Only a little more than 4 per cent road accident victims and their families have been given compensation after the scheme was introduced two and a half years ago, shows government data.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, between January 2023 and June this year, total 13,447 people were killed and 17,535 more were injured in road accidents.
From January 1, 2023, when the compensation scheme took off, to June this聽 year families of only 1,112 deceased victims and 204 injured people鈥攖ogether 1,316 individuals only, which is 4.24 per cent of the total road crash victims鈥攚ere given compensation till now.
The victims and their families got Tk 58.56 crore as compensation, while the compensation fund had around Tk 270 crore till this July 27.
Among the families of the fatal victims, only 8.26 per cent, and among the injured, merely 1.16 per cent received compensation.
Regarding road crash casualties, however, the government data significantly differs from that produced by different international and local non-governmental organisations as experts maintain that many road crash incidents remain unreported.聽
According to the Road Safety Foundation, an NGO, between January 2023 and June this year, 17,480 people were killed and 31,263 more were injured in road accidents.
The World Health Organisation estimated road traffic fatalities in Bangladesh at 21,316 in 2015, 24,944 in 2018, and 31,578 in 2021.
The Bangladesh Police data, however, showed 2,376 deaths in 2015, 2,635 deaths in 2018, and 5,084 deaths in 2021.
Four years after the enactment of the Road Transport Act 2018, the government, on December 27, 2022, issued a circular finalising the Road Transport Rules 2022, and same day a trustee board was formed to operate a fund to give compensation to the injured and the heirs of the deceased victims.
In January 2023, the submission of applications for compensation started, and from October 19 same year distribution of compensation cheques began.
The compensation packages under the law are鈥攖he family of a road fatality victim will get maximum Tk 5 lakh, a person who lost any vital body part or is severely injured in road crash will get maximum Tk 3 lakh, and a person who is severely injured in road crash with the chance of returning to normal life by treatment will get maximum Tk 1 lakh.
The 2018 law also stipulates that within 30 days of an accident, victim鈥檚 families and survivors will be able to apply to the trustee board for compensation.
The Road Transport Act 2018 was enacted following the death of two students on July 29, 2018, reportedly caused by reckless driving.
To get money for the fund, the rules mentioned five sources with fixed annual token subscriptions鈥擳k 1,500 for bus, truck, covered van and prime mover, Tk 750 for minibus, mini truck and pickup van, Tk 500 for car, jeep and microbus, and Tk 300 for three-wheelers like CNG-run auto-rickshaws. Motorcycles and other vehicles, however, are required to give Tk 1,000 at a time for 10 years.
