Motorcycle accidents on rise as bikers care little about traffic rules

A motorcycle accident took place in the Airport area of ​​the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Wednesday night, leaving its riders – Kajal Akhter (25) and Rafiqul Islam (32) – dead on the spot.

Police are yet to find out how the accident occured. They, however, have said the conditions of the dead suggest that a car crushed them.

At the very night, another motorcyclist named Khademul Islam (38) was killed as a truck ran him over in the capital's Shahbagh area.

The victim had been rescued in a critical condition from the spot and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

According to the police, Khademul was headed for Mirpur. As a truck hit his motorbike from behind and he fell on the road. The truck driver then drove over his head and fled away. The truck and its driver have not yet been identified.

Instances of motorcycle accidents like these two have marked a sharp rise over the past few years in line with the increase in motorcycle traffic.

People concerned say people are increasingly opting for motorcycles because of the perennial traffic jam problem in Dhaka and other major cities in the country. Besides, the demand for motorcycles has also increased following the introduction of ride sharing services, they add.

Moreover, motorcycles are now within the reach of people as they are more affordable than other modes of transport, they continue.

According to data provided by several organisations working on road accidents, some 14,799 road accidents occurred in the country in the past three years, of which at least 4,648 were motorbike accidents that killed at least 4,622 people.

In the last three years, 27% of those who were killed on roads died in motorcycle accidents, the data show.

Saidur Rahman, executive director of the Road Safety Foundation, told The Business Standard that about 40 lakh motorcycles ply roads across the country, and more than half of them are running in Dhaka.

"Everyone in the capital is interested in riding a motorcycle because of the traffic jam problem and poor transport facilities. As a result, accidents are also on the rise."

He identified bikers' unwillingness to obey traffic rules as one of the reasons for these accidents and called for raising awareness among drivers and taking effective measures by the administration to curb the menace.

Badrul Hasan, additional deputy commissioner (traffic Uttara) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), echoed Saidur Rahman and said reckless driving is the main reason behind the rising number of motorcycle accidents.

He, however, said they are doing their best to prevent such accidents.