Recommendations for safe roads deserve early response.

Although the number of road crashes has somewhat decreased, largely due to pandemic-induced restrictions on public transport, motorcycle accidents alarmingly witnessed a sharp rise in 2020 compared to the previous year. As different media reported on Friday, quoting statistics disclosed by road-safety-campaigner Nirapad Sarak Chai at a press conference in the city on Wednesday, at least 4,969 people were killed and 5,058 were injured in 4,092 different types of accidents last year, where people killed in road, rail and waterway incidents all over the country were included. According to the statistics, 3,800 people were killed and 4,954 were injured in 3,232 road crashes last year, while 129 people were killed and 31 were injured in 108 rail-related accidents and 212 killed and 100 injured or went missing in 70 riverine accidents. Nirapad Sarak Chai, which has been campaigning road safety since 1993 after a highway tragedy, came up with the data after analysing reports published in different national dailies, online news portals, TV channels, and information from its branches across the country. Besides, the organisation added 20 percent to the numbers as many incidents do not get reported or the injured die at hospitals, making the total number of deaths 4,969. Among the victims, 25 percent are drivers, riders and transport workers and 21 percent are pedestrians. Meanwhile, among all the vehicles responsible for accidents, the highest 1,127 were motorcycles while 698 were buses, 931 trucks and 410 cars and jeeps and the rest other types of vehicles. Additionally, the rate of bike accidents was 19 percent in 2019 while it rose by eight percentage points to 27 percent last year. Citing the data of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the organization chief, Ilias Kanchan, said 17.53 lakh motorcycle licences were issued against 30.32 lakh registered bikes, meaning 12.79 bikers are riding without licence right under the nose of law enforcers. In addition, although there is the positive practice of using...