA

Mr Mohammed Amanullah Choudhury Director BRTA

Mr Abdur Rab Asst. Director Engineering

Mr Lokman Hossain Mullah Asst. Director

Mr Mustafi Zur Rahman Asst. Director

Mr Inam Ahmed Snr. Reporter Daily Star

Mr A.K.M. Mahbub Ul Haque Addl. IG (Retired)

and all the staff and consultants with IDC at Baridhara and Mirpur.


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TECHNICAL ANNEX A

Review of Legislation

This Annex contains a detailed description of the main legislative instruments currently in force and also the

proposed Road Vehicles Act. The latter document is at a draft phase and as such contains a number of

ambiguities and potential areas of difficulty.

The third section of this Annex contains comments and proposals for the committee considering the draft

Act and is designed to be read in conjunction with the draft.

1 EXISTING LEGISLATION

1.1 The Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983 (MVO)

The MVO is based heavily on the East Bengal Motor Vehicle Act of 1939 which, as may be expected was

not designed to cater for the traffic now existing in Bangladesh. This is the main source of traffic control

measures and provides the main authority for most of the traffic offences as dealt with by the police. It is

also concerned with the administrative procedures governing the issue of various driving documents and

enables subsidiary legislation to be made. Several amendments have been made to the MVO and the

summary in this Annex is based on the assumption that the modifications up to 29th November 1990 forms

the definitive version.

1.1.1 Chapter I – Preliminary

A comprehensive description of the various terms used within the main body of the Ordinance. Of note are

the definitions concerning professional drivers. These are defined as the drivers of any vehicle as a paid

employee, together with the drivers of any goods carrying vehicle over 6000 lbs. unladen weight.

1.1.2 Chapter IA – Bangladesh Road Transport Authority

Establishment and constitution of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) together with rules

concerning the procedures at meetings.


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1.1.1 Chapter II – Licensing of Drivers of Motor Vehicles

This Chapter requires that all drivers of motor vehicles have been issued with a driving licence. It also

defines the minimum driving ages of 18 absolutely and 20 for most types of professional driving licences.

The administrative procedures which a potential driver must follow in order to be granted a licence are

described in detail, with reference to a list of prescribed forms contained in Schedule 1. The requirement for

a test of competence to drive is part of this procedure and a list of the test items is shown in Schedule 3.

There are two types of licence in force, the ordinary or non-professional licence, required by all drivers of

motor vehicles and a professional licence for drivers of public service vehicles and larger goods vehicles.

Licences are valid for twelve months after issue generally. It is possible, on payment of a fee, for non-

professional licences to be issued for a three year period.. After expiry the licence must be renewed. In

addition professional licence holders are subject to re-test every three years.

Procedures, fees and exemptions from the fees are described, as too are the procedures a Court must follow

when an order to disqualify an offender is made. Disqualification offences are listed in the Fifth Schedule

and Courts may also disqualify if a driver is found to be an habitual criminal or habitual drunkard, or if the

vehicle was used in the commission of a cognisable offence.

The Courts are obliged to disqualify, unless there are special reasons, offenders who commit the offences of

reckless driving, racing, or using a vehicle without registration or certificate of fitness. The maximum

period of disqualification is set at two years for some offences and lower limits for others. Reckless driving

carries a minimum disqualification of one year and failing to stop after an accident carries a minimum

period of six months.

For reckless driving offences it is possible for a Court to order disqualification until an additional test is

taken.

In addition to offences for which disqualification is ordered, which carry automatic endorsement, other

offences are also deemed worthy of separate endorsement on the driving licence. These are listed in the

Fifth Schedule.


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1.1.2 Chapter III – Licensing of Conductors of Stage Carriage or Contract Carriage

Stage carriages are defined as vehicles which carry more than six passengers at separate fares for each

vehicle. Contract carriages are defined as where the whole vehicle is hired by one person for a particular

journey. In both types of vehicle conductors are required to be licensed and this Chapter details the

procedures to be followed.

1.1.3 Chapter IV – Registration of Motor Vehicles

All motor vehicles are required to be registered under the terms specified in this Chapter. The procedures

for transferring ownership of vehicles and the forms necessary are also prescribed as too are the change of

address and other details. Trailers drawn by motor vehicles are also required to be registered.

The requirement for a certificate of initial fitness is also contained in this Chapter which also states that

regulations may be made for annual certificates of fitness to be issued.

Procedures for calculating axle weights and overall weights of vehicles are included. If the vehicle is of a

type not already calculated, then the table of tyre weights are applied as listed in Schedule 7.

It is possible under this Chapter for a registering authority to suspend registration if a vehicle is so defective

it would constitute a danger, or if it has no certificate of fitness. If the vehicle is being used for hire and

reward or when it does not have the necessary permit (issued under Chapter V) the registration can also be

suspended.

1.1.4 Chapter V – Control of Transport Vehicles

Procedures for the issue of transport permits and conditions relating to the use of such vehicles are

prescribed in this Chapter. This relates to the use of both public service vehicles and large goods carrying

vehicles.

Different conditions may be applied to the use of such vehicles, and these restrict the use to that which the

permit allows. For example passenger vehicles can be restricted to setting down and picking up of


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passengers only at designated stops, or the number of journeys that may be made on any particular day, or

the safety equipment that is required to be carried and the number of passengers allowed.

Section 76A was apparently added to the Ordinance after the initial draft was published. This section details

restrictions on the hours of work permitted by drivers and other workers. After five hours continuous work,

workers engaged in transport duties are required to take at least an half hour rest and daily working hours

are subject to an eight hour maximum with a weekly maximum of forty-eight hours.

Procedures are in place for these conditions to be relaxed and for regulations to be made governing the way

in which working hours are to be recorded.

1.1.5 Chapter VI – Construction, Equipment and Maintenance of Motor Vehicles

This is a very short Chapter and principally describes what sort of rules may be made to govern

construction, maintenance and use of motor vehicles.

It does contain a general requirement ensuring that all motor vehicles must be constructed and maintained so

that they are always under the effective control of the driver. In addition it requires that all vehicles must be

right hand drive, unless fitted with approved signalling devices.

1.1.6 Chapter VII – Control of Traffic

Statutory methods of controlling traffic generally are contained in this Chapter. An excess speed offence is

made, both for the vehicle class speeds listed in Schedule 8, and any other speed limit in force.

There is a general offence of exceeding weight limits listed on the registration certificate. Certificates

contain unladen weights, registered laden weights and individual axle weights. All three are made separate

offences.

The persons authorised to weigh goods vehicles and trailers, and some conditions are described. These

include a limitation of one mile on the distance a vehicle may be directed to a weighbridge. This distance is

increased to a five mile radius within the final destination of the vehicle. Any person authorised by the


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Government is empowered to cause a vehicle to be weighed; the police are not specifically mentioned or

automatically authorised for this purpose.

Procedures for restricting the weight of vehicles over particular roads are described in Section 88. The

following section allows traffic signs to be erected by approved authorities. Signs are limited to those listed

in the Ninth Schedule.

Main roads may be designated as such, which is relevant when considering the rules of the road contained in

Schedule 10, which details who has priority at junctions with main roads. Drivers are also obliged to

comply with mandatory traffic signs as listed in Schedule 9, and stop at pedestrian crossings when there is a

pedestrian on the crossing.

General road safety offences are also listed in this Chapter, such as,

• leaving vehicles in a dangerous position

• riding on running boards

• riding on public service vehicles other than in the vehicle

• obstructing the driver

• carriage of pillion passengers

• requirement for rider and pillion to wear crash helmets

The powers of police in relation to the production of documents are also outlined. Sub-inspectors or above,

whilst in uniform, are empowered to demand licences from drivers and conductors, which if found to be in

order must be returned forthwith. Under Chapter IX, identical powers exist to demand insurance details

from drivers. Similar powers also exist in this Chapter to demand registration certificates and certificates of

fitness from owners or drivers.


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Drivers of motor vehicles are required to stop when so indicated by any police officer in uniform, or any

other person so authorised by the Government. This requirement does not appear to be restricted to Sub-

Inspectors and above only, as is the case with many powers.

Following accidents involving damage to other vehicles, animals or property drivers are required to stop and

give their name and address to any person who requires it, on the condition that the other person

reciprocates with their name and address.

For personal injury accidents the situation is slightly different. Drivers are obliged to take all reasonable

steps in conveying injured persons to hospital unless the injured person does not wish to attend. The police

must be informed within 24 hours and drivers are obliged to give all details on demand to the police. The

police are also empowered to have all vehicles involved in accidents examined by an examiner.

1.1.7 Chapter VIII – Motor Vehicles Temporarily Leaving or Visiting Bangladesh

This Chapter exempts temporarily imported vehicles and drivers from complying with certain regulations,

such as construction and use, licensing or registration requirements.

1.1.8 Chapter IX – Insurance of Motor Vehicles against Third Party Risks

All motor vehicles used on public roads are required to be insured against third party risks. The majority

of the Chapter is concerned with the various contractual obligations of insurers and procedures that must be

followed before claims must be met.

There is a detailed description of claims procedures and instructions for the administration of Claims

Tribunals which are set up where there are disagreements.

1.1.9 Chapter X – Offences, Penalties and Procedure

This Chapter declares initially that any offence for which there is no specific penalty listed shall be subject

to a penalty of 200 taka for the first offence and 400 taka for subsequent offences.


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Contained within the main body of this Chapter are numerous offences. These actually make offences of

many of the earlier provisions in the Ordinance.

On the safety side, the offence of reckless or dangerous driving is enacted. Terms used are not defined

precisely, it is merely stated that it is an offence to drive in a manner which is dangerous to the public.

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is prohibited, but actual limits for drink driving are not

defined. Penalties for this offence extend to a fine of 1000 taka, imprisonment for up to two years and a

suspension of driving licence.

It is a specific offence to use a vehicle in an unsafe condition, for which the penalty is 250 taka or a one

month term of imprisonment. If actual injury is caused to someone as a result of the defect, then the penalty

is increased to 1000 taka or three months imprisonment.

Special procedure offences as these are known are listed in the table below.

Section 159 Special Procedure Offences.

Section Description Penalty (taka)137 Unspecified offence not otherwise covered 200139 Fitting or using prohibited horns 100140 Disobedience to orders, or obstruction 500

(1 month)142 Excess speed 300

(1 month)146 Fail to stop after accident 500

(1 month)

149 Using vehicle in unsafe condition250

(1 month)150 Using vehicle emitting excess smoke 200151 Unauthorised sale or alteration of vehicle 5000

(2 years)152 Using vehicle without registration or certificate of

fitness2000

(3 months)153 Sale of tickets without authority 1000154 Drive overweight vehicle 1000155 Drive uninsured vehicle 2000156 Take vehicle without authority 2000

(3 months)157 Obstruction of street or public place 500

(plus seizure)158 Unauthorised interference with vehicle 1000

(3 months)


{PAGE }

Section 159, special procedure, provides a method whereby Sub-Inspectors, Sergeants or an Inspector of

Motor Vehicles can prefer a charge to the Superintendent or Deputy Commissioner of police. That officer

can then impose a fine up to the maximum listed. The matter then rests there an no further action is taken.

If the offender fails to pay the fine, an information is laid before a Court who will hear the case and deal

accordingly. Abetting the commission of an offence is also punishable with the same penalty as the

commission of the main offence.

A general power of arrest is given to all police officers in uniform. Again this does not appear to be limited

to Sub-Inspectors or above. The power allows officers to arrest any person who refuses to give their name

and address if lawfully required under the Ordinance and also any person who it is thought may abscond

after the commission of an offence.

Additional powers of arrest are granted if a driver commits specified offences in the view of the police

officer. These offences are,

• No registration certificate

• No transport vehicle permit

• Reckless or dangerous driving

• Driving or abet driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs

• Driving or abet driving whilst physically or mentally unfit

• Failing to stop for a police officer

• Failing to stop after any accident

• Failing to give details following an injury accident

• Racing on the road

• Using vehicle in an unsafe condition

• Driving a vehicle over the prescribed weight

• Taking a vehicle without authority


{PAGE }

There is also a power whereby vehicles driven by arrested persons can be taken to the nearest police station.

Sub-Inspectors and Sergeants also have the power to seize what they believe to be false documents. They

may also seize vehicles if the registration and fitness certificates or permits are not in force or do not cover

the use of that vehicle.

Certain offences and penalties are listed in Schedule 12. These offences are ones for which Sub-Inspectors

and Sergeants (and indeed any other person authorised by BRTA) can charge and fine offenders on the spot.

If the fine is not paid there and then, the vehicle must be seized until the fine is actually paid. There is a

form of appeal to the Magistrates Courts.

Driving licences may also be seized and retained for up to three months by Superintendents or Deputy

Commissioners if certain offences are committed within their view. This does not appear to be extended to

lower ranking officers.

1.1.10 Chapter XI – Miscellaneous

This Chapter describes repeals, savings and commencement details for the MVO as a whole. It also states

that certain officers in the BRTA can be given any or all of the powers of police officers, and any conditions

which must be followed when exercising those powers.

1.1.11 List of Schedules (Reproduced where indicated)

First – Forms

Second – Diseases and Disabilities

Third – Tests of Competence to Drive

Fourth – Authorities permitted to grant driving licences and registration documents

Fifth – List of Endorsement Offences

Sixth – Registration Marks

Seventh – Maximum Axle Weights


{PAGE }

Eighth – Speed Limits (Reproduced in Annex B)

Ninth – Traffic Signs

Tenth – Driving Regulations (Reproduced in Annex B)

Eleventh – Signals (Reproduced)

Twelfth – On the Spot Offences and Penalties (Reproduced in Annex B)

1.2 The Motor Vehicle Rules 1940

These were made under the original Motor Vehicles Act 1939 and were originally known as the Bengal

Motor Vehicles Rules 1940. Since their initial publication they have been extensively amended. Several

new regulations have been added and many changed completely.

There has been an effort to convert imperial measures to metric. This is not complete at the time of writing.

As is common with this type of subsidiary legislation, it contains many details expanding on the original Act

and adding precise requirements which were originally merely outlined.

As with the MVO, the Rules are divided into chapters, each covering a specific aspect of traffic law. A

summary of each chapter is shown below.


This Chapter gives details of the scope of application of the law and defines various terms used elsewhere.

1.2.2 Chapter II – Licensing of drivers of motor vehicles

This Chapter describes the procedures for licensing authorities to issue driving licences. It defines, and

provides for learner driving licences to be issued and lists several exemptions from the need to pay fees for

driving licences.


{PAGE }

1.2.3 Chapter III – Registration of motor vehicles

This is mainly concerned with administrative measures detailing the procedures and forms to be used during

vehicle registration. It describes the assignment process for registration marks and how marks must be

displayed on the vehicle.

Several details relating to larger goods vehicles and buses are required to be written on the left hand side of

those vehicles. These include the name and address of the vehicle owner, the unladen and laden weights and

the number of passengers as applicable in each case.

A procedure is also described concerning the administrative procedures for the issue and renewal of

certificates of fitness.

1.2.4 Chapter IV – Control of transport vehicles

This Chapter is mainly concerned with the administrative procedures for issuing and hearing appeals

regarding transport permits.

It does contain some exemptions from the hours of work provisions contained in the enabling Act. These

include military, police, fire and ambulance vehicles, together with vehicles used for emergency relief.

A set of rules for drivers and conductors of public service vehicles is given. These include a requirement for

vehicles to be properly maintained and for ensuring that passengers and potential passengers are conveyed

safely. Drivers and conductors must not smoke or drink while on duty and must only charge the proper fare.

They must also wear a badge containing details of their licence number at all times when working on a

transport vehicle.

A set of rules are prescribed for the passengers as well. Disorderly behaviour, abusive language, spitting or

interfering with the driver or conductor is regulated. Passengers are also required to show their ticket on

demand to any police officer or bus inspector.


{PAGE }

1.2.5 Chapter V – Construction, equipment and maintenance of motor vehicles

Detailed descriptions of the lamps, brakes, silencers, mirrors, springs and glass needed by motor vehicles are

contained in this Chapter. Maximum dimensions have recently been amended and are now in metric and are

broadly similar to those currently in force in the UK.

Additional rules are prescribed for public service vehicles, trailers and transport vehicles. A requirement is

made for public service vehicles to be maintained in a ‘clean and sound’ condition, which includes all

mechanical parts and also body paint and varnish. Methods for calculating the maximum numbers of

passengers which can be carried are included based on physical spaces in the vehicle and on the maximum

laden weights. Of particular note is a requirement for all public service vehicles to have windows capable of

protecting the passengers from the weather.

There are also rules prohibiting the painting of vehicles in certain specified colours.

An additional set of rules were added in 1959 for the construction of motor cab rickshaws (baby-taxis)

which was later amended to include a curious decree that motor cabs must be painted yellow on the roof and

black on the body.

1.2.6 Chapter VI – Control of traffic

Vehicles apparently abandoned on the road and causing an obstruction may be removed by the police or any

other local government officer.

This Chapter also contains details concerning the installation and use of weighbridges and instructions to

drivers of vehicles who are weighed. It appears that only goods vehicles may be weighed under the

provisions of this Chapter.

Several offences are created regarding basic safety matters, such as,

• Driving with the gear disengaged

• Towing distances

• Traffic segregation on cycle ways


{PAGE }

• Projections of loads

• Carriage of dangerous substances

• Use of the horn

• Excessive reversing

• Dazzling lights

• Stop and other mandatory traffic signs

1.2.7 Chapter VII – Rules applicable to the district of Darjeeling

Although outside of Bangladesh, this Chapter does not appear to have been repealed.

1.2.8 Chapter VIII – Insurance of Motor Vehicles against Third Party Risks

This short Chapter describes some of the requirements of insurance policies. It appears that these are now

contained in the MVO. However it appears that the Chapter is still in force.

1.2.9 Chapter IX – Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal

This Chapter was added in 1984 under the MVO and extend the rules governing the procedures to be

followed when setting up a tribunal.

1.2.10 List of Schedules

NB: These are not reproduced in this report.

First – Omitted or revoked

Second – Registration marks assigned by authorities

Third – Regional codes

Fourth – Omitted or revoked


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Fifth – Advance notice of hours of work

Sixth – Drivers and conductors badges

Seventh – List of approved speed governors

Eighth – Areas where driving without gear engaged is prohibited

Ninth – Design of trailer plate

Tenth – List of competent authorities

Eleventh – Producer gas plants

1.2.11 List of forms

These are numerous, covering topics such as licensing, registration, certificates of fitness, permits and

vehicle examinations.

1.3 The Motor Vehicles Rules 1984

These rules are made under the authority of the MVO. The contents are mainly administrative and either

add to, or replace the corresponding chapters in the MVR 1940. A description of the various chapters is

shown below.


The application of the Rules to all of Bangladesh and a description of terms used in the text.

1.3.2 Chapter II – Licensing of drivers of motor vehicles

This adds details of the rules applicable to applications for transport driving licences and driving tests

generally. One requirement that is made is for all driving test candidates to be able to read and write in

either Bengali or English.


{PAGE }

It also establishes provisions for the registration of schools of motoring. A selection board is defined and

certain conditions are set which applicants must meet for inclusion in the register.

Driving instructors are required to pass an advanced driving test and have a working knowledge of

elementary physics, in relation to the behaviour of vehicles together with technical knowledge of the

working of vehicle parts. In addition instructors must demonstrate teaching methods and a knowledge of

traffic regulations and road signs.

1.3.3 Chapter III – Licensing of conductors of stage carriages or contract carriages

A testing authority for conductors is established in this Chapter. The functions of the testing authority

appear to be mainly administrative and deal mainly with the application of potential conductors.

Powers are provided which enable Magistrates or Deputy Superintendents of Police to disqualify conductors

for up to three months.

1.3.4 Chapter IV – Registration of motor vehicles

This Chapter details the procedures to be followed when registering, suspending or cancelling a vehicle.

Requirements are made to ensure that details as supplied by the applicant are correct, that an insurance

certificate is in force and to establish the laden weight of transport vehicles.

There is a requirement for all registered vehicles to renew their certificates of fitness every twelve months.

Additional procedures are also established for authorising private workshops to issue certificates of fitness

renewals.

1.3.5 Schedules

NB: These are not reproduced in this report.

First – Drivers and conductors badges

Second – Classes of vehicles and Bengali letters used


{PAGE }

1.3.6 Forms

Various forms for licence applications, vehicle transfer and assignment of registrations.

1.4 The Motor Vehicles Tax Act 1932, Motor Vehicles Tax (Amendment) Ordinance 1989 and

Motor Vehicles Tax Rules 1966

These documents are concerned with the requirements and administrative procedures needed for an annual

vehicle tax. This is required to be taken out for each motor vehicle registered for use on roads. It is payable

in advance at a fee which is shown in the Schedules.

Offences are created for the failure to take out tax, incorrect display of tax tokens on the lower right hand

side of windscreens and for the falsification of tokens.

As vehicle tax has little bearing on road safety matters a detailed description of the legislation is not

included.

1.5 Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976

This enactment enables the Commissioner of Police within Dhaka to make specific prohibitions governing

all varieties of traffic. It is not restricted to motorised vehicles only and the author understands that it has

been used on a number of occasions to prohibit the movement of rickshaws along certain street within the

City. For example the roads leading past the Prime Ministers Office and the Airport Road are designated as

rickshaw free.

The powers invested by this are also used to control the flow of traffic. The traffic police have set up

rickshaw and baby taxi lanes and actively direct such traffic to use these lanes.

Chapter VII additionally creates a series of offences covering the free movement of traffic. These are listed

below,

• Failure to conform to directions of all [sic] police officers

• Driving otherwise than on the left of the street


{PAGE }

• Poor parking

• Obstructing a footway

• Causing obstruction in the street

• Exposing an animal or vehicle for sale in the street

• Repairing or making vehicles in the street

Procedures are also defined which allow designated police officers the power to issue fixed penalty tickets

to the value of fifty taka to persons or vehicles contravening the rules. Interestingly this is not restricted to

sub-inspectors and above. All police personnel may be designated to fulfil this function.

It appears however that the Commissioner has restricted the powers to sub-inspectors and above only.

2 PROPOSED LEGISLATION

2.1 Summary of Draft Road Transport Act 1997

The proposed legislation forms a full and detailed set of rules to control the use of all vehicles, motorised and non-

motorised on the roads of Bangladesh. Several vague parts of the MVO 1983 are amended and far more safety type

offences are included. The general layout of the Act follows much the same format as the MVO 1983, although

several new Chapters are added. The whole Act is drafted in metric units. A brief description of the contents of each

Chapter follows.

2.1.1 Chapter I – Short Title And Effect Of The Act

This initial Chapter contains a description of the scope and repeals to prior legislation. The MVO is

repealed in its entirety. General offences are defined in this section which states that it shall be an offence to

do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in the main body of the Act. Similar provisions are

included for the owner of a vehicle to permit another to perform any act in contravention of this legislation.

2.1.2 Chapter II – Words And Phases Defined

This is a very comprehensive glossary of many of the terms and phrases used in the remainder of the text.

Over 150 terms are described.


{PAGE }

2.1.3 Chapter III – Road Transport Administration

This Chapter contains provisions which enable the legal functions of the Bangladesh Road Transport

Authority (BRTA). Rules and procedures are set which govern the behaviour of BRTA and its relationship

with other institutions of Government.

2.1.4 Chapter IV– Licensing Of Drivers Of Motor Vehicles

A number of changes to the MVO 1983 are made in this Chapter. The distinction is made between ordinary

and professional licences as in the previous law. Driving licences can only be issued to persons over the age

of eighteen. This is increased to twenty-one years for licences involving the driving of passenger vehicles

with over thirty seats or heavy motor vehicles. (Goods vehicle over 7500 kg laden weight).

All applicants are required to undergo a medical examination, but their own doctor and supply a certificate

to show they are fit. Many disabilities are listed as disqualifying an applicant from obtaining a licence such

as epilepsy, heart disease, poor eyesight, red/green colour blindness and partial or total deafness.

A grouping system for classes of vehicles is set out which defines the types of vehicles which may be

driven. The main groups are,

• Class A- any combination of heavy motor vehicle or any heavy articulated vehicle or any road train

• Class B- any single passenger vehicle more than sixty seats excluding the driver or any light

articulated vehicle or any single or combination of vehicle having registered laden weight or train

weight not in excess of 22 000 kg

• Class C- any single or combination of vehicle up to sixty seats excluding the driver or having

registered laden weight or train weight not in excess of 12 500 kg

• Class D- any single passenger vehicle up to thirty seats excluding the driver or having registered

laden weight or train weight not in excess of 7500 kg

• Class E- any single or combination of vehicle up to fifteen seats excluding the driver or any single

or combination of vehicle having registered laden weight or train weight not in excess of 3500 kg

• Class F- any single vehicle up to eight seats excluding the driver or having registered laden weight

or unladen weight not in excess of 3500 kg

• Class M- any motor cycle including side cars; this may be issued as only classification on a licence

if the applicant is not licensed for any other classification, otherwise this may be endorsed upon a

licence valid for any other class


{PAGE }

• Class 3- any three wheel motor vehicle up to eight seats excluding the driver or having registered

laden or unladen weight not in excess of 2500 kilograms; this may be issued as only classification

on a licence if the applicant is not licensed for any other classification, otherwise this may be

endorsed upon a licence valid for any other class

Provisions exist for progressive authorisations. For example, in order to gain a class A.B or C licence an

applicant must have held a licence in a lower class for at east one year and pass an additional driving test.

Additional letters indicate the ability to drive certain specialised vehicles which can only be achieved once

the driver is twenty-one and has at least one year normal driving experience. The additional designations

are,

• “H"- authorises the driver to drive a vehicle transporting hazardous materials

• “T"- authorises driving double and triple trailers

• “P"- authorises driving a passenger vehicle having more than fifteen seats excluding the driver

• “N"- authorises driving tank vehicles or tank lorries

• “X"- represents a combination of hazardous materials "H" and tank vehicle "N"

Ordinary licences expire after ten years but professional licences expire after five years. There is an over-

riding age limit of seventy for ordinary licences and sixty for professionals.

The licensing authority are obliged to revoke licences if the holder commits any of the following offences,

• homicide by vehicle

• causing the death of another person by driving of a motor vehicle

• reckless driving or racing

• fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer

• driving when mentally or physically unfit to drive

• driving or being in actual physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or any

drink or drug

• felony or any cognisable offence involving a motor vehicle is used


{PAGE }

• failure to stop, render aid, or identify the driver as required in the event of a motor vehicle accident

resulting in the death or personal injury of another

• perjury or the making of a false affidavit or statement under oath to any authority or officer

• the unlawful or fraudulent use of a licence

Learner drivers are also covered in this Chapter. Supervisors of learners must themselves be holders of

licences with at least two years experience of driving. Learners are also restricted to a maximum speed of

50 kph whilst they are learning.

Driving instruction for payment is prohibited unless the instructor is registered under this Act. Detailed

rules are provided which outline the procedures for registering, which include advanced driving tests, and

also for registering driving schools.

A power for Sub-Inspectors and Sergeants is provided under this section to require drivers who they suspect

of drinking and / or using drugs to take a breath test or health test. It is also made an offence to drive a

vehicle under the adverse influence of drink or drugs, but statutory limits are not stated.

The Courts and licensing authority are also given wide powers to suspend the licences of drivers convicted

of certain offences. The licensing authority can suspend a licence for any reason which must be given in

writing and Courts can and must disqualify for a period of 6 – 24 months for the following offences,

• Fail to comply with conditions after an accident

• Reckless or dangerous driving

• Racing on the highway

• Homicide by vehicle

• Failing to stop for a police officer

• Careless or inconsiderate driving

• Driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink or drugs

• Driving whilst mentally or physically unfit

• Excess weight or other physical dimensions

• Unauthorised removal of vehicle from scene of fatal or serious injury accident


{PAGE }

In addition to the disqualification, a Court can also order re-tests, medical examinations or to attend a

remedial drivers course for these offences. It is made a specific offence to drive while a licence is

suspended or revoked.

There is a specific requirement to carry driving licences at all times while driving and to produce the licence

on request to any Sub – Inspector or Sergeant on demand.

2.1.5 Chapter V – Licensing Of Conductors

This is a relatively short Chapter containing details of the licensing requirements for conductors of stage

carriages and contract carriages. There is a necessity for all conductors of such vehicles to be licensed.

Procedures are detailed concerning applications and revocation due to misconduct and the like.

2.1.6 Chapter VI – Registration Of Motor Vehicles

This is mainly an administrative Chapter concerning the issue and revocation of registration documents.

There is a basic requirement for all vehicles to be registered. To gain registration the motor vehicle must

have insurance and be in a fit condition for use on the road. To ensure the fit condition a vehicle must be

produced to the authority at the time of registration.

There are also provisions governing the display of registration, tax token, certificate of fitness or other

permits on the windscreen of the vehicle. It is an offence to fail to display the required labels or to display

false or illegible labels.

2.1.7 Chapter VII – Control Of Transport Vehicles

As in the previous MVO this Chapter controls the issue and revocation of permits for transport operations.

These include both goods vehicles and also passenger carrying vehicles of all sizes if the use of the vehicle

is for hire and reward. Permits are required to be obtained and displayed on the vehicle to which they relate.

Transport committees may be set up for regions of the Country which have the responsibility for the issue

and revocation of permits. Conditions may be applied to permits, such as, the maximum speeds at which the

vehicle is allowed to travel, the number of passengers, or the number of journeys that may be made in a day.

Limitations are set on the hours of work of drivers and other workers involved in the operation of transport

vehicles. These are a continuous period of five hours before a half hour break must be taken, a daily limit of

eight hours and a weekly maximum of forty-eight hours. Provision is also made for the writing of

regulations to govern the completion of log-books to show hours worked.

Requirements for drivers and conductors to wear badges are delegated to regulations as too are conduct of

drivers, conductors and passengers.


{PAGE }

2.1.8 Chapter VIII – Construction, Equipment, Inspection And Maintenance Of Motor Vehicles

There is a general requirement that vehicles must be in a safe condition and in good working order before it

is used on a road. There are offences for drivers and owners who do not comply.

Provision is made to enable regulations which detail the standards of various items of equipment and the

maximum dimensions and weights of vehicles used on the road. The establishment of vehicle inspection

stations and the operation of such stations is also provided within this Chapter.

Certificates of fitness are needed for every vehicle. These are generally valid for one year and for six

months for transport vehicles over fifteen years old. The procedures for issue and revocation are contained

in regulations made under the Act. It is a specific offence to use a motor vehicle on a road if there is not a

valid certificate in force.

Powers are given to police Sub-Inspectors and Sergeants and authorised motor vehicle inspectors to test

vehicles for smoke emission levels.

2.1.9 Chapter IX – Manufacturer, Assembler & Dealers

This Chapter lists the requirements for motor vehicle dealers and ‘junk vehicle purchasers’ to be registered.

Procedures for registered dealers to buy and sell vehicles are outlined which include provisions for ensuring

that vehicles are registered or de-registered as appropriate.

2.1.10 Chapter X – Control Of Traffic

This is probably the most important safety Chapter in the Act as it defines a large number of safety offences.

As in the previous MVO a basic speed limit offence is defined. This particular offence is wider in its

application than the MVO. In addition to the simple excess speed offence, the subsection is extended to

state that it shall be an offence to drive at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the prevailing

conditions and circumstances.

The next section goes still further to make it obligatory to drive at a safe and appropriate speed when

approaching and crossing junctions, hill crests, narrow roads, curves or any other hazard.

Maximum speed for vehicle classes are no longer referred to a Schedule, however Schedule Two still lists

the maximum speeds. Provision is also made to make regulations governing class speed limits. Speed

offences are required to be corroborated by independent evidence using some form of equipment.

Provision is also made for Government, BRTA, highway authorities or a City Traffic Engineer to determine

and set lower speed limits and to place speed limit signs as appropriate. This should make it relatively easy

to change speed limits on particular roads or areas as legislation no longer has to be amended to take this

into account.


{PAGE }

A low speed limit is also set, below which it is deemed an offence to drive. BRTA, City Engineers and the

like can set these lower limits as well.

A specific offence is created to cater for vehicles which are driven on the road while overweight according

to a table of axle weights in Schedule One, or while exceeding other dimensions. Provision is made for

BRTA, in consultation with highway authorities to allow abnormally large or heavy loads to move and a

permit may be issued for that journey.

Additional sections prohibit certain types of vehicles from crossing bridges unless a permit from BRTA has

been issued. These include vehicles with over seven axles or vehicles which have closely spaced axles.

As with the MVO it is also an offence to drive a motor vehicle in excess of registered axle weights, gross

weights or unladen weights. A power to direct vehicles to a weighbridge within fifteen kilometres is

included together with a power to weigh vehicles to determine axle and laden weights. These powers are

given to police Sub-Inspectors, Sergeants, authorised officials from BRTA or a highway authority. If a

motor vehicle is found to be overweight there is a power to require the vehicle to be unloaded. If the load is

not removed within a specified time, the load may be sold at auction.

Insecure loads are prohibited generally, and there is a requirement for loose loads to be covered to prevent

spillage or loss of load due to wind or road disturbance.

The local authorities are given wide ranging powers to set up traffic control devices for a variety of

measures to control,

• parking of all types of vehicles

• processions

• speed limits in parks

• give way priorities

• weight and dimensional limits

• registration of rickshaws and bicycles

• use of roads by certain types of vehicle

• turning and ‘U’ turns

• overtaking

• bus lanes

• pedestrians

• driving or pulling rickshaws


{PAGE }

• designation of hazardous load routes

• driving off the highway

A let-out clause is provided for potential offenders if they can show that the required signs were not present

or were illegible. A separate offence is also made for those who unlawfully remove damage, or otherwise

interfere with traffic signs or other control devices. Temporary control measures are also allowed.

A power is also given to City Engineers, highways authorities or local authorities to require the owner to

remove hazards from the road or adjacent to the road. If the offending item is not removed, then the

authorities can levy a fine against the owner.

Three categories of road may be so designated by highways authorities, local authorities or City Traffic

Engineers, these are, arterial roads, main roads or busy roads. The effect of these designations becomes

important when considering the driving regulations.

The driving regulations in the MVO were given in a Schedule. In this Act the regulations are listed in full in

the main text and specific offences are created for those who do not comply with each section. Briefly the

driving rules cover all traffic and are,

• drive on the left of the road

• wholly within a lane where lane marking exist

• yield to traffic when entering or crossing a road from anything other than another road

• drive to the left of roundabouts

• not to perform ‘U’ turns unless it can be done safely

• reverse or turn only where no inconvenience caused

• not to drive on footpaths or pedestrian areas

• obey no passing zones

• drive correct way along a one-way street

• lights required if at night, or if visibility less than 300 m

• not to coast with the gearbox in neutral

• not to follow a fire brigade vehicle closer than 150 m

• not to follow any vehicle too closely


{PAGE }

• comply with traffic signals, including traffic lights

• not to enter junction unless exit is clear

• allow sufficient distance to allow other vehicles to overtake and pull in safely

• move out of the way of emergency vehicles

• not to use earplugs or headphones covering both ears

• not to park unless at least 3 m of roadway is left alongside the parked vehicle

• indicate intention to deviate or turn

• not to leave a vehicle in a dangerous position

• not to carry excess numbers of passengers or carry passengers on the bumper or roof

• driver not to be obstructed by passengers

• crash helmets to be worn by all riders of motorcycles

• eye protectors or visors to be worn by motorcyclists

It is made a specific offence to fail to comply with the directions given by a police officer involved in the

direction of traffic.

Emergency vehicles are specifically exempted from the need to comply with speed limits, red traffic lights,

stop signs and turning prohibitions, provided they do so safely.

Sub-Inspectors of police are empowered to require the production of driving licences and other driving

documents from drivers of vehicles, unless valid labels covering those driving documents are fixed to the

windscreen.

All police officers in uniform, inspectors of motor vehicles and any other person authorised by the

Government have a power to stop motor vehicles if the officer believes an offence has been committed in

relation to the use of that vehicle. Drivers are required to give their name and address to an officer, again if

an offence is suspected.

Drivers are also required to stop at the scene of accidents involving injury or damage to property and give

their name and address to other parties if that other party gives their name and address in return.

Police Sub-Inspectors and Sergeants are also given the power to remove or immobilise vehicles where the

vehicle is involved in an accident, if the driver is arrested, if the vehicle has broken down or left in a

position where it contravenes any prohibition, if the vehicle has been reported stolen, or if it appears to have


{PAGE }

been abandoned. Conditions are specified concerning the procedures to be followed if a vehicle is

immobilised or removed.

Reckless or dangerous driving and racing remain in the same form as in the MVO. There are now offences

which cover careless or inconsiderate driving. This is worded initially to follow exactly the British law

definition of careless driving. Additional circumstances are included in this section which involve not

giving way, or overtaking where prohibited or unsafe.

Homicide by motor vehicle and failing to stop for a police officer are also made specific offences.

Driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is included, and provision is

made for breath, blood or urine levels to be defined in regulations. All police officers and any other person

authorised by BRTA may require tests from a driver on breath, blood or urine to determine alcohol or drug

levels.

It is an offence to drive while physically or mentally unfit and also to drive a motor vehicle which is

overweight or exceeding any maximum physical dimension.

The Chapter lists items for which regulations may be made. Interestingly this includes provision regarding

the reporting, enquiry or investigation of accidents.

A Highway Code is mentioned towards the end of the Chapter. It is stated that this will be issued by the

BRTA. It also states that its effect in law will be advisory rather than creating specific offences. The

wording of this section is similar to that contained in the British Road Traffic Act, so Courts will be

expected to consider driver behaviour against the advice in the Code.

Provision is also made to establish a Police Traffic Division under the control of BRTA and operating with

the assistance of the local police. It is to be headed by a police officer and will be responsible for

controlling of traffic, enforcing traffic laws and investigation accidents. The phrasing of the section shows

that this is to be a nationwide resource, with sub-offices in each district and metropolitan area.

One function mentioned by the Act is for the Traffic Police to assist the City Traffic Engineer whenever the

accidents in a particular location become numerous so that suitable remedial measures can be taken.

2.1.11 Chapter XI – Pedestrians

Drivers of motor vehicles are required by this Chapter to yield the right of way to pedestrians who are using

a pedestrian crossing. Other vehicles are prohibited from overtaking a vehicle which is slowing down or

stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross.

Pedestrian behaviour is also regulated. Where there is a sidewalk pedestrians are required to use it. If no

sidewalk is present then pedestrians are instructed to use the right hand side of the road and walk facing


{PAGE }

oncoming traffic. Pedestrians are also to follow any directions given by police officers involved in the

regulation of traffic.

When crossing the road generally, pedestrians must cross from kerb to kerb using the shortest route. They

are not permitted to solicit rides or transact business while standing in the road. If there is a crossing

(surface, underpass, or overbridge) within 500 metres then pedestrians are obliged to use that crossing and it

is an offence for them to cross the road without using the crossing. Pedestrians are also prohibited from

crossing between two adjacent sets of traffic light controlled junctions, unless at a proper crossing place.

Pedestrians who are under the influence of drink or drugs are only allowed to use the roads if they walk on

the sidewalk.

Depositing glass, nails or anything on the road so that it is likely to cause danger is prohibited. In addition

persons who remove accident damaged or broken down vehicles are required to clear up the road

afterwards.

Large gatherings of people (250+) or vehicles (50+) for processions are prohibited unless written prior

approval has been gained from the Government, local Mayor, Commissioner of Police or District

Magistrate.

Bicycles and other human powered vehicles are regulated in this Chapter as well. Laws applicable to motor

vehicles in earlier chapters are extended to include bicycles and the like as well. There is an exception to

this general rule if by the nature of the vehicle, it can have no application to non-motorised vehicles.

Bicycle racing is specifically prohibited without a permit, and unless the conditions of the permit are

fulfilled.

Human powered vehicles are prevented from using the sidewalks and cyclists must not ride more than two

abreast, when in any case they must not impede the normal movement of traffic.

2.1.12 Chapter XII – Road Accidents and Accident Reports

Much of this Chapter is incomplete in the version reviewed. Outline headings for sections were present and

these give some indication as to the intended nature of the laws. Most would seem to concern procedural

matters, such as garages to report accident damaged vehicles to police, and police to report accidents to

BRTA.

Several headings are worthy of mention, Accident Report Forms, Chemical tests in fatal crashes and Special

Provision as to accident enquiry.

Some sections were present in the reviewed version. There is a general requirement on drivers involved in

injury accidents to secure medical attention for the injured person, and if necessary convey him to hospital.


{PAGE }

If a proper claim is made, the driver is required to pay all medical expenses. Drivers are also obliged to

report injury accidents to the nearest police station as soon as possible and in all cases within 24 hours.

Other persons passing the scene of an accident are also obliged to stop and take reasonable steps to secure

medical attention for injured persons.

The police are given a power to require that any vehicle involved in an accident is examined by a qualified

person and also a power to remove the vehicle for examination if necessary. In the case of fatal or serious

injury accidents no person may remove a vehicle from the scene until it has been examined by a vehicle

examiner. If a vehicle is removed by the police for examination, it must be returned within 48 hours in the

Cities, or 72 hours in the districts.

2.1.13 Chapter XIII – Anti Theft Measures

Vehicle theft and the handling and disposal of stolen vehicles or parts is covered in this Chapter. This

appears to have been lifted from the US Penal Code as it contains references to peace officers and also the

distinction between felony’s and misdemeanours. Doubtless this Chapter will be revised before enactment

to make it more applicable to Bangladesh.

2.1.14 Chapter XIV – Motor Vehicles Temporarily Leaving Or Visiting Bangladesh

Provision is made in this Chapter for additional regulations to be made governing the temporary importation

and exportation of vehicles. The main documentary requirements of the Act are relaxed for foreign visitors

and their vehicles.

2.1.15 Chapter XV – Insurance Of Motor Vehicles Against Third Party Risks

This Chapter relates only to motor vehicles and basically requires that all such vehicles used on the road

must have a valid police of insurance against third party risks. Much of the Chapter is concerned with

administrative requirements and an explanation of who and what must be covered. Claims Tribunals are

described together with their powers and procedures.

2.1.16 Chapter XVI – Offences, Penalties And Procedures

This Chapter begins by restating that is shall be an offence to contravene any of the provisions contained

within the Act. It adds in attempts and aiding or abetting the commission of such an offence is also an

offence.

A list of offences and demerit points to be endorsed on licences are enacted. The full list is contained in

Schedule Three. These offences are now categorised by Unit of Penalty. One Unit is defined to be one


{PAGE }

hundred taka. Demerit points are to be recorded by BRTA against the licence number. If more than ten

points are accrued within three years then licences must be suspended for a period of three months.

Special provisions are made for the police to charge persons with specified offences and to hear the case

before a senior officer who may impose a fine equal to the amount listed in the Schedule.

As in the MVO, authorised Sub-Inspectors and Sergeants are empowered to issue on the spot fines for the

certain offences. Offences listed in the Schedule with a fine of ten taka or less may be dealt with by this

method.

A separate list of offences for which drivers may be arrested is also given. Unfortunately this refers to old

section numbers in the original MVO, not the new sections and so may be subject to alteration.

There is provision to set up a road safety fund. Monies recovered by fines are to be paid into that fund and

used for the purposed of road safety.

Police officers and inspectors of motor vehicles are given a power of entry into vehicles for certain

offences. Such officers are also permitted to seize suspected false documents.

A power is also given to prevent intoxicated drivers from continuing to drive their vehicles. Ignition keys

may be seized and vehicles immobilised to prevent offences from taking place.

The remainder of the Chapter is concerned mainly about administrative matters.

2.1.17 Chapter XVII – Miscellaneous

Officials of BRTA may be authorised under the terms of this Chapter to perform any or all of the functions

of police officers. There may be a requirement for a uniform to be worn in the execution of these powers.

Of note is the legal instigation of a Safety Council with powers to make regulations concerning road safety

issues. Any fees for the operation of the Council are defrayed from the Road Safety Fund set up under the

provisions of Chapter 16.

2.1.18 List Of Schedules (Reproduced in Annex C)

First Schedule – Tyre Loads And Axle Weights

Second Schedule – Maximum Speed Limits

Third Schedule – Offence And Penalties.

(NB. The section numbers referred to in the Schedules appear to relate to section numbers in the old MVO,

not the draft Act.)


{PAGE }

3 Technical Comments on Draft Road Traffic and Transport Act

3.1.1 General

All legislation should be drafted to follow the DREAM paradigm. It should be Desirable, Reasonable,

Enforceable, Achievable and Monitored. Much of the draft legislation follows this paradigm, however there

are areas which would benefit from modification.

A general procedural change that would be helpful, and aid clarity, is the omission of the separate sections

which specifically create offences. In many places the description of what is required is given, and then

later a separate section is provided which states that it is an offence not to perform those actions.

In section, N5 and N6, it states that it is an offence to contravene or violate any of the provisions of the Act.

It is therefore unnecessary to add separate sections throughout the Act which create specific offences for

specific sections.

For example, section M208 states that persons shall not drive motor vehicles at excessive speeds. In section

M286 however it states that it shall be an offence to drive at excess speed. M286 is not necessary because

of N6.

Comments on administrative procedures, where they are unique to Bangladesh are not included in the

discussion which follows as these are unlikely to be of relevance to road safety matters.

3.1.2 Chapter I – Short Title And Effect Of The Act

N5 and N6 could be combined with a general section creating an offence, rather than the two sections which

overlap considerably.

3.1.3 Chapter II – Words And Phases Defined

Some of the terms defined do not appear to be used in the body of the Act. If this is the case they ought to

be omitted. It may be however that these phrases will be necessary during the next revision.

A few phrases were noted in the body which are not defined. For example night-blindness is not defined.

3.1.4 Chapter III – Road Transport Administration

No comments as this Chapter is administrative.

3.1.5 Chapter IV– Licensing Of Drivers Of Motor Vehicles

Although the classification of vehicles is a desirable addition to the legislation, it may be prudent to review

the groups defined in section N53. A total of eight classes are defined with four additional classes and also

trailers. The system proposed is complex, perhaps more so than is necessary.

Within Europe a basic five category system of licensing is now in force which adequately covers all motor

vehicles and trailers. Professional drivers use the same licence as ordinary drivers which simplifies the


{PAGE }

administrative procedures. Non-professional drivers are just restricted in the classes they can drive. The

European model for licensing is described in Annex D.

The general age limits on driving licences is reasonable. Consideration may be given to increasing the

duration of non-professional licences for up to age seventy. This would reduce the administrative burden on

the Authority, although additional procedures for requiring notification of changes of address will then be

necessary.

Similarly, the three month ‘life’ for a provisional licence is neither necessary nor conducive to road safety.

This too should be valid for a much longer time, either until seventy, or for (say) five years.

Professional licences should expire at a much earlier driver age. It is suggested that these licences are given

a ‘life’ of five years, and renewed once the applicant has demonstrated his continued physical fitness

through a certified note from a medical doctor.

These administrative changes would be of considerable benefit to the over-stretched resources of BRTA.

Of questionable value is the requirement in N43 (8) is the restriction on learner drivers from driving at a

speed greater than 50 kph. If drivers were to follow this, they would, on passing a test, suddenly be able to

drive at twice the speed they had driven at previously. The scope for speed related accidents is enormous. It

is suggested therefore that this restriction is removed.

Revocation of licences by the Authority and disqualification by the Courts are treated as separate

procedures. The need for this distinction is questioned. If the Courts disqualify a driver from holding or

obtaining a licence, it is unnecessary to revoke the licence as well. In effect the Court has already

performed this function, particularly if disqualified drivers are required to surrender their licences to the

Court upon conviction. This latter requirement should also be added to the draft Act.

Similarly the power given in section M62 is not considered necessary as it repeats the powers of the Courts

to disqualify.

The power given in section N79 for senior police officers only to deprive drivers of licences for certain

offences committed within their view, is a repeat of the power given in the previous MVO. The function of

this section in a practical sense is questioned. How many senior officers actually use the existing power?

The offence of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs is included in this section as well as in

Chapter X, where it more logically belongs. The distinction should also be made that driving must be

‘adversely affected’ rather than just ‘under the influence’, which is not precise.

An additional offence of failing or refusing to provide a sample for analysis should be created. This should

include safeguards for those who are medically unable to provide breath samples, such as asthmatics or

those with other bronchial diseases.

The inclusion of powers to allow Courts to impose re-tests, remedial courses, or medical examinations is

commended. This allows valuable retraining of poor drivers and the Courts should be encouraged to use

these powers when facilities are available.


{PAGE }

The requirement for drivers to carry their driving licence at all times is very helpful from an enforcement

point of view. With the introduction of laminated photograph licences, the checking of a persons identity

and ownership of a vehicle, is also made easier.

The power given to the police to seize licences may need slight amendment given the changes recommended

above. It may also be desirable to move all the producing powers, N54, N277 and M362 into one section

within Chapter XVI.

3.1.6 Chapter V – Licensing Of Conductors

If conductors are required to be licensed, then this Chapter is necessary. From a road safety point of view, it

is doubtful whether the licensing of conductors makes any difference.

3.1.7 Chapter VI – Registration Of Motor Vehicles

The wording of section 32 is slightly confusing. A simple statement that ‘No person shall use, cause or

permit a motor vehicle to be kept or operated on a road without a registration certificate being in force’

would be sufficient to create the offence. A similar wording for ‘no certificate of fitness’ is also desirable.

The remainder of the Chapter is administrative.

3.1.8 Chapter VII – Control Of Transport Vehicles

No comments are made regarding the administrative contents, although control of transport through permits

is considered desirable. However to be useful, records must be kept concerning operators and any offences

concerning their vehicles. The Authority must also review the records to determine which operators are

falling below standard and revoke permits accordingly. This process has been shown to increase vehicle

fitness in particular.

The restriction on working hours is a copy of that from the old MVO. These are commendable in

themselves, but are unenforceable unless provision is made to require drivers to keep some form of records.

Without the records, it is doubtful that excess hours offences can be proved.

3.1.9 Chapter VIII – Construction, Equipment, Inspection And Maintenance Of Motor Vehicles

The general requirement for vehicle safety is probably adequate in its own right as offences are created for

the use of dangerous vehicles and vehicles in an unsafe condition.

The annual certificate of fitness procedure is well structured and although testing procedures have been

reviewed by other specialists, the basic administration is already in place.

Unauthorised interference is included here, although it is covered fully in Chapter XIII.

Smoke testing powers, excess smoke offences and prohibited horns fall more logically into Chapter X.

The need for a cumbersome ‘type approval’ system is questioned at this time. To introduce such a system

will add substantially to the work of the Authority.


{PAGE }

3.1.10 Chapter IX – Manufacturer, Assembler & Dealers

No Comment as this is administrative.

3.1.11 Chapter X – Control Of Traffic

Section M208 is an excellent example of an excess speed offence. It incorporates the basic speed limit

offence and also a more general offence of exceeding a ‘safe and appropriate’ speed. The requirement for

corroboration of speed offences by speed detection equipment is left until section M286 and is better suited

within M208.

Minimum speeds in section N209 will be difficult to enforce effectively.

Excess weight and exceeding the prescribed dimensions are listed in the same offence. It may be better to

separate these into individual offences e.g.

• Excess axle weight

• Excess total weight

• Excess width

• Excess lateral projection

• Excess length

• Excess forward or rearward projection

• Excess height

The offence of exceeding the unladen weight is interesting. The value or application of this offence in a

practical sense is questioned.

The power given to police and authorised officers to weigh and unload overweight vehicles is perfectly

adequate.

Insecure loads are covered in full, but spread out over several sections. One general encompassing offence

may be more appropriate such as, ‘No person shall use or permit to be used on a road a vehicle carrying a

load unless any such load is secured or otherwise prevented from falling, or being blown, or being

dislodged, or shifting so as is likely to cause danger to persons using the road.’

Use of a vehicle in such a condition so as being likely to cause danger could be similarly worded.

A power to designate arterial roads is given in section M227, but arterial roads are not given any

significance in any of the controlling regulations.

There are a comprehensive set of rules governing the passage of vehicles along the road. Some rights of

way are defined but there is no general rule concerning right of way. In itself this is not significant as this is

more properly a matter for inclusion within any Highway Code. However this ought to be considered when

amending this Act or drafting the Highway Code.


{PAGE }

The conversion from right hand driving laws to left hand driving has caused a few problems, for example

we have phrases such as ‘yield the left of way’ instead of ‘yield the right of way’ in section 230.

This portion of the Act contains references mainly to motor vehicles, and this is extended in section N282 of

Chapter XI, to include non-motorised vehicles. As a general rule, it should be that offences which can relate

only to motor vehicles should be constructed with those words. If an offence relates to all vehicles then it

should be phrased that way.

Section N238 requires lights to be displayed on vehicles. The timings are reasonable but the conditions of

poor visibility are optimistic. One hundred metres visibility is suggested as a more realistic figure.

Section N240 suffers from a left / right confusion.

Section N241 is again optimistic. It is not realistic to expect vehicles not to follow fire vehicles closer than

150 metres. A figure of 50 m may be more realistic, but a need for a limit at all is questioned.

A right of way for emergency vehicles, responding to emergency calls is a beneficial inclusion. Section

N245 does contain the phrase ‘left of way’ which will need amendment.

Section N247 contains superfluous wording. The term ‘vehicle’ is defined as including bicycles and

rickshaws, so specific mention of these particular vehicles is unnecessary.

In section M275 motorcycle riders are required to wear crash helmets and only carry passengers after one

years experience. There is no corresponding requirement for seat belts to be worn, although provision is

given to make suitable regulations. A section requiring seat belts to be worn in all vehicles where seat belts

are fitted should be included in this primary legislation. Regulations can then make conditions and

exemptions as required.

A suggested form of wording for such a section could be, ‘Where a seat belt is fitted to any seat within a

motor vehicle, the occupant of that seat shall wear that seat belt. Provided that it shall be a defence to this

section for that person to show that the wearing of a seat belt is impossible or impractical by virtue of

mechanical defect or by other reasonable excuse, the proof thereof shall rest with him’

A power is given for the police to stop vehicles only if it is suspected that offences are being committed.

This does not allow for the stopping of vehicles to check that laws are being followed. This is a potentially

serious enforcement problem. Police must have the power to stop vehicles to check construction, use,

maintenance, driver intoxication, documents or any other items. Section M278 should be amended to allow

for this police function.

Accident procedures are included in this Chapter as well as again in Chapter XII, where it logically should

be included. As basic requirements for a driver to stop and give details they are sound. The procedures for

requiring injury accidents to be reported to the police should be enforced rigorously to gain maximum

benefit from data collection.

Poor driving offences such as reckless, racing, careless, homicide are covered reasonably well. Training for

the police in enforcing these offences must also be reviewed.

What may be useful from a procedural point of view, is to vary potential penalties dependant upon the

outcome of the incident. For example it would be possible to have dangerous driving and also causing death


{PAGE }

by dangerous driving. Alternatively careless driving and causing death by careless driving. The

aggravating factor in each being the causing death, which could carry a higher penalty.

Drink driving should be included in this Chapter, along with the powers to demand samples and the offences

of failing to provide samples. What would be useful would be to include the limits for alcohol levels. For

reference the current limits for the UK are,

Blood: 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood

Urine: 107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

Breath: 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath

The setting up of a national Traffic Police Department, for coordination purposes, is desirable but perhaps

better suited to inclusion in Chapter XVI or even Chapter I, along with general responsibilities and duties.

A gradual phasing in of a National Traffic Police would be more advantageous. As a first stage, individual

Districts should develop traffic departments. These should only be unified after all Districts are at the same

stage of development.

Careful consideration should be given to any such matters as these will undoubtedly affect the relationship

of the police with BRTA. What is not desirable in any circumstances, is for the traffic police to be seen as

another ‘branch’ of BRTA. The independence of the police from government is desirable and should be

encouraged. It may be better therefore to have control and coordination of the traffic police within police

HQ, as it is at present.

The same comments apply to the duties and responsibilities of city traffic engineers.

3.1.12 Chapter XI – Pedestrians

Pedestrian crossing rules are unnecessarily complicated by requiring pedestrians to use certain parts of the

crossing. From a practical sense this would be unenforceable in any case. A simple right of way rule is all

that is needed. For example something along the wording ‘Pedestrians have right of way on crossings and

vehicles have right of way elsewhere’. Much of this Chapter could be omitted without changing the basic

rules.

Requiring pedestrians to use crossing facilities within 500 metres is unrealistic. It is questionable whether

any limit can be enforced consistently.

Regulations governing the way pedestrians are to use the road are however desirable and are included as too

is the requirement to comply with traffic directions.

Rules concerning depositing dangerous items, bicycles and other non-motorised vehicles would be better

included in the previous Chapter.


{PAGE }

3.1.13 Chapter XII – Road Accidents and Accident Reports

Although this Chapter is incomplete the outline section titles contain much of merit.

Accident duties for drivers should also be included in this Chapter, rather than in an unrelated section.

3.1.14 Chapter XIII – Anti Theft Measures

This Chapter needs considerable revision to remove the obvious American expressions and references.

3.1.15 Chapter XIV – Motor Vehicles Temporarily Leaving Or Visiting Bangladesh

No comments as this Chapter is administrative.

3.1.16 Chapter XV – Insurance Of Motor Vehicles Against Third Party Risks

No comments.

3.1.17 Chapter XVI – Offences, Penalties And Procedures

Some of the earlier parts of this Chapter are essentially repeats of sections contained in Chapter I and it

should be decided in which Chapter they should be included.

Section M380 is a repeat of the old section 159 in the MVO and allows a special procedure for offences to

be followed. The section numbers are apparently references to the MVO sections, but this section now

excludes those sections, rather than including them. Whether this is intentional should be checked.

The remainder of the Chapter is mainly administrative and is not commented further.

3.1.18 Chapter XVII – Miscellaneous

Several repeats of items contained in Chapter I are present and will need removal prior to publication.

3.1.19 Schedules

No comments are made regarding the axle load table listed in Schedule One as this is covered elsewhere by

a separate report.

The speed limits in Schedule Two appear to be only partially converted into kilometres per hour. This

whole Schedule would benefit from further attention, as the speed limits appear unrealistic, given the nature

of the roads and likely speeds of vehicles.

Speed limits generally should be high enough to be reasonable, and also low enough to be safe. Where

lower speed limits are desirable, as will be the case in many locations, then specific lower speed limits can

and should be posted.

In particular a general lower speed limit of 50 kph should be incorporated in this Schedule for all urban

areas. Higher limits on major arterial roads could then be signed as appropriate.


{PAGE }

Schedule Three is extensive in content and the vast range of offences and penalties considered. The actual

penalties imposed have not been reviewed, nor considered against average earnings. They do reflect an

increase however on the levels of fine currently imposed by the MVO 1983, which is welcomed.

It is suggested however that the offence code 1239 creating penalty for an unspecified offence is removed.

Unspecified offences, although appearing to cover everything, are open to misapplication by the police and

other enforcement agencies. Specific offences only should be included.

The only reservation regarding this system is the awarding of demerit points. Without a computerised

licensing system this will very rapidly fall into disuse, if indeed it can ever be implemented. Systems for

Courts and the police to notify BRTA of demerits must be carefully set up and a licence database maintained

with those offences. Without this there is no benefit to be gained in awarding points.

At this stage in the development of BRTA it is not considered viable to implement this complex system of

demerit points. At the very most a system of demerits for the most serious safety offences only should be

considered.

For comparison Annex E contains a list of the offences and codes currently in used within the UK for

offences involving obligatory disqualification and awarding of points. As can be seen this is far shorter than

the proposed list in the draft Act.


{PAGE }

Annex B - Schedules reproduced from MVO 1983

The Eighth Schedule – Limits of speed for Motor Vehicles

Class of vehicle Maximum speed inmph

1. If all the wheels of the vehicle are fitted with pneumatic tyresand the vehicle is not drawing a trailer

(a) if the vehicle is a light vehicle or motorcycle(b) if the vehicle is a medium or heavy passenger vehicle(c) if the vehicle is a medium or heavy goods motor vehicle

703530

2. If the vehicle is an articulated vehicle (all the wheels of which arefitted with pneumatic tyres ) which is a heavy motor vehicle 25

3. if the vehicle drawing not more than one trailer (or in the case ofartillery equipment, not more than two trailers) and all the wheelsof that vehicle and the trailer are fitted with pneumatic tyres:-(a) if the vehicle is a light motor vehicle the trailer being two

wheeled has a laden weight not exceeding 1700 poundsavoirdupois

(b) if the vehicle is a light motor vehicle and the trailer has morethan two wheels or a laden weight exceeding 1700 poundsavoirdupois

(c) if the vehicle is a medium motor vehicle(d) if the vehicle is a heavy motor vehicle(e) if the vehicle is a heavy motor vehicle used by the fire

brigades

35

303025

304. Any other case not covered by entry 1, 2 and 3 155. Locomotives whether drawing a trailer or not 10Note – This maximum speed limit is also subject to the restrictions or conditions that may beimposed by the competent authority under this Ordinance for any area or route of any portionof the route.


{PAGE }

The Tenth Schedule – Driving Regulations

1. The driver of a motor vehicle shall drive the vehicle as close to the left hand side of the road as may be expedient

and shall allow all traffic which is proceeding in the opposite direction to pass him on his right hand side.

2. Except as provided by regulation 3, the driver of a motor vehicle shall pass to the right of all traffic

proceeding in the same direction as himself.

3. The driver of a motor vehicle may pass to the left of a vehicle the driver of which having indicated an

intention to turn right has drawn to the centre of the road.

4. The driver of a motor vehicle shall not pass a vehicle travelling in the same direction as himself:

a) if his passing is likely to cause inconvenience or danger to other traffic proceeding in any direction,

or

b) where a point or corner or a hill or an obstruction of any kind renders the road ahead not clearly

visible.

5. The driver of a motor vehicle shall not, when being overtaken or being passed by another vehicle, increase speed

or do anything in any way to prevent the other vehicle from passing him.

6. The driver of a motor vehicle shall slow down when approaching a road intersection, a junction or a

road corner, and shall not enter any such intersection or junction until he has become aware that he may

do so without endangering the safety of persons thereon.

7. The driver of a motor vehicle shall on entering a road intersection if the road entered is a main road

designated as such, give way to the vehicles proceeding along that road, and in any other case give way

to all traffic approaching the intersection on his right hand.

8. The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when passing or meeting a procession or a body of troops or police

on a march or when passing workmen engaged on road repair, drive at a speed not greater than fifteen

miles an hour.

9. The driver of a motor vehicle shall,

a) when turning to the left, drive as close as may be to the left hand side of the road from which he is

making the turn and of the road which he is entering;

b) when turning to the right, draw as near as may be to the centre of the road along which he is

travelling

(i) as far as may be practicable it passes beyond, and so as to leave on the driver’s right hand, a

point formed by the intersection of the centre lines of the intersecting roads: and

(ii) it arrives as near as may be at the left hand side of the road which the driver is entering.


{PAGE }

Eleventh Schedule – Signals

1. When about to turn right or drive to the right hand side of the road in order to pass another vehicle or for

any other purpose, a driver shall extend his right arm in a horizontal position outside of, and to the right

of his vehicle with the palm or the hand turned to the front.

2. When about to turn to the left or to drive to the left hand side of the road, a driver shall extend his right

arm and rotate it in an anticlockwise direction.

3. When about to slow down, a driver shall extend his right arm with the palm downwards and shall move

the arm so extended up and down several times in such a manner that the signal can be seen by the

driver of any vehicle which may be behind him.

4. When about to stop, a driver shall raise his right forearm vertically out-side of and to the right of the

vehicle, palm to the front.

5. When a driver wishes to indicate to the driver of a vehicle behind him that he desires that driver to

overtake him, he shall extend his right arm and hand horizontally outside of and to the right of the

vehicle and shall swing the arm backwards and forwards in a semi-circular motion.


{PAGE }

The Twelfth Schedule

Part A

Offences Penalties (Taka)

(i) Stand on bus stop or Bus Stand

(ii) Stand in prohibited area

(iii) Stand contrary to notice at leading zone

(iv) Stand contrary to notice ‘No Standing’ or ‘No Parking’

(v) Stand contrary to notice in excess time limit

15.00

15.00

10.00

15.00

10.00

Part B


(i) Not give way to pedestrian upon marked pedestrian crossing(by motor vehicle)

(ii) Not making use of the marked pedestrian crossing whilecrossing the road (by the pedestrian)

(iii) Disobey traffic control light signal

(iv) Blow horn continuously or use horn of prohibited type

(v) Exceed speed limit by more than 15 mph (by other thanheavy motor vehicle)

(vi) Exceed speed limit by more than 10 mph (by heavy motorvehicle)

(vii) Cross or drive on offside of separation lines

(viii) Drive on off side of traffic island

(ix) Drive in opposite direction on one-way road

(x) Disobey ‘Halt’, ‘Stop’ or ‘Slow’ signs

(xi) Not signal intention

(xii) Use defective indicator

(xiii) Use of high beam in the lighted city area

30.00

5.00

50.00

30.00

100.00

100.00

30.00

30.00

30.00

30.00

15.00

50.00

100.00


{PAGE }

(xiv) Drive contrary to notice

(xv) Inefficient silencer

(xvi) Overtakes where overtaking is prohibited

(xvii) Exceed speed limit by not more than 15 mph (other thanheavy motor vehicle)

(xviii) Exceed speed limit by not more than 10 mph (by heavymotor vehicles)

(xix) Not give way to other vehicle (where it can be safely done)

(xx) Obstruct other vehicles

15.00

10.00

100.00

50.00

50.00

50.00

50.00

Part C


(i) Drive vehicle emitting heavy smoke

(ii) Use loud speaker in the motor vehicle without authority

(iii) Picks up passenger from other than specified haltages (by thepublic service vehicles)

(iv) Not inscribe the name of the route or area or not printparticulars on the vehicle required by section 46(2) (by thepublic service vehicle or transport vehicle)

(v) Not exhibit fare table or the haltage chart or the time table inthe prescribed manner (by the public service vehicle)

(vi) Not wear prescribed uniform or badges (by the driver orconductor of public service vehicles)

(vii) Charges fare higher than approved rate (driver or conductorof public service vehicle)

(viii) Travels, either on foot-board or on bumper or on the roof top(passenger)

(ix) Carry passenger, either on foot-board or on bumpers or onroof top or, in the wrong side of the driver or exceedingpermissible capacity (driver and conductor each)

(x) Fails to produce the driving licence or the conductors licenceor the certificate of registration or, the certificate of fitness orthe certificate of insurance or other relating documents ondemand by authorised persons (driver or conductor or incharge of the vehicle)

100.00

50.00

50.00

50.00

30.00

30.00

50.00

40.00

30.00

50.00


{PAGE }

Annex C - Schedules of the draft Motor Vehicles Act

THE FIRST SCHEDULE

Individual Tyre Loads

For each pneumatic tyre fitted to a wheelof a nominal size

(1)

The permissible weight in kilograms is(2)

5.20-10 2905.20-13 3405.50-12 3755.50-20 7255.60-13 4005.60-15 4456.00-12 3906.00-13 4256.00-16 7006.00-20 8756.15-13 4406.25-16 7506.45-13 4706.45-14 5006.50-16 8006.50-20 10256.95-14 6007.00-14 6357.00-15 8507.00-16 9757.00-20 12007.10-15 8257.50-15 10007.50-16 11257.50-20 15257.60-15 10508.25-18 15758.25-20 17509.00-15 15259.00-20 2000

10.00-20 222511.00-20 275012.00-20 3250

Explanation: The figures 5.20-10, etc., represent, respectively the nominal diameter of the tyre and thediameter of the wheel rim; all figures being in inches. The actual sectional diameter of tyre whenmounted on its appropriate rim and inflated in no case be less than the nominal sectional diameter.


{PAGE }

TABLE TWO

Axle Weights and Laden or Train Weights

Permissible weight

Axle with number of tyres in tons is

Single axle limit with 2 tyres 4.5Single axle limit with 4 tyres 8.0Tandem axle limit with 4 tyres 8.0Tandem axle limit with 8 tyres 14.0Tri-axle limit with 6 tyres 12.0Tri-axle limit with 12 tyres 18.0

1. Subject to the axle weight limit specified above, the axle weight of a particular axle shall, be equal to thesum of the individually permissible tyre loads of that axle or the maximum axle weight given by themanufacturer, whichever is less.

2. The laden or train weight of a vehicle shall, be equal to the sum of the axle weights of all the axles, orthe maximum laden weight or the train weight fixed by the manufacturer, whichever is less.

(i) Provided that the maximum laden weight or the maximum train weight of a vehicle shall not exceedin case of an articulated vehicle thirty eight tons and in any other case twenty two tons:

(ii) Provided further that the maximum total weight of all trailers, whether laden or unladen, drawn atany one time by a locomotive shall not exceed forty tons.

3. The above axle weight and the laden weight or the train weight limit shall always be subjected to themaximum limit fixed by the Authority in consultation with the highway authority.


{PAGE }

THE SECOND SCHEDULE

[See Section 75(1)]

Limits of Speed for Motor Vehicles

Class of Vehicle Maximum speed inin kilometres per hour

1.

a)

b)

c)

d)

If all wheels of the vehicle are fitted with pneumatic tyres and thevehicle is notdrawing a trailer:-

if the vehicle is a light vehicle

if the vehicle is a medium or heavy passenger motor vehicle

if the vehicle is a medium or heavy goods motor vehicle

if the vehicle is a motor cycle

100

70

60

70

2. If the vehicle is an articulated vehicle (all the wheels of which arefitted with pneumatic tyres) which is a heavy motor vehicle 50

3.

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

If the vehicle drawing not more than one trailer (or in the case ofartillery equipment, not more than two trailers) and all the wheelsof that vehicle and the trailer are fitted with pneumatic tyres:-

if the vehicle is a light motor vehicle the trailer being two wheelshas a laden weight not exceeding 1000 kilograms.

if the vehicle is a light motor vehicle and the trailer has more thantwo wheels or a laden weight exceeding 1000 kilograms.

if the vehicle is a medium motor vehicle

if the vehicle is a heavy motor vehicle

if the vehicle is a heavy motor vehicle used by the fire brigades.

65

60

55

50

60

4. Any other case not covered by entry 1, 2 and 3 30

5. Locomotive, whether drawing a trailer or not 20

Note: The maximum speed limit is also subject to the restrictions or conditions that may be imposed by thecompetent authority under this Act for any area or route or any portion of the route.


{PAGE }

THE THIRD SCHEDULE

[See section 22(1) and 168 (1) and (3)]

This extensive Schedule contains 252 separate offences, separated into sections. The section headings are

reproduced below, but the main listing is not.

Section headings

1. Hazardous Driving

2. Speeding

3. Weight and dimension

4. Failing to stop or give way

5. Lateral position

6. Overtaking or passing

7. Turning

8. Signs and signals

9. Lighting

10. Failing to comply with safety procedures

11. Failing to comply with orders and instructions

12. Vehicle and equipment

13. Licensing, registration and routing

14. Commercial motor vehicles

15. Towing vehicle

16. Driver training

17. Failing to discharge duties

18. Sale of motor vehicles

19. Forgery and fraudulence

20. Parking infringements

21. Pedestrian offences

22. Miscellaneous

23. Unspecified offence

24. Rickshaw, bicycle and other non-motorised vehicle offences


{PAGE }

ANNEX D - Basic European Driving Licence system

Category DescriptionA Motorcycle

B1 Small passenger vehicle less than 500 kg unladen weight

B Small passenger vehicle or small goods vehicle

C1 Goods vehicle 3500 kg to 7500 kg maximum laden weight

C Goods vehicle more than 3500 kg

D1 Passenger vehicle with 9 to 16 passenger seats

D Passenger vehicle with over 9 passenger seats

E Large trailer

Categories A, B, C and D also include entitlement to draw a small trailer.

Professional licences are those vehicles in category C or C1, for goods vehicles, or D or D1, for passengervehicles.

The distinction of the sub-categories C1 and D1 are to signify medium sized vehicles.

Definitions:Small passenger vehicle means a passenger carrying vehicle constructed or adapted to carry no more thaneight passengers in addition to the driver.

Small goods vehicle means a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight of no more than 3500 kg.

Small trailer means a trailer with a maximum laden weight of no more than 750 kg.

Large trailer means a trailer with a maximum laden weight of greater than 750 kg.

Comment:The categories follow (more or less), the categories defined in International Driving Permits under theConvention on Road Traffic in 1949.

With this system it is easy to provide driving tests for the categories. It is a requirement that in order to gainC1, C, D1 or D, or any category with the additional large trailer entitlement, a test in category B (not B1)must be gained first. So to drive a vehicle in category C+E (large goods vehicle plus large trailer) driversmust have passes in category B, then C, then C+E.


{PAGE }

ANNEX E – Obligatory disqualification and penalty point offences (UK)

Offence classifications involving obligatory disqualification

OFFENCEDVLACODE POINTS

Manslaughter, or in Scotland, culpable homicide while driving amotor vehicle

DD60 3-11

Causing death by dangerous driving DD80 3-11Dangerous driving DD40 3-11Causing death by careless driving when under the influence ofdrink or drugs

CD40-70 3-11

Driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol in body DR10 3-11Driving or attempting to drive when unfit through drink or drugs DR20/DR

803-11

Driving or attempting to drive and refusing to supply laboratoryspecimen

DR30 3-11

Aggravated vehicle taking UT50 3-11Racing on the highway MS50 3-11

Offence classifications involving obligatory endorsement

CODE OFFENCE POINTSACCIDENTSAC10 Failing to stop after an accident 5-10AC20 Failing to give particulars or report an accident 4-9AC30 Unspecified accident offence 4-9DISQUALIFIED DRIVERBA10 Driving whilst disqualified by court 6BA30 Attempting to drive whilst disqualified by a court 6CARELESSCD10 Careless driving 2-5CD20 Inconsiderate driving 2-5CD30 Careless or Inconsiderate driving (code mainly for Scottish Courts) 2-5CONSTRUCTION AND USE (codes are variable)CU10 Defective brakes 3CU20 Likely to cause danger by unsuitable use or dangerous condition 3CU30 Defective tyres 3CU40 Defective steering 3CU50 Causing danger by reason of load or passengers 3ALCOHOL/DRUGSDR40 In charge of motor vehicle - excess alcohol 10DR50 In charge of motor vehicle - unfit through drink 10DR60 Failure to provide laboratory specimen (in charge) 10DR70 Failure to provide screening breath test 4ALCOHOL/DRUGS cont.DR90 In charge of motor vehicle - unfit through drugs 10INSURANCEIN10 No insurance 6-8LICENCE OFFENCESLC20 Driving other than in accordance with a licence 3-6LC30 Driving having made false declaration (fitness) 3-6LC40 Driving having failed to notify disability 3-6LC50 Driving licence revoked or refused (medical) 3-6


{PAGE }

Offence classifications involving obligatory endorsement (Continued)

MISCELLANEOUSMS10 Leaving vehicle in a dangerous position 3MS20 Unlawfully carrying passengers on a motor cycle 3MS30 Play street offences 2MS40 Driving defective eyesight or refusing test 3MS60 Offences not covered by other codes 3MS70 Driving with unconnected defective eyesight 3MS80 Refusal to submit to eyesight test 2MS90 Failure to give police information or driver identification 3MOTORWAYMW10 Contravention of motorway regulations (not speed) 3PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGPC10 Undefined contravention of regulations 3PC20 Contravene reg. in moving vehicle 3PC30 Contravene reg. in stationary vehicle 3SPEED LIMITSSP10 Vehicle class (Goods vehicles) 3-6SP20 Vehicle class (not goods/passenger) 3-6SP30 Statutory speed limit 3-6SP40 Vehicle class Passenger vehicle 3-6SP50 Motorway 3-6SP60 undefined speed limit offence 3-6TRAFFIC SIGNS/DIRECTIONSTS10 Failure to comply with traffic lights 3TS20 Failure to comply with double white lines 3TS30 Failure to comply with Stop sign 3TS40 Failure to comply with directions of a constable or traffic warden 3TS50 Failure to comply to traffic sign (ex lights, stop and white lines) 3TS60 Failure to comply to school crossing patrol sign 3TS70 Unspecified failure to comply to traffic sign 3TOTTING UPTT99 signifies disqualification under ‘tooting up’ procedureCHANGE FOR AID AND ABET ETC.Aid, abet, counsel or procure offence code O changes to 2.Causing or permitting offence code 0 changes to 4Inciting offence code O changes to 6


{PAGE }

ANNEX F – Terms of reference for specialist inputs

Legislation advisor

Location: BRTA

Reporting to: BRTA Chairman

Objective: Complete draft Road Traffic and Transport Act.


1. Assist the Working Party on Traffic Legislation to complete Road Traffic and Transport Act. Thisshould include extended police powers and outline framework for sustainable management of traffic.Existing documentation from other specialists should also be considered for inclusion in the draft Act.

2. Assist Working Part to develop realistic timetable for completion of subsidiary legislation.

3. Present mid term seminar on progress to date and agree proposed developments.

4. Prepare report on work accomplished.

5. Present concluding seminar on work accomplished and recommendations identified.

Qualifications and experience : Traffic police officer with experience in legislation and workingoverseas.

Counterpart from Government: BRTA Asst. Director Engineering


1. Mid - term seminar

2. Final seminar

3. Visiting report

Timing of input: 6 weeks split into two visits beginning early in T-IDC


The multi-sectoral traffic legislation working party should functioning fully to make the most effective useof the foreign specialist. The traffic legislation working party should be willing to have frequent meetingsduring the specialist’s visit, which should be at least weekly.


{PAGE }

Highway Patrol Advisor

Location: Police Headquarters

Reporting to: Inspector General of Police

Objective: Train and implement pilot highway patrols.


1. Train highway patrol officers in use of equipment.

2. Advise on methods and practicalities of highway patrolling.

3. Train junior management in enforcement tactics and strategy.

4. Deliver seminar to advise senior officers regarding objectives of pilot and utilisation of patrols.

5. Review and advise on implementation of national highway patrol.

6. Prepare final report.

7. Assist with development of future activities within enforcement sector.

Qualifications and experience : Senior traffic police officer with experience in teaching, practicaltraffic patrol, use of modern enforcement equipment and workingoverseas.

Counterpart from Government: AIG (E&T).


Pilot highway patrols operating.

Final report.

Timing of input: Eight weeks to begin as soon as possible.


Sufficient personnel, vehicles and other equipment must be available for implementation of the project.This may be dependent on funding.


{PAGE }

Enforcement Co-ordinator and Training Advisor

Location: Police Headquarters and Traffic Training School


Objective: Coordinate enforcement activity and develop appropriate range of enforcement relatedcourses for traffic police.


1. Assist and support traffic training advisor with development of traffic patrol courses.

2. Assist and support accident investigation advisor with development of accident investigation course.

3. Assist and support police driving instructor with development of police driving courses.

4. Develop senior officers workshops to include strategic considerations, logistics and design of targetedenforcement campaigns.

5. Develop accident analysis course to identify and propose appropriate countermeasures for high risklocations. This should include an appreciation of the role played by other sectors.

6. Coordinate other enforcement related inputs.

7. Provide enforcement expertise to the NRSC as required.

8. Develop performance indicators within the enforcement sector.

9. Assist with development of highway patrol.

10. Review progress quarterly or after each input and prepare quarterly progress and final reports on workaccomplished.

11. Propose future developmental activities within enforcement sector.

Qualifications and experience : Senior traffic police officer with experience in teaching, trafficpatrol, accident investigation, traffic management and workingoverseas.

Counterpart from Government: AIG (Training) and NRSC secretariat.


Quarterly progress reports, or after each input.

Final report.

Timing of input: Eight months in total spread over four years. To be split as necessary tocoincide with other technical enforcement inputs and mid-term appraisals.


Long term benefit is dependent upon the expansion of TTS to include the additional courses proposed. Byimplication this entails movement of the TTS from its current site to a more appropriate location withadequate facilities. Local training staff should be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three yearsand be capable of transferring skills to successive staff.


{PAGE }

Traffic Training Advisor

Location: Traffic Training School


Objective: Develop and deliver in itial and refresher traffic patrol course.


1. Develop existing initial traffic patrol course. This should also include techniques relevant to highwaypatrolling, use of enforcement equipment, appreciation of accident investigation, first aid and vehicleinspection.

2. Produce traffic police enforcement manual for local conditions.

3. Develop traffic refresher course along similar lines to initial course.

4. Train local instructional staff in effective traffic patrolling techniques.

5. Deliver initial traffic patrol course.

6. Deliver refresher traffic patrol course.

7. Prepare final report.

Qualifications and experience : Traffic police officer with experience in teaching, traffic patrollingand working overseas.

Counterpart from Government: AIG (Training)


Delivery of revised investigation course.

Production of traffic patrol manual.

Final report.

Timing of input: Eight weeks split if necessary to cater for update training on new laws anddelivery of main patrol course.


Adequate accommodation should be available for delivery of courses to students from around the country.This course forms the core of traffic patrolling skills and should include a substantial practical element.


{PAGE }

Accident investigation advisor

Location: Traffic Training School


Objective: Develop forensic accident investigation course for traffic police.


1. Develop accident investigation and reconstruction course including theoretical considerations, scenepreservation and plan drawing.

2. Produce accident investigation manual suitable for use in local conditions.

3. Train local instructional staff in accident investigation techniques.

4. Deliver initial accident investigation course.

5. Prepare final report to include advanced training requirements.

Qualifications and experience : Traffic police officer with experience in teaching, accidentinvestigation and working overseas.



Delivery of accident investigation course.

Production of accident investigation manual.

Final report.

Timing of input: Six weeks.


Suitable personnel up to a maximum of fifteen persons per course should be identified with a reasonable

understanding of maths and physics prior to delivery of the course. Adequate accommodation should be

available for delivery of this course to students from around the country. This must include both messing

arrangements as well as classroom space. This course should also include a substantial practical component

and a large paved area must be identified within reasonable reach of the main venue for practice

manoeuvres.


{PAGE }

Police driving instructor

Location: Traffic Driving School


Objective: Develop car and motorcycle driving courses for traffic police.


1. Develop police driving course for four wheeled vehicles, including off road techniques.

2. Develop police motorcycle course.

3. Train local instructional staff in driving and motorcycling.

4. Deliver initial driving course.

5. Deliver initial motorcycle course.

6. Review progress to date and prepare final report.

Qualifications and experience : Police driving / motorcycle instructors with experience of workingoverseas.



Delivery of initial driving course.

Delivery of initial motorcycle course.

Final report.

Timing of input: Two instructors for eight weeks each, split into two inputs of four weeks todeliver car and motorcycle training separately.


Availability of suitable vehicles for both car and motorcycle training. Adequate accommodation should beavailable for delivery of this course to students from around the country.


{PAGE }

Annex G - Draft Logical Framework for Legislation and EnforcementNarrative Verifiable Indicators Means of

VerificationAssumptions

Goal:

Provision of safe roads forall road users

Rise in accident rate halted by2002

Police accidentdata / Hospitalcasualty data

Police databecomes a reliableindicator ofaccident rates

Purpose:

To establish sustainablepolice patrols activelyenforcing safety legislation

90% of vehicles complying withsafety legislation by 2002

Police monitoringstatistics

Police monitoringis adopted

Outputs:

1. Appropriate legislationenacted

2. Publicity programmeconducted

3. Safety legislationenforced by police

4. Effective monitoring ofenforcement activityset up

1.1 New Road Traffic andTransport Act enacted by1999

1.2 Subsidiary legislation enactedby 2003

1.3 Specific Bangla version ofHighway Code published by2001

2.1 90% of drivers aware ofspeed and alcohol limits by2002

2.2 90% of drivers aware of roaduser rules by 2002

3.1 Police patrols operating on allmajor highways by 2003

3.2 New National Traffic TrainingSchool near Dhakacompleted by 2003

3.3 Suite of law based andpractically based coursesavailable at TTS by 2003

4.1 Police activity monitoring setup by 1999

4.2 Monitoring processcomputerised by 2000

4.3 Monitoring accepted ascomponent of policemanagement information by2002

Publication of Act

Publication ofregulations

Publication ofHighway Code

Sample surveys ofdrivers conductedat end of campaign

Sample surveys ofdrivers conductedat end of campaign

Police annualreport

Progress reports /annual report

TTS Prospectus

Police annualreport

Police annualreport

Police annualreport

Production ofAnnual Reportadopted by police

TTS publishesprospectus

Production ofAnnual Reportadopted by police


{PAGE }

Narrative OVI MOV AssumptionsActivities:

1.1.1 Convene legislative committee1.1.2 Review existing draft Act and

specialist reports1.1.3 Complete draft Act1.1.4 Agree draft of Act1.1.5 GOB enacts new Act

1.2.1 Convene committee1.2.2 Draw up timetable for drafting of

subsidiary legislation1.2.3 Draft new subsidiary regulations1.2.4 Agree drafts1.2.5 GOB enacts new regulations

1.3.1 Convene committee1.3.2 Draft Highway Code1.3.3 Agree contents1.3.4 Highway Code published

2.1 Appoint publicity agency / specialist2.2 Design programme2.3 Perform programme2.4 Conduct surveys2.5 Publicise results

3.1.1 Select pilot roads3.1.2 Agree pilot proposals3.1.3 Procure pilot vehicles and

equipment3.1.4 Install equipment in vehicles3.1.5 Select pilot personnel3.1.6 Train plot personnel3.1.7 Start operations on pilot3.1.8 Assume accident investigation

responsibility on pilot roads3.1.9 Evaluate pilot project3.1.10 Plan national implementation plan3.1.11 Recruit additional personnel3.1.12 Train additional personnel3.1.13 Procure equipment3.1.14 Implement national plan

3.2.1 Draft specifications for TTS andequipment

3.2.2 Acquire suitable site for new TTS3.2.3 Finalise design specifications3.2.4 Begin building works3.2.5 Agree equipment specification3.2.6 Complete building works3.2.7 Procure equipment3.2.8 Transfer training personnel3.2.9 Begin classroom operations at site3.2.10 Transfer existing driving school to

new TTS site3.2.11 Begin driving operations at site

GOB enacts Act

GOB enacts regulations

MOC publishes Code

Funding sourceidentified

Funding sourceidentified

Accident investigationcourse available at TTS

Additional personnelsanctioned by GOB

Funds available forimplementation

Funding source located


{PAGE }

Narrative OVI MOV AssumptionsActivities:

3.3.1 Existing traffic patrol coursereviewed

3.3.2 Recommendations adopted intosyllabus

3.3.3 Develop refresher traffic course toupdate on law and procedures

3.3.4 Produce traffic manual for trafficpersonnel

3.3.5 Develop driving course for all trafficpersonnel at Jamalpur

3.3.6 Develop motorcycle course forselected personnel at Jamalpur

3.3.7 Develop forensic accidentinvestigation course

3.3.8 Produce accident investigationmanual

3.3.9 Develop senior officersmanagement seminars

3.3.10 Develop vehicle examinationcourse

3.3.11 Review courses offered againstrequirements of service

3.3.12 Adopt recommendations of reviewbody

3.3.13 Design and publish TTSprospectus

3.3.14 Classroom based coursestransferred to new TTS

3.3.15 Driving based courses transferredto new TTS

4.1.1 Agree monitoring requirements4.1.2 Design collection procedures4.1.3 Implement pilot data collection in

pilot highway patrol areas4.1.4 Amend Police Code if necessary

for national implementation4.1.5 Begin national data collection

4.2.1 Appoint computer consultants4.2.2 Design input and output formats4.2.3 Design database4.2.4 Write program4.2.5 Test and debug program4.2.6 Implement program4.2.7 Produce management reports

4.3.1 Design annual report for nationalpolice

4.3.2 Set objectives for policing4.3.3 Determine data sources for

measuring achievement ofobjectives

4.3.4 First Annual Report published4.3.5 Review objectives against results

Equipment and facilitieslocated forimplementationNew laws implementedrequiring updates

Jamalpur receivessufficient funding andequipment

Suitable site forpresentation located

Suitable site andworkshop facilitiesidentified

New TTS is built andproperly equipped

Police Codes areamended by GOB

Funding source located


{PAGE }

ANNEX H – Contents of road safety leaflets

Information for the Rickshaw Puller

⇒ Keep the rickshaw in a line.⇒ Always pull the rickshaw through the left side of the road.⇒ Get yourself be known to the Road Safety Rules before you are in the road with rickshaw. Without

signal and suddenly do not turn your rickshaw.⇒ Do not park your rickshaw as you wish but park in the specified area.⇒ Do not keep your rickshaw in the turnabout.⇒ Do not try to overtake other rickshaw.⇒ When you are in the road please keep the licence and other documents with you.⇒ Do not pull rickshaw at night without light.⇒ Under aged and old man are not allowed to pull rickshaw.⇒ Check the break before you start with rickshaw.

Information for the General Public

∗ If you want to cross the road, first look at right then left again right side. It is safe to cross the roadthrough zebra crossing.

∗ Walk through footpath. It these is none, walk through the right side of the road.∗ Cross the road through the nearby zebra crossing.∗ While crossing the road take help from the Traffic Police if these is any.∗ It is a request to the Pedestrian, please get the knowledge about the Road Safety rules.∗ It is a request to the general public to give the knowledge to their children about the Road Safety

rules.

Information for Motor Vehicle Drivers

⇒ Do not drive your car roughly. Try to remember that life is more valuable than time.⇒ Do not drive your vehicle with overloaded goods and overcrowded passengers.⇒ Park your vehicle in the specified area.⇒ Do not drive the faulty vehicle.⇒ Keep all the necessary valid documents with you.⇒ Do not drive the vehicle which emits black smoke.⇒ Do not use hydraulic horn in the vehicle.⇒ Follow traffic rules and help the traffic police to apply those.⇒ Follow traffic signals.⇒ Use blank paint on the upper portion of the head light at night.⇒ Reduce the speed of the vehicle in road junction, Turnover and Zebra Crossing.⇒ Do not use black paper and black glass in the vehicle.⇒ Do not use metallic number plate.⇒ You would be in accident any time too. Think about your family.






Vehicle Safety and Roadworthinessin Bangladesh

March 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY

1 INTRODUCTION



3.1 Vehicles

3.2 BRTA vehicle inspection

3.3 Vehicles involved in accidents

3.4 BRTA computerisation

3.5 Motor Vehicle Standards and Inspection Manual [MVSIM]

4 RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Vehicle construction and use standards

4.2 Vehicle fitness inspection

4.3 Accident damaged vehicle inspections

4.4 Roadside Inspections and Enforcement

4.5 BRTA Computerisation

5 CONCLUSIONS



5.3 Accident damaged vehicles

5.4 Roadside inspections

5.5 BRTA Database

5.6 Training requirements

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ANNEXES

A Responsibilities of the BRTAB Simplified test proceduresC Low cost test facilitiesD Summary of proposals

RRMP2 : Institutional Development ComponentVehicle Safety and Roadworthiness in Bangladesh

3\2\3\tim\report\vec-rept1

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS - VEHICLE SAFETY AND INSPECTION

The findings can be grouped into four areas

1. Vehicle construction and use standards

These have assessed the Australian report on vehicle standards and made

recommendations to bus design to improve the rollover performance of buses and to

improve the environment of the driver so that he may better see and control the bus.

2. Vehicle Roadworthiness Inspection

These inspections concentrate on the most hazardous vehicles, i.e. those that have the

highest potential for causing death and destruction to people and property. These are

trucks, buses and three wheel public transport vehicles. It is proposed that the inspection

of private vehicles be suspended and that the introduction of an improved nationwide

database be given high priority in view of the Year 2000 problem.

3. Accident damaged vehicle inspections

The recommendation is that accident damaged vehicle inspections should cease

immediately.

4. Roadside inspections

It is proposed that roadside inspections be targeted not just at buses and trucks but at the

most disreputable and unsafe examples of them. The roadside inspection of vehicles must

be a joint effort between the BRTA and the police.

Tim Pearce

Transport Research Laboratory

18 March, 1998



VEHICLE SAFETY AND ROADWORTHINESS IN BANGLADESH

1 INTRODUCTION

The Institutional Development Component [IDC] of the Second Road Rehabilitation and

Management Project is funded by the UK Department for International Development. It

includes the road safety inputs to the IDC as a series of short term, and one 18 month [road

safety engineering], inputs by specialists from the Transport Research Laboratory and others

that arose as a consequence of a report1 into road safety in Bangladesh written in 1995. The

current IDC project finishes at the end of July 1998. The inputs comprise:



• Driver test and training

• Children’s road safety education and resources

• Road Safety publicity

• Accident data analysis [MAAP]



A Strategic Action Plan, formulated and presented by the National Road Safety Council

[NRSC], was launched in 1997 and points the way forward for road safety initiatives in

Bangladesh under its active direction.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA] are currently co-ordinating the work of

the NRSC through the Secretariat and this entire input was made possible by the active and

enthusiastic assistance of the BRTA. This report is based on the findings of the Vehicle

Inspection and Safety specialist whose terms of reference follow.

The work was able to draw on the work of the Overseas Project Corporation of Victoria,

Australia carried out in the period between 1991 and 1994 during which they produced a Motor

Vehicle Standards and Inspection Manual2. The consultant has been asked to review this for

possible implementation [Section 0, page I].

Four areas of vehicle safety have been examined:

• Vehicle construction and use standards

1 Aeron-Thomas A and G Elliott. Road Safety In Bangladesh, Final Report by TRL. IDC Project, 1996



• Vehicle fitness inspection

• Accident damaged vehicle inspection

• Road side inspections

Although not initially part of the terms of reference, the consultant felt it essential to consider

the BRTA’s existing computer database and its future development as urgent decisions are

required with the approach of the Year 2000. It also represents an opportunity to improve the

recording of vehicle registration details so enhancing the ability of the BRTA to identify

vehicles that fall outside the current vehicle inspection system.

The report concludes with a number of recommendations designed to improve the

administration and safety of vehicles on the road in Bangladesh, particularly those of high risk

vehicles.


The following terms of reference were specified for this input:

Vehicle Inspector

Location : BRTA and DMP Traffic Police

Reporting to : BRTA Chairman and DMP Deputy Commissioner (Traffic)

Objective : To strengthen the road safety role of the on-road vehicle

inspection programmes of both BRTA and Traffic Police.

Description of Role and Tasks:

1. Review road safety content of current BRTA vehicle inspection programme including

inspection facilities.

2. Review current road-side vehicle inspection programmes conducted by BRTA and Traffic

Police.

3. Recommend improvements in the two programmes and address co-ordination

requirements.

4. Develop systematic road-side vehicle inspection programme targeting safety equipment

violations for both BRTA and Traffic Police.

5. Identify targets for vehicle inspections and safe and practical locations for road-side

vehicle inspections.

6. Provide seminar on safety aspects of vehicle inspections.

2 Motor Vehicle Standards and Inspection Manual. Overseas Project Corporation of Victoria Ltd, Australia, 1994 for

the BRTA



7. Produce final report identifying desired vehicle inspection road safety role, and identify the

required manpower, training, financial resources, relevant performance targets and

appropriate monitoring indicators. Functional responsibilities should be clarified along with

the “next road safety step”.

8. Provide lists of key references and contact names and addresses of relevant organisations,

and training courses.

Counterpart from Government : BRTA Assistant Director, Vehicle Inspection

Milestone Achievements : 1. Seminar

2. Final report

Timing of Input : 4 weeks in one visit

Date of Input : February 1998


A wide variety of motorised vehicles are in use in Bangladesh ranging from Indian

manufactured autorickshaws to large trucks and buses sourced from India, Europe and Japan.

All motorised vehicles are liable to annual inspection with the exception of two wheel motor

cycles and private cars under 5 years old.

The construction and use of vehicles are based on the Motor Vehicles Rules of 1940, Chapter

V. An additional set of rules was added in 1959 relating to the construction of autorickshaws

[baby-taxis]. Although revised by the Motor Vehicles Rules of 1984, the requirements relating

to Construction and Use have not changed significantly except for the metrication of

measurements.

The accident rate in Bangladesh as a whole is very high with between 50-75 fatalities per

10,000 vehicles [depending on the source]. The Dhaka Integrated Transport Study3 estimated

that there were approximately 200,000 vehicles plying in Dhaka in 1993, that is about 60% of

total vehicles registered in Bangladesh. A simplistic measure of accident contribution by class

of vehicle can then be made based on total vehicles registered4 and the data provided in the

1996 Dhaka Accident Report5.

Table 1 shows this contribution by class of vehicle

3 Working paper 28, Vehicle Population, PPK Consultants, March 1993 4 Vehicles registered in Bangladesh, 1996. Unpublished data from BRTA. 5 DMP. Traffic Accident Analysis Annual Report 1996, Figure 8



Table 1 Comparison of number of accidents with types of vehicles

registered, 1996: All motorised vehicles

Type of vehicle Numberregistered

% of totalregistered

Accidents inDhaka

% of allaccidents

Accidents/1000 veh

Car 72478 16.7% 207 15.1% 2.9Jeep/Microbus/Pickup 41102 9.4% 105 7.7% 2.6Taxi 2015 0.5% 0 0.0% 0.0Bus 13287 3.1% 151 11.0% 11.4Minibus 11052 2.5% 221 16.1% 20.0Truck 35475 8.2% 326 23.8% 9.2Autorickshaw/Tempo

62548 14.4% 307 22.4% 4.9

Motorcycle 188669 43.3% 54 3.9% 0.3Others 8685 2.0% 3 0.0% 0.3Total 435311 100.0% 1374 100.0% 3.2

Summary: Bus, minibus, truck and three-wheelers comprise 28.1% of vehicles and have

73.3% of accidents

According to the statistics produced by BRTA motorcycles comprise over 40% of registered

vehicles. This does not appear to be born out by the observed traffic mix and therefore, if

motorcycles are excluded from the calculation, Table 2 can be constructed. This exclusion is

further justified by the fact that once motorcycles are initially registered they are not required

to renew any certificate for 10 years nor to report change of ownership. Consequently they

drop out of the vehicle registration system and the number quoted above must be regarded as

extremely unreliable. A similar problem may well be true of other vehicles, especially

commercial vehicles, and the numbers of vehicles in the Bangladesh fleet is not likely to be

accurate.

Table 2 Comparison of number of accidents with type of vehicles registered, 1996:

excluding motorcycles

Type of vehicle Numberregistered

% of totalregistered

Accidents inDhaka

% of allaccidents

Accidents/1000 veh

Car 72478 29.4% 207 15.72% 2.9Jeep/Microbus/Pickup

41102 16.7% 105 7.97% 2.6



Taxi 2015 0.8% 0.00% 0.0Bus 13287 5.4% 151 11.47% 11.4Minibus 11052 4.5% 221 16.78% 20.0Truck 35475 14.4% 326 24.75% 9.2Autorickshaw/Tempo

62548 25.4% 307 23.31% 4.9

Others 8685 3.5% 3 0.00% 0.0Total 246642 100.0% 1317 100.00% 5.34

Summary: Bus, minibus, truck and three-wheelers comprise 49.6% of vehicles and have

76.3% of accidents

The above two tables represent an indication of the contribution to accidents of commercial

vehicles and consequently it is intended that they shall be the main focus of the

recommendations in this report. Not only are buses, trucks and three-wheelers involved in

three quarters of all accidents but they represent a more manageable number of vehicles for

the BRTA vehicle inspectors to survey. In particular the accident rates for buses is extremely

high at 11.4 accidents per 1000 buses and 20 accidents per 1000 minibuses [i.e. those mainly

used for urban journeys].

3.1 Vehicles

The problems relating to vehicle construction are mainly related to the local construction of

bodies with one or two exceptions and it may well be true that these problems arise as a result

of modifications in service. Where older trucks and buses are concerned it is apparent that so-

called non-essential gauges and controls are discarded once they cease operating. The only

control regarded as essential appears to be the horn. The following deficiencies were seen by

the consultant:

1. Truck cabs have frequently been modified or fitted with locally produced doors and

surrounds. Little attention has been paid to visibility requirements of the driver whose zone

of visibility is often limited to a narrow arc either side of the straight ahead view. Side

windows may be constructed from wood. The doors are then constructed much smaller

than standard in order that they may be made from a rectangular sheet of steel with no

complicated pressing requirement, pillars also from either wood or steel but are

consequently very broad.

2. Passengers are permitted to sit right up close to the front window and to encroach on the

driver’s space. In addition the driver has no nearside mirror and his visibility is therefore

non-existent to that side. He has to rely on his helper to ensure that he does not hit

vehicles after overtaking them.



3. Bus bodies do not appear to be designed with any appreciable rollover protection and are

often fitted with ordinary plate glass. It is noted that panes of glass are often badly

cracked and loose in their surrounds or partially missing.

4. Passenger seat design and spacing is poor. The seats, where fitted with arms, have many

sharp edges and the seat backs suffer from lack of padding and too many sharp corners.

Spacing between seats is inadequate.

5. Driver seats are mostly non-adjustable either for reach or height.

6. Rear lights on trucks are often fitted well under the body away from damage,

unfortunately this means that they are often difficult to see.

7. Most three wheelers have their front brakes disconnected6 due to maintenance problems

and rely on rear wheel brakes. It should be noted that this is contrary to legislation and is

not found in countries like India or Pakistan which operate similar vehicles.

A survey of buses, trucks and three wheelers was carried out on the Dhaka-Aricha highway

by the consultant with the assistance of staff from the Mirpur BRTA station. The results are

summarised below in Table 3

Table 3 Observed failure rates of selected vehicle components

Component Truck Bus 3 wheelerFront lights 0.0% 45.0% 10.0%

Certificate of fitness 25.0% 85.0% 35.0%

Mirrors 12.5% 100.0% N/A

Rear lights 12.5% 80.0% 55.0%

Brake lights 50.0% 80.0% 55.0%

Indicators 25.0% 90.0% 85.0%

Wipers N/A 75.0% 50.0%

Tyres 50.0% 40.0% 40.0%

Wheel fixings 62.5% 50.0% N/A

3.2 BRTA vehicle inspection

All motorised vehicles are required to undergo an annual inspection by the BRTA with two

exceptions. Private cars under five years old and motorcycles are not required to be inspected.

Inspections are performed by Vehicle Inspectors of the BRTA with the help of assistants.

Each BRTA station has the responsibility for vehicle registrations and inspections within its

district [it also has a responsibility for driving tests but this is covered elsewhere].

The workload is very high in Dhaka in terms of vehicles inspected but is much lower outside as

is shown in Table 4 and

6 Survey of three wheelers by the author at BRTA Mirpur and on the Dhaka-Aricha road and unpublished report by

Arif Ahmed, BRRL



Table 5 below. The inspectors would expect to work about 230 man.days per annum each.

Table 4 Workload for BRTA vehicle inspectors, Dhaka

Year Fitnessper year

inspectionsper man.day

Accidentper year

inspectionsper man.day

1996 75772 82.4 1194 1.31997 92406 100.4 1291 1.4

At Comilla the work is organised differently as vehicle inspectors are multi-tasked and perform

fitness inspections and registrations. No accident inspections were recorded as being

performed. Two inspectors are stationed at Comilla.

Table 5 Workload for BRTA vehicle inspectors, Comilla

Tasks Per year Per man.day Total tests performed 2802 6Vehicles registered [1996] 450 1

3.2.1 Content and application

The vehicle inspection is common for all vehicles and is a basic visual inspection with no aids

used. The procedure is as follows:

• Ensure correct fee has been paid through a post office.

• Inspection fee @ Tk150 plus

• Basic fee @ Tk 150 for light vehicles, Tk 300 for heavy vehicles

• Penalty fee if vehicle is presented late @ Tk 75 per month

• Check engine and chassis numbers against registration documents

• Visual check in engine bay

• Tyre size

• Headlights, main and dip

• Sidelights, front and rear

• Brakelights

• Indicators, front and rear

• Horn

• Tyre condition

• Wheel nuts - finger test only



• Smoke from exhaust on fast idle for both petrol and diesel engines

• Brake test

• Driver drives vehicle about 3m and then applies service [foot] brake.

• Handbrake - park vehicle on test grade [facing up] for light vehicles only and then not if

grade in use.

There are a number of deficiencies with this basic test but, with minor alterations and strict

observance of criteria, it could be made more effective without any changes to the system. It

should be noted that the consultant expects that a stricter inspection was carried out while he

was observing inspections.

On a second visit to the test station the consultant observed the test procedure from a distance.

A much more cursory examination was then witnessed. No inspection of brakes, horn or

wheels was carried out.

When the inspector had finished inspecting a batch of vehicles he returned to the office for the

results to be processed. There appeared to be no sense of urgency however and no clear

procedure was in place to deal with the results. In addition the general public had free access

to the offices and crowded around the inspectors while forms were being input to the computer

and then watched as the newly printed certificates were countersigned by a vehicle inspector.

The Assistant Director was continually consulted by members of the public who wished him to

intercede on their behalf. He was also expected to enter some of the data on to the computer

and very little time appeared to be available to him to actually manage the station.

The vehicle inspectors do not feel equipped to carry out a more stringent inspection as,

although qualified to diploma level in engineering they have not received specific training in

vehicle inspection.

On the positive side all cash transactions are made through the post office and applications are

therefore prepaid so that no cash transfer is involved at BRTA. There are aspects of the

process that act as quality control however. The counter signature on the printed certificate

before release to the owner enables a final check to be made of all the documentation.

Payment to the post office removes any need for the staff to hold money and the consequent

problems that can arise.

A roadworthiness inspection based on visual checks, with the option of using an inspection pit,

will be proposed.

3.2.2 Vehicles outside the system



In Table 3 above it was noted that large percentages of vehicles had no fitness certificates

with 85% of buses checked being without a certificate. These vehicles can only be described

as the worst buses that this consultant has ever inspected.

Very few buses had a full complement of lights and many had only headlights with no rear

lights, brake lights or indicators at all. The condition of the bodies was extremely dangerous

with jagged and protruding bodywork following numerous minor collisions and broken [non-

safety] glass in many windows. Few buses had windscreen wipers fitted and external mirrors

were inevitably mainly within the cab [to prevent them being broken in collisions], no buses had

passenger side mirrors. About half the buses had tyre or wheel fixing faults. Inside the buses

were no better and it is rare to see a bus with the required gauges and controls operating.

The trucks and three wheelers inspected were slightly better but with some exceptions. Many

baby taxis and tempos had one or more bald tyres, no front brake [it is disconnected to reduce

maintenance requirements]. Tyres on trucks tended to be poor and they were frequently

observed with large chunks of tread missing and the carcass exposed. One even had a patch

bolted to the outside of the tyre covering a 100 mm split in the wall right through to the tube.

Other problems with trucks related to their rear lights. These were often relocated away from

danger with the end result that they were obscured by bodywork or were placed too close to

the centre line.

3.3 Vehicles involved in accidents

The consultant accompanied an inspector to inspect a truck that had been involved in a

collision with a baby taxi on the Dhaka - Aricha highway about 10 km outside Dhaka [there

was no need to inspect the baby taxi as it had been annihilated by the impact with the truck

and in fact the remains were in the rear of the truck]. The truck had hit a stolen baby taxi as it

crossed in front of it at about 11.30 p.m. The two occupants of the baby taxi were seriously

injured but, unsurprisingly, there was no damage to the truck or injury to its driver.

The inspector carried out an inspection similar to the normal fitness inspection although it was

noted that there were several major omissions:

• The inspector did not check operation of the truck’s lights

• The validity of the trucks fitness certificate was not checked

• Even though the truck was quite obviously in a dangerous condition no proceedings were

considered against the truck driver.

The inspector was unclear about the sequence of events at the accident and was not able to

analyse the most likely scenario for the accident although he was permitted to give his opinion

to the police and presumably that opinion could have been used as evidence.



3.4 BRTA computerisation

3.4.1 Computer system

All vehicle registration and inspection activities in Dhaka are recorded on a network of

personal computers [PCs] established in late 1994 [it is believed that they became fully

operational in Jan 1995]. The network comprises 7 PCs linked to a server by a Local Area

Network [LAN]. The PCs are 386 machines with small hard disks whereas the server is a

486 with a 2 Gb HDD [2 gigabyte hard disk drive] . The PCs are distributed as follows:

• One machine with Mirpur Asst. Dir. as the supervisor

• One machine for the fitness certificate work

• Four machines for vehicle registration work

• One machine is the server.

One of the machines is currently unserviceable and has been sent for repair. The network and

software is supported under a five year maintenance contract by a local company, IBCS

Primax, and is funded by the Government of Bangladesh. This contract expires in August

1998 but the BRTA Chief Engineer has said the he would like it extended for another year, to

August 1999.

All data is backed up routinely on tape and the server is connected to an uninterruptible power

supply [UPS] to safeguard data [15/20 minutes supply]. However, there are routinely 4/5

power cuts and major fluctuations each day which may last up to one hour. Printing is carried

out by a number of dot matrix printers, one of which is unserviceable.

The LAN network software is Novell Netware v3.12 dated 8/12/93 and the database software

is Dataperfect 2.1. All the software is DOS based. The database cannot generate custom

reports and is not directly used for monthly reporting to BRTA HQ. This is done by paper only

and no analysis of the data is carried out. It was not possible to produce a table showing

vehicles currently registered in Dhaka from the database although it was not clear whether this

was due to ignorance by the staff of the correct procedure or a limitation of the existing

software.

Regional stations, such as the one visited at Comilla, are equipped with a standalone PC also

loaded with the DataPerfect software. They maintain their own database but report to BRTA

headquarters monthly only by paper - there is thus no national database and the existing

database has a very limited use. Although the PC at Comilla was equipped with a modem it

was not used as it was believed that the telephone lines to Dhaka were [a] unreliable and [b]

insecure although just as possible is that no mechanism had been set up to allow transfer of

data.



3.4.2 Year 2000 problem

There is a worldwide problem with older computer systems associated with the Year 2000 and

otherwise known as the ‘Millennium Bug’. Older computer stored dates as 2 digits with the

base year being 1900 or 1970. Year dates up to 1999 can therefore be handled with no

problems. However, 2000 will be read as 1900 or 1970 and, if this represents a period [for

example to renewal], may cause the computer system to crash as it will attempt to calculate a

negative period. This is not a problem with new computer systems or software which should

be certified as Year 2000 compliant.

The existing system is not Year 2000 compliant. There are two separate problems relating to

this, the first of which occurs late this year. Certificates dated after 17 December 1998 will

have 1 January 2000 [and onwards] as their renewal date. However this can be fixed by

converting the ‘year’ field to a ‘text’ field with a software patch.

The second problem affects the integrity of the entire computer system as the computer BIOS

[internal operating system] and the DataPerfect software will become unstable after

December 1999. It is essential that the current computer system MUST NOT be used

after December 1999 as this could affect any of the files on the system and result in the

destruction of data.

It is understood that there is funding for the new system in Dhaka Urban Transport Project.

However it was thought that this is not due to come on stream until mid 1999 which would be

too late for purchasing a new computer system. The new system will use ORACLE database

software running on a Windows platform.

It cannot be emphasised strongly enough that the new computer project should start

within 6 months, i.e. by September 1998, so that it may be completed, debugged and

fully commissioned so that it may be operating routinely well before December 1999.

3.4.3 Summary

It has to be said that the current database is of limited use and that no analysis of data is

carried out to provide the management with advice or information. The existing software is

inflexible and staff do not use all of its capabilities such as the ‘refusal of certificate’ record.

However it does provide the basis of a good system and has served to familiarise staff with

information technology in the course of their work - an extremely important function.

The proposed new system should enable all vehicles to be entered on the database and, if

necessary, extra data processing staff should be hired to complete this work in the shortest

possible time once the new system is installed.



Consideration of reporting and analysis requirements are an vital part of specification of any

new system and should be carried out at a senior level of BRTA headquarters management.

3.5 Motor Vehicle Standards and Inspection Manual [MVSIM]

This extremely comprehensive manual was prepared in 1994 by the Overseas Project

Corporation of Victoria Ltd. It is divided into four sections:

1. Motor vehicle construction and equipment standards

2. Motor vehicle compliance audit guide

3. Motor vehicle fitness standards

4. Motor vehicle fitness inspection guide

There is much that is good in the manual and should be adopted immediately. There are some

minor comments on the manual which are detailed below. Numbering and headings relate to

manual headings.

Part 1: Motor vehicle construction and equipment standards

7: Speed governor requirement is likely to be unworkable because the standards of

maintenance and observance of regulations are poor - they are easy to remove and the type

proposed presents severe operational problems when full power is required.

11.3:Colours required for public transport vehicles it is not clear [a] why these should be

prescribed or [b] whether they have a road safety implication.

22: Spare wheels; there is no safety justification for the requirement to carry a spare wheel.

32: Reversing lamps [back gear lights] should be white only to avoid confusion with indicators.

43: Excessive requirements for windscreen wipers. The only requirement should be that they

clear the windscreen in the driver’s field of view.

47: Mirrors. Maximum 150 mm distance from body may be inadequate on HGVs and buses

53: Seat belts - Doubt whether these are realistic except on fully built imported buses. Also

not useful or likely to be used for urban buses. Impracticable for buses to have seat belts by

2000.

60: Evaporative emission control systems are unlikely to be introduced in the near future - not

required in Europe yet.



61.5:Cars are being imported with exhaust catalysts which are poisoned by locally available

fuel. Consideration must be given to the introduction of unleaded fuel as a means of reducing

the pollution burden.

62.f:Brakes not to be required on agricultural trailer if only towed by tractor with a maximum

speed not more than 20 mph [32 km/h]

67: Check performance of brakes. There is an error in the calculations, the true average

decelerations are 4.3 m/s2 and 2.9 m/s2. These are reasonable targets for braking

performance but there is no indication as to whether these are for laden or unladen vehicles.

68: See 67 - the same error has been made and decelerations of 1.75 m/s2 and 1.17 m/s2

should be accepted.

75.t: Structure of Public service vehicles must be steel framed and of sufficient strength to

resist rollover.

76.b:Driver’s seat - must not be constructed or adapted to permit any other person or luggage

to be carried. It should be divided from remainder of the bus to prohibit the crowding of the

driver.

76. Autorickshaws should not have an off side access.

Part 2 Motor vehicle compliance audit guide

This follows on from the previous section and there are therefore no comments here, it is

basically a checklist to ensure all items/systems are present.

Parts 3 & 4 Motor vehicle fitness standards and inspection guide

It is judged that these standards are set at too high a level and are too comprehensive for

application in Bangladesh now or in the near future. Bangladesh has to progress from being a

country with effectively no enforced standards of vehicle condition to those proposed in the

manual. It is likely to take a considerable amount of time before that is possible and this

consultant proposes a simplified basic test that is described in Annex B. This test will also be

applicable to high risk vehicles only.

Specific comments on the standards are as follows, using the Manual notation.

17.2:It is suggested that a minimum tread depth is unrealistic and that it should be replaced by

the words ‘a visible tread pattern across the entire width of the tyre and around the whole

circumference’.

36: Exhaust gases. This should be rewritten to refer specifically to a test for black smoke only

on diesel vehicles.



38: Fuel system. [3] Filler cap need only be secure and seal properly.

[4] Define a limit of carbon monoxide [say 4.5%]

42: Brake lining and pad wear limits are unenforceable.

44: Stopping performance - vehicle load is not indicated.

47: The amount of free play should be specified, this is easy to measure.

4 RECOMMENDATIONS


4.1.1 General comments

The regulations applicable to road transport are being reviewed in detail by the legislation and

enforcement specialist and this report will not be merely a duplicate of his. However, the

following comments represent particular problems that the consultant has found with vehicles

in use. Some of them stem from the original construction whereas other follow rebuilding or

maintenance practices that are unsatisfactory.

4.1.2 Speed limiters

Speed limiters in their present shape and form are unreliable and therefore of little worth in

controlling traffic. Their operation is never checked and, with many vehicles lacking the most

rudimentary of instruments, there is little chance of them being so. In addition they are

fundamentally flawed in the design and method of operation. It is proposed that the

requirement for speed limiters be scrapped.

4.1.3 Overloading

Both buses and trucks are frequently overloaded. It is proposed that the overloading of

buses be fought by a well publicised and prolonged enforcement campaign. Prohibition

of carrying passengers on the roof for all buses and standing passengers in long distance

coaches will be an important consideration. The method of enforcing them may well be

fraught with difficulties as the antagonism from operators and drivers may well be matched

with that from passengers especially if it means that they may have to pay more to travel in

less crowded buses.

Overloading of trucks is again an enforcement problem and must be tackled by the

implementation of a comprehensive weighbridge system. It is understood that a new project is

looking at axle loads in Bangladesh and will be involved in the procurement and installation of a

national system of weighbridges.



4.1.4 Buses

There are a number of areas where bus construction in Bangladesh needs improving. Some of

these areas may only apply to new bus construction whereas others may be suitable for

retrofitting to existing buses

4.1.4.1 Rollover protection

Many roads in Bangladesh, especially the major highways, are built on embankments raised

approximately 4 m above the water level and perhaps 5m above ground level. An accident

that results in a bus leaving the road will therefore frequently end in a rollover.

Buses with wooden framed bodies are inherently dangerous as during a rollover the wood

frames will splinter rather than deforming causing further injuries. It is proposed that these

are banned from inter-town travel and only permitted for use in urban areas where the

possibilities of rollovers are much reduced.

Existing steel framed buses do not appear to be sufficiently strongly reinforced to prevent the

roof collapsing during a rollover. It is proposed that rollover strength is increased by

inserting steel stanchions inside buses, mounted in pairs either side of the aisle .

They should be mounted above the chassis rails [or linked with a cross bar under the floor] and

fitted to the roof via spreader plates. Three or four pairs of stanchions could be fitted along

the length of the bus depending on its size. This reinforcement could be retrofitted to existing

buses at little cost.

Manufacturers of new buses should be required to demonstrate that the design used

will be sufficient to support a bus subject to a typical rollover accident while fully

laden. If they are supported by the bus chassis manufacturer there should be no great

problem with this requirement as they will be familiar with similar requirements of other

markets. Locally built, empirically designed, bus bodies may provide more of a challenge and

in the absence of detailed designs they should either be banned or, more realistically, be fitted

with greater rollover protection in the form of the stanchions mentioned in the previous

paragraph.

4.1.4.2 Driver environment

The driver should be located in the vehicle so that he is able to carry out his duties

safely and without undue interference from passengers. To this end he should be

separated from the passenger compartment, either by a physical barrier or by the design of the

bus not permitting passengers to sit or stand close to him. No passenger should be permitted

or be able to sit in front of a line across the bus in line with the back of the drivers seat. Any

space released could be set aside for luggage up to the base of any windows, that is below the

driver’s sightline.



The driver should have an adjustable seat and both sides of the vehicle should be

equipped with mirrors enabling the driver to have a clear view of the road behind and of the

passenger doors.

4.1.4.3 Glazing

All glazing should be constructed from safety glass and clearly marked as such. No

other glazing material should be permitted.

Laminated glass is the only type of safety glass permitted for the front windscreen.

4.1.5 Trucks

4.1.5.1 Driver environment

The driver should have an adjustable seat and both sides of the vehicle should be

equipped with mirrors enabling the driver to have a clear view of the road behind on both

sides

4.1.5.2 Load bed

The load container of the truck must be so constructed that when correctly loaded, no part of

the load may fall on the road behind.

4.1.6 Other vehicles

4.1.6.1 Three wheeled vehicles

Passenger access to three wheelers [baby taxis and mishuks] should be restricted to

the nearside [left side] as a safety measure .

The driver’s seat should be so constructed that no more than one person may sit there.

4.1.6.2 Tractors and power tillers

It is considered that there is no major safety problem associated with these vehicles

that requires modifications to their design or construction. It is recognised that these

vehicles, when towing trailers, will also carry a number of passengers. Providing their design

maximum speed is less than 30 km/h there is not thought to be a particular problem as long as

they are fitted with the required lights visible to front and rear.

Although tractors are frequently only fitted with rear wheel brakes, their design is such that,

the addition of a trailer actually improves their braking performance by increasing the load on

the rear [braked] wheels.



It should be noted that neither the UK regulations7 nor the European Community Directives8

have any requirement for agricultural tractors and machinery [which includes tractors specially

designed for agricultural use] to be subject to an annual, or otherwise, inspection. This

because they are designed for low speed use.


4.2.1 The new test centres

The consultant was specifically requested not to consider the operation of these new centres

and has not been provided with any details concerning their equipment, operation, maintenance

or management.

Nevertheless there remains the problem of variation in test regime between the new centres

and the existing ones. In effect there will be vehicles inspected to two different standards

without any legislative backup to reinforce the new standards.

The worry is that in fact the new standard will rapidly decline to the standard of centres

without the new equipment and full benefit will be lost.

It is essential that full quality control and management procedures are in place when

the new centres start operation.

4.2.2 Existing and continuing test centres

It is proposed that the revised test should be aimed at those vehicles that are most

involved in accidents, viz. public transport vehicles. The following vehicles should be

tested:

1. All buses and minibuses constructed or adapted to carry more than 10 passengers.

2. All trucks with a gross vehicle weight over 3500 kg.

3. All motorised three wheeler vehicles that ply for hire.

All these vehicles should be tested annually from the date of first registration. The reason for

this restricted list is three-fold. These vehicles are those used for public transport of people

and goods. The users therefore have no say over the condition of the vehicles and they

deserve to be treated with respect and provided with a relatively safe vehicle for their money.

The second reason relates to the choice of trucks and buses. These are the largest vehicles on

the roads of Bangladesh and their capability for death and destruction is the greatest of all

vehicles, not just because of their size but also because of their annual distance travelled.

Finally, in the opinion of the author, these vehicles are the worst maintained of all the vehicles

7 Statutory Instrument 1694. UK Motor Vehicles [Test] Regulations 1981. 8 Community Directive 96/96/EC on the approximation of laws relating to roadworthiness of motor vehicles and their

trailers.



on the roads of Bangladesh and many appear to operate outside the system openly flouting the

laws of the country.

It is proposed that the testing of light, private vehicles be suspended. BRTA does not

have the resources or the capacity to test all the vehicles in Bangladesh. To spread their

resources to attempt this will result in no vehicles being testing thoroughly. Should BRTA

decide that they wish to extent the testing to other vehicles the best way to finance this maybe

to privatise it. The feasibility of privatisation is beyond the terms of reference of this work and

it is not proposed for the present. It is far more important that the BRTA get its own house in

order and prove that they can test the public transport vehicles before it attempts to spread its

wings and extend the test.

4.2.2.1 Test schedule

The test should be restricted to a nucleus of safety related items which should be strictly

applied. The list of items to be inspected will be given in Annex B. For each individual

inspection item a failure mode will be identified. It is suggested that for three wheelers a time

of ten minutes is allocated for the complete test, including administration. For trucks 15

minutes and for buses a total of 20 minutes be allocated.

4.2.2.2 Staffing

As the number of vehicles required to attend for testing should not increase it is not proposed

that there should be any increase in the number of staff. However, as the total number of

vehicles is not known to any reasonable degree of accuracy the final number of staff must

depend on the workload. In any event each vehicle inspector should be accompanied by an

assistant and both should be licensed to drive all vehicles liable for inspection.

4.2.2.3 Equipment

The test schedule proposed has been expressly designed to require the minimum of equipment.

That equipment the is required is low cost and can be designed and manufactured within

Bangladesh. The equipment details and inspection methods are given in Annex C.

4.2.2.4 Training

It is not intended to change the existing test significantly but more to introduce specific failure

modes. However, with time, if these proposals prove successful it is intended that the test will

increase in scope and duration with an increased number of vehicles included. Training at this

stage should be limited to about two week’s training in total for all the 18 Assistant Directors -

i.e. about 6 men per 3 day instruction period providing the staff are adequately briefed on the

requirements of the revised test.

It is proposed that a professional trainer be engaged from an organisation similar to the UK

Vehicle Inspectorate. The trainer would spend one week in Bangladesh developing a course



to suit local conditions and then two weeks training. Training should take in Dhaka for the

Assistant Directors and they should then act as Trainers to train their staff.

A rough estimate of the cost of such training would be approximately £17,000 with training

costs at about £800 per day.

By the time the BRTA is ready to improve the tests the existing staff will be competent at their

present job and the Assistant Directors should be sufficiently confident to train their staff in the

new requirements. Note that the above training requirements take no account of the new test

station requirements.

4.2.2.5 Monitoring

Detailed records should be kept of vehicles tested by each inspector and test station, this data

should include, but not necessarily be limited to:

• The number of vehicles tested each week by each examiner and broken down by type of

vehicle.

• The pass rate for each type of vehicle and examiner.

• Failure items for each type of vehicle and examiner.

• Comparisons of pass rates between each test station.

The introduction of the new database system [section 0] should greatly facilitate this

monitoring. Staff whose performance varies significantly, say by more than 10% from their

colleagues, should be investigated more thoroughly and corrective action taken. Targets for

inspectors should be set.

4.2.2.6 Administration

Administration of the vehicle inspection and registration in Dhaka is struggling under the

burden of inadequate offices and a lack of planning for the efficient use of staff time. It is to

be hoped that time will be taken to plan the layout of the new offices to ensure the following:

• That the Assistant Director should not be exposed to the general public or be expected to

input data into the database as a matter of course.

• That all computer terminals be separated from the general public’s access.

• A proper queuing system be introduced for all vehicles.

• The job requirements of the staff being examined to ensure that they do not waste time

walking around with bunches of forms in their hands.

4.3 Accident damaged vehicle inspections



The recommendation is that these inspections should cease immediately as they fill

no useful purpose. The formation of an accident investigation team, who are fully trained,

should be considered.

4.4 Roadside Inspections and Enforcement

Discussions with BRTA staff and officers from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police illustrated the

problems associated with stopping vehicles, especially buses, for road side checks. Three

wheel vehicles can be stopped relatively easily, especially outside the rushhours, i.e. between

1030-1600 each day. Trucks also do not provide too much of a problem providing they can be

stopped without impeding traffic.

Buses are another problem altogether and as they appear in the worst condition of all vehicles

so too they cause the worst problems. Stop a bus during the rush hour and the officers will

become an instant target of passenger anger whereas stopping/inspecting in a terminus will

result in aggressive action from the operators’ associations. It was thought possible to stop

buses during the slack period in the middle of the day and this must be the recommended

procedure at the moment.

It is proposed that roadside inspections be targeted not just at buses and trucks but

at the most disreputable and unsafe examples of them. The inspections should be

accompanied by a large scale publicity campaign emphasising the safety aspects so that it may

be possible to get the general public on the side of the enforcers.

The roadside inspection of vehicles must be a joint effort between the BRTA and the

police. Sufficient police should be involved in order that they may dominate the scene. The

inspection of the vehicle should be carried out by a BRTA vehicle inspector as it is important

that they are seen to be actively involved in the programme. The location should be chosen so

that vehicles may checked without risk to the inspection team, the vehicle itself, its passengers

or any other road users.

It should be remembered that the function of the police will be to enforce the law and

prosecute when the laws are broken. It is the function of the BRTA to decided whether the

law has been broken using their technical expertise as they are the authority that sets out the

procedures and standards and has the responsibility in law for inspecting vehicles.

The items to be checked should include the following items:

1. All vehicle documentation: fitness certificate, route permit and tax certificate.

2. Driver’s licence.

3. All external lights.

4. Condition of tyres and wheels especially fixings.



5. Condition of body - especially where pedestrians might be at risk.

6. Rear view mirrors.

7. Condition of windscreen and other windows

If equipment is available

8. A smoke test can be carried out.

Vehicles that are found to be below standard should have the owner’s details taken for

prosecution and route permits suspended until the vehicle has passed its certificate of fitness.

If the vehicle is particularly bad it should be impounded. Drivers who have fake licences

should be arrested and charged with the relevant offence, the vehicle should be impounded and

released only when a driver with a valid licence arrives to remove it.

In order that severe public inconvenience is avoided it is suggested that the exercise is a

relatively short one each day. Perhaps a target of 10 impounded vehicles or three hours at a

time would be adequate. In any event a trial period must occur while the procedure is

established. It is also suggested that each roadside check should focus on one type of vehicle,

i.e. buses one day, trucks another, three wheelers a third day.

It should be noted that the roadside inspection must complement the annual inspection and not

replace it. Roadside inspections are very labour intensive and have low productivity. Vehicles

are not inspected under standard conditions and it is not proposed that these would operate or

even be able to operate every day or even at night. It can safely be stated that only a very

small proportion of vehicles plying, for example, in Dhaka would be caught at a roadside

check. No matter how high the penalties, the risk to the owners would be small and the

drivers would very soon learn the locations of the checks and avoid them.

The inspection of trucks could eventually be coordinated with the new axle load control system

when that is implemented.

4.5 BRTA Computerisation

4.5.1 New database

Full advantage should be taken of the change to a new system to introduce a link into

BRTA HQ in order that much better information may be provided for management

purposes. All BRTA test stations should be required to send data to headquarters each

month and in return should receive an update for their local database. These updates should

either be carried out by modem or by physical exchange of disk or tape.

Information should be stored on vehicle registration and inspection details, driving licence

details and accident details [for vehicles]. The database should be extended to all vehicles and



the re-registration of all vehicles with more secure number plates should be urgently

considered.

4.5.2 The Future

The BRTA has started well with its current database and computer system. It is vital to build

on this foundation and not allow it to lapse due to the enforced break caused by the Year 2000

problem. Indeed the Year 2000 problem should be used as a spur for replacing and improving

the current system. With forethought and careful planning the new system could be the envy

of many countries. It is important that the benefits of the new system are carefully evaluated

and that any new system is made as future proof as possible.

It is essential the work on replacing the database system throughout Bangladesh is

not subject to delay and that it is fully operational by mid-1999.

A well designed and comprehensive database can yield significant benefits in he management

of transport in Bangladesh. It is therefore vital that all data is as complete as is possible and

again the solution returns to enforcement.

5 CONCLUSIONS

It was intended that the approach to this work would be pragmatic. Attention was focused on

the vehicles causing the most serious problems, both in terms of vehicle inspection and of risk

to human life and property. These vehicles can be summarised as commercial vehicles and

include baby-taxis [autorickshaws and mishuks], tempos, trucks and buses. From Table 3 it

can be seen that the condition of many commercial vehicles is extremely poor. Their

contribution to accident rates is also very high as is shown by data from Dhaka Metropolitan

Police9 and summarised from Table 2 below in Table 6:

Table 6 Contribution of commercial vehicles to accidents, 1996

Class of vehicle Number of accidents Per cent of totalTempo 80 6%Baby taxi 227 17%Trucks 326 24%Buses [including microbuses] 433 32%Total commercial vehicles involved inaccidents

1066 79%

All motorised vehicles involved inaccidents

1374 100%


The standards proposed in Section 0, 3.5 Motor Vehicle Standards and Inspection Manual

[MVSIM], are regarded as comprehensive and, in general, applicable to the import of vehicles

9 DMP. Traffic Accident Analysis Annual Report 1996, Figure 8



and the construction of vehicle bodies. Vehicles that are imported complete do not require any

inspection as they will have been built to standards at least to these detailed in MVSIM.

Locally finished vehicles do however require detailed inspection and it is recommended that

detailed specifications are drawn up for such areas as bus rollover protection, seat dimensions

and driver visibility. These vehicles include buses and coaches, trucks and autorickshaws. It

may be necessary to carry out some practical research with reinforcing materials to determine

what is necessary to provide adequate reinforcement for a bus.


There can be no doubt that, at present, the condition of the vehicle fleet is not being affected in

any way by the BRTA inspection process. The current inspection is held in very low regard

for a number of reasons.

• It is extremely superficial with little attention paid to unsafe components.

• There is little chance of being stopped by the police if no licence is obtained.

• Many buses and other commercial vehicles are never tested.

The priority of the revised vehicle fitness inspection is that:

• It targets vehicles that are most likely to be involved in accidents and

• It concentrates on a nucleus of safety related items that may be examined without the use

of equipment or specialised training.

One of the problems with revising the test procedure is that, with the new test stations there is

likely to be a three tier system of inspection. The new test centres will be fully equipped and

may try to impose tighter standards on vehicles than the stations with no equipment in locations

away from Dhaka. The loosest standards are likely to be imposed by those stations which are

remote from Dhaka and not supervised by an Assistant Director.

Basic training for the Assistant Directors should take place in Bangladesh taught by a

professional trainer from the UK Vehicle Inspectorate.

In addition to the revised test procedure given in Annex B, consideration should be given to

modifying the administrative procedures, especially where the new test centres are concerned.

Senior staff, particularly the Assistant Directors should not have direct contact with members

of the public, nor should they be expected to be used as data processors. Processing of any

documentation should take place with the public kept well away from that area - possibly on

the other side of a counter.

5.3 Accident damaged vehicles



The accident damaged vehicle inspection appears to serve no use whatsoever and, until

training is given to inspectors and an accident investigation unit formed, should be discontinued.

No information can usefully be gained from such a cursory inspection.

The introduction of a specially trained team of accident inspectors with the authority and

knowledge to undertake a full accident investigation is regarded as essential.

5.4 Roadside inspections

The purpose of roadside inspections is to check conformity with legislation for vehicle safety

standards. It is essential that they are carried out in close cooperation with the police, whether

in Dhaka or elsewhere, with BRTA inspectors providing the technical support.

The inspections should be accompanied by widespread publicity campaigns to ensure public

sympathy as far as possible.

5.5 BRTA Database

The new database system must be introduced within one year so that it is fully operation well

before the end of 1999. Full use should be made of management information capabilities to

analyse and manage the work of the BRTA.

5.6 Training requirements

A training program covering vehicle inspection and roadside checks should be drawn up. It is

proposed that training will be carried out in Bangladesh to a syllabus drawn up by a

professional trainer from the UK Vehicle Inspectorate.

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author gratefully acknowledges the enthusiastic co-operation of the Chief Engineer and

staff from the BRTA, in particular his counterpart, Assistant Director Lookman Molla. Others

who contributed to the findings of this report include Mr Mosharaf, Deputy Director of the

Department of Environment, Mr Abdul Alam Buiyan, a World Bank Consultant working on the

Dhaka Urban Transport Project, ADC Jalil of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and other unnamed

BRTA staff and members of the public interviewed in Dhaka and Comilla.

However, any mistakes or omissions are the responsibility of the author alone.



ANNEX A

Responsibilities of the BRTA



Responsibilities of the BRTA

The following text is reproduced verbatim from

1. Responsible for overall management, control and supervision of road transports2. To help government in framing motor vehicles laws, rules, regulations, policies, etc. and the implementation of

the laws3. To deal with safety of road users and taking remedial measures for prevention of road accidents4. Registration of motor vehicles, motor repairing workshops and school of motoring5. To conduct competency tests of driving instructors, drivers and conductors6. Licensing of vehicles, drivers and conductors7. To issue and renew road worthiness certificate to motor vehicles8. Inspection and testing of motor vehicles involved in accidents9. To issue and renew route permits of commercial vehicles10. To advise repair, maintenance, etc., for government vehicles11. Collection and accounting of taxes and fees on account of motor vehicles12. To maintain statistics relating to motor vehicles, motor drivers, road accidents, etc.13. Research and planning for the development of road transport system, implementation of development schemes,

etc.14. To constitute and control of regional transport committees in the districts and metropolitan areas15. Co-ordinate between agencies, organisations providing transport services16. To attend problems relating to road transport owners and workers and suggest appropriate measures thereof.



ANNEX B

Simplified test procedures



Simplified test proceduresThree wheel vehicles - test items• Lights

• Headlight• Side lights - front and rear• Indicators - front and rear• Brake lights

• Tyres• Visible tread pattern all around circumference and across the tyre.• No cuts longer than 20mm or bulges in tyre

• Brakes to be tested with only the driver in the vehicle.• To stop the vehicle without undue deviation from the straight line• To stop the vehicle within 9m from 30 km/h

Heavy goods vehicles - test items• Lights

• Headlights• Side lights - front and rear• Indicators - front and rear• Brake lights

• Body and glass• Damage to body that is likely to cause injury to other road users or passengers

• Steering• Free play of more than 3” [75mm] at the steering wheel circumference

• Tyres• Visible tread pattern all around circumference and across the tyre• No cuts longer than 25mm nor through to the carcass nor bulges in tyre

• Brakes to be tested with only the driver in the vehicle.• Parking brake to hold vehicle on 10% slope when facing upwards• Service brake to stop vehicle within 15m from 30 km/h without undue deviation from the straight line

• Wheels• To be securely fixed to hub with no nuts missing or loose.

• Smoke• Visible black smoke when accelerating the engine in neutral that significantly obscures a white board

Buses and coaches - test items• Lights

• Headlights• Side lights - front and rear• Indicators - front and rear• Brake lights

• Body and glass• Damage to body that is likely to cause injury to other road users or passengers

• Steering• Free play of more than 3” [75mm] at the steering wheel circumference

• Tyres• Visible tread pattern all around circumference and across the tyre.• No cuts longer than 25mm nor through to the carcass nor bulges in tyre

• Wheels• To be securely fixed to hub with no nuts missing or loose.

• Brakes to be tested with only the driver in the vehicle.• Parking brake to hold vehicle on 10% slope when facing upwards• Service brake to stop vehicle with 15m from 30 km/h without undue deviation from the straight line



• Smoke• Visible black smoke when accelerating the engine in neutral that significantly obscures a white board



ANNEX C

Low cost test facilities



Low cost test facilities

BrakesThere are a number of methods for testing brakes on vehicles varying in cost from almost nothing to about £50,000. Inline with the remainder of the test it is proposed that the test method should use the minimum of equipment.

It is proposed that vehicles should be tested by driving at 30 km/h along a level, clean surfaced road. The road shouldbe marked with a line to mark the start of the brake test, a second line at 9m and a third line at 15m. At the first line theinspector should apply the service brakes [footbrake on buses and trucks, hand and footbrake together on threewheelers]. Three wheelers should come to a standstill before the 9m line and buses and trucks stop by the 15m line. Vehicles will be tested unladen with only the driver on board. The driver will be the Vehicle Inspector.

Test slopes for handbrakes tests to have a slope of 10% gradient. Note: only light vehicles are required to have servicebrake efficiency of 40% and handbrake of 16%, these are not to be currently tested.

Wheel fixingsUse of a light hammer to tap the wheel nut will easily detect if one is loose.

Black smokeBlack smoke should be checked by looking at a white board through the plume of smoke emitted when a vehicle isaccelerated from idle to governed speed. Three accelerations should be carried out. The first two to clear the exhaustsystem and the third used to assess the smoke level. If doubt is present a fourth acceleration should be carried out.

Steering free playGrasp the steering wheel at the top and rock from side to side. If the free play is more than the width of the inspector’shand this is a failure.



ANNEX D

Summary of proposals



Summary of proposals

1. It is proposed that the requirement for speed limiters be scrapped.2. It is proposed that the overloading of buses be fought by a well publicised and prolonged enforcement

campaign.3. It is proposed that wooden framed buses are banned from inter-town travel and only permitted for use in urban

areas.4. It is proposed that rollover strength is increased by inserting steel stanchions inside buses, mounted in pairs

either side of the aisle.5. Manufacturers of new buses should be required to demonstrate that the design used will be sufficient to

support a bus subject to a typical rollover accident while fully laden.6. The driver should be located in the vehicle [trucks and buses] so that he is able to carry out his duties safely

and without undue interference from passengers.7. The driver of a truck or a bus should have an adjustable seat, he should have an adequate view to the rear on

both sides by mirrors.8. All glazing should be constructed from safety glass and clearly marked as such.9. Laminated glass is the only type of safety glass permitted for the front windscreen.10. Passenger access to three wheelers [baby taxis and mishuks] should be restricted to the nearside [left side] as a

safety measure.11. It is considered that there are no major safety problems associated with tractors or power tillers and trailers that

require modifications to their design or construction.12. It is essential that full quality control and management procedures are in place when the new centres start

operation.13. A revised test has been proposed with criteria for failure and designed to use low cost equipment and facilities.14. It is proposed that a revised test should be aimed at those vehicles that are most involved in accidents, viz.

public transport vehicles.15. It is proposed that the testing of light, private vehicles be suspended.16. The recommendation is that accident damaged vehicle inspections should cease immediately.17. It is proposed that roadside inspections be targeted not just at buses and trucks but at the most disreputable

and unsafe examples of them.18. The roadside inspection of vehicles must be a joint effort between the BRTA and the police.19. Full advantage should be taken of the change to a new system to introduce a link into BRTA HQ in order that

much better information may be provided for management purposes.20. It is essential the work on replacing the database system throughout Bangladesh is not subject to delay and

that it is fully operational by mid-1999.

ROAD SAFETY REPORTS Safety Reports.pdf · blackspot analysis) has been used. This will provide a benchmark on which to compare with future years and with which to compare with other

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