Road safety is a sustainable development challenge for the Asia-Pacific region, especially for Bangladesh. Amid the rising number of accidents, the country has observed National Road Safety Day on Saturday (October 22nd, 2022) under the theme "Follow the law on the road, return safely home".
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the government has set goals to reduce road accidents by 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 as per the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In alignment with the government's vision, the country's leading multinational organization BAT Bangladesh hosted 'Road Safety Workshop 2022' at the capital's Six Seasons Hotel on Sunday, October 30th. The primary objective of the workshop was to create a collaborative platform where we can showcase our best practices, discuss our shared challenges, and unite together as we work towards common goal of eliminating accidents and serious injuries from road networks. A total of 25 participants from multinational corporations and local businesses, including Unilever Bangladesh ltd., Coca-Cola Bangladesh Beverages Ltd., Linde Bangladesh Ltd., Daraz Bangladesh Ltd., A.H. Khan & Co. Ltd., RedX and Paperfly Pvt. Ltd attended the workshop.
Mr. Bora Gulpinar, Regional Head of Sustainability-BAT and Swad Us Sami, Country Sustainability Manager-BAT Bangladesh, delivered opening speeches and shared their expectations.
The forum acknowledged the need for a collaborative approach to look for road safety best practices and bringing in digitalization to take control over road safety. Also, all organizations agreed on feasibility analysis for engaging and empowering the female drivers for achieving greater gender equality. Rumana Sharmin, Sustainability manager- TM&D and Secondary Supply chain, facilitated the workshop and engaged the panel members in a series of discussions emphasizing the urgent need for developing the capability of the relevant personnel associated with road safety. To achieve the goals of reducing road accidents by ensuring technological advancement, drawing world-class internal controls for road safety through collaborative opportunities between MNCs and government sectors, the participant groups considered new outcomes and sustainable solutions for an improved vision of road safety.
In the closing statement, Mr. Charles Kyalo, Head of Operations-BAT Bangladesh, said, "With the increase of economic growth in Bangladesh, the number of vehicles is rapidly increasing. Road accidents happen due to various reasons, including reckless overtaking, inefficiency in driving, lack of adequate rest for drivers, violation of traffic laws by pedestrians and social unawareness. Developed communication infrastructure and up-to-date transport services are perquisites to sustainable socio-economic development. Prioritizing on that, our government has ushered in a new era in constructing and re-constructing new roads and bridges, including construction of Metrorail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, elevated expressways, flyovers, overpasses, bridges and underpasses. Also, the government formed the task force to bring discipline in the road transport sector, training efficient drivers and control accidents."
"It is highly appreciable how different multinational organizations have come forward in creating greater awareness to prevent road accidents and create safer roads in the country", he added.