Decade of Action coalition launched in Bangladesh

A coalition of road safety organisations has come together in Bangladesh to promote support for the proposed Decade of Action for Road Safety.

The meeting, organised by the Society of Road Safety Professionals, met at the Centre of Injury Prevention and Research to discuss how road safety groups in Bangladesh can best support the Make Roads Safe campaign's call for a Decade of Action. Bangladesh suffers from at least 12,000 road deaths a year and tackling them is a low priority.

Besides members of the Society of Road Safety professionals other participants included the AA of Bangladesh, major Bangladeshi NGO BRAC, the oil company Chevron and actor Illias Kanchan, who also runs a road safety NGO. The Make Roads Safe campaign's coordinator in Bangladesh, Shakireh Ispahani, described the meeting as a great success. All the participants agreed that a Decade of Action would be a good vehicle for better connecting road safety efforts in Bangladesh with international injury prevention.