Youth participants on Sunday urged all political parties to include a firm commitment to enacting a comprehensive Road Safety Law in their election manifestos, ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections.

Marking the “World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims”, the call came during a youth march and candlelit vigil organised by the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Shyamoli playground around 5pm on Sunday. The event was held in memory of those killed in road crashes.

Speaking at the programme, young participants said road crashes have taken the form of an “epidemic” as lives continue to be lost on the country’s roads every day. They noted that youth remain the most vulnerable group among road users and that road crashes are one of the leading causes of death for young people.

They stressed the need for integrated safe road management to prevent further loss of lives, and said political parties must pledge to formulate and properly enforce a strong road safety law in their upcoming election platforms.

More than 50 youths, including road crash victims and their families, officials from the Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Health Sector, and people from various professions joined the candlelit vigil.

The participants demanded the adoption of an effective Road Safety Act aimed at reducing road crash-related deaths and injuries in Bangladesh by half by 2030, says a press release.

Earlier, a 4-hour workshop on the Safe System Approach and road safety was held for youth from noon.