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The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is moving beyond conventional traffic enforcement to adopt a broader, technology-driven approach to road safety, including GPS-based vehicle monitoring, scrapping of ageing vehicles, healthcare for drivers, stronger noise-pollution controls and improved road infrastructure.
DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Anisur Rahman outlined the initiatives in a recent interview with Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), saying road crashes and traffic disorder cannot be addressed through fines and legal action alone.
“Road safety requires a holistic approach,” he said, stressing that driver behaviour, training, working conditions, vehicle fitness, road design, infrastructure and the conduct of road users all contribute to road safety.
GPS monitoring
The DMP is working to introduce GPS technology to make action against reckless driving, wrong-way driving and signal violations more effective.
Once operational, the system will allow authorities to track vehicle movements and determine where and when a vehicle travelled, including whether it followed its designated route or drove against traffic.
“This will make law enforcement more effective,” Rahman said, adding that solving Dhaka’s long-standing traffic problems would require time and coordinated efforts.
Unsafe and ageing vehicles remain another major concern, he said.
Although the DMP regularly takes action against unfit vehicles, many return to the roads after paying fines.
Rahman noted that under the Road Transport Act, buses more than 20 years old and trucks more than 25 years old are not supposed to operate on the roads.
A vehicle-scrapping policy has already been formulated, with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) tasked with implementing it.
“Effective implementation of the scrapping policy can significantly reduce the number of risky vehicles on the roads,” he said.
Poor road design adds to risks
Rahman said road accidents cannot be blamed solely on drivers, as poorly designed road connections and inadequate infrastructure also increase risks.
He pointed out that, under international standards, highways generally do not allow vehicles to enter directly from feeder roads.
In Bangladesh, however, many roads under the Local Government Engineering Department connect directly to highways without adequate barriers or controlled entry systems.
Such infrastructure shortcomings, he said, create additional risks of crashes.
Healthcare for drivers
In a new initiative, the DMP Traffic Division is taking healthcare services directly to transport workers, particularly drivers.
“A bus driver carries the lives of 40 to 50 people at a time. His physical fitness is therefore an essential part of road safety,” Rahman said.
Many drivers cannot afford to lose income by spending several days visiting doctors. The initiative seeks to overcome that barrier by bringing basic healthcare services closer to them.
Rahman also highlighted the health risks faced by traffic police and others who spend long hours on busy roads.
Continuous exposure to dust, vehicle fumes and excessive noise can cause respiratory problems, chronic back pain, hearing loss and eye-related complications, he said.
He said he recently underwent a hearing test and found a significant degree of hearing loss himself.
Rahman urged people who are regularly exposed to traffic noise to undergo hearing checks and called for an end to unnecessary honking. Children, he said, are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of noise pollution.
The Traffic Division is also conducting research into the health impacts of prolonged exposure to traffic-related pollution and noise.
The health risks extend beyond police and drivers to people such as street vendors who spend long hours beside busy roads.
Many rarely seek medical care despite being exposed to environmental risks that can cause long-term health problems.
“Road safety is not simply about preventing accidents. We must also protect the health of the people who work on and around our roads,” Rahman said.
He stressed that improving road safety in Dhaka would require sustained and coordinated action involving law enforcement, transport authorities, infrastructure agencies, vehicle owners, drivers and ordinary road users.