Desk Report,
Which road in Mymensingh has the most accidents and why?
In the last three and a half years, 772 people have lost their lives in road and highway accidents in Mymensingh. At least 956 people have been seriously injured and have suffered limb loss in accidents. According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the most accidents have occurred on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Mymensingh-Haluaghat roads. Concerned people have cited reckless speeding, overtaking tendency, free movement of three-wheelers, and bends in the road as the major causes of these accidents.
Which road in Mymensingh has the most accidents and why?
According to BRTA data, 772 people have lost their lives in 803 accidents on the district’s roads and highways from January 2022 to June of this year. Of these, 151 people were killed and 210 were seriously injured in 146 accidents from January to June of this year. An analysis of accident data for the six months of this year shows that the most accidents occurred on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and Mymensingh-Haluaghat regional road. In January this year, 70 accidents occurred on the Trishal and Bhaluka sections of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. 47 accidents occurred on the Phulpur and Tarakanda upazila sections of the Mymensingh-Haluaghat regional road.
Recently, a tour of the Phulpur-Tarakanda area showed that the Roads and Highways Department has put up signboards in accident-prone areas. There are severe bends in various parts of the entire road. Bends can also be seen in the Bagunda area of Kakni union in Tarakanda upazila. Local resident Abdur Rahim claims that this area is a ‘hotspot’ for accidents. However, locals say that accidents are happening due to reckless speeding, driving on the wrong side and overtaking on the four-lane Dhaka-Mymensingh road.
Stating that everyone should be aware to reduce accidents, Mymensingh Superintendent of Police (SP) Kazi Akhtar ul Alam said that the road from Shambhuganj to Haluaghat is very winding and drivers are not following the rules there. Drivers are driving at reckless speeds. Even though there are warnings on the road, they are not heeding them, which is why accidents are happening.
Abdul Qadir Chowdhury, president of the Mymensingh movement for a safe road, told Prothom Alo that even though three-wheelers are banned on national and regional highways, these vehicles are plying at reckless speeds. Due to the lack of vehicles and lack of local services, people use three-wheelers as an alternative. Accidents are happening on the road due to excessive speed, overtaking, turning, and not following the rules. They hope that the administration will increase surveillance on the road to prevent a procession of deaths on the road.
The 25-kilometer road from Shambhuganj to Phulpur in Mymensingh city is 34 feet wide, and the 18-kilometer road from Phulpur to Haluaghat is 18 feet wide. Vehicles from Haluaghat, Phulpur, Tarakanda, Dhobaura, and Sherpur in Mymensingh ply on the road. Since the road is good, vehicle drivers drive at reckless speeds. This is why the number of casualties in accidents is increasing, said KBM Saddam Hossain, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, Mymensingh. He said, even though accident-prone areas have been identified and speed limits have been set, drivers do not respect them. Since the road is good, drivers get into accidents while driving recklessly. Surveillance is being increased on how to reduce accidents.
Fire Service personnel participated in the rescue operation after the road accident. Assistant Director of Fire Service Mymensingh Md. Masud Sardar said that the number of fatalities in road accidents is increasing due to many reasons. Notable among these are reckless driving, low-speed vehicles on the highway, some vehicles parked in idle conditions, and overtaking. Three-wheelers do not follow any rules.
Saying that the police can take quick action against vehicles driving recklessly, BRTA Mymensingh Motor Vehicle Inspector Zahir Uddin said that accidents are happening due to the carelessness and reckless speed of drivers. Three-wheelers should be careful on the road. If everyone is aware, it is possible to prevent accidents, otherwise it is not possible.
