Illegal battery-run rickshaws responsible for 7-8pc accident

Illegal battery-run rickshaws are plying different streets in the capital and other parts of the country under the very nose of the authorities concerned, contributing to road accidents.
Despite the announcements, the government could not to stop the slow-moving vehicles from running on highways.
In the country, non-motorised three-wheelers are banned from highways, where heavy vehicles are allowed to run at a high speed. But the slow-moving vehicles keep running on the highways despite the ban, pushing up the number of deadly accidents.
Battery-run rickshaws and vans are locally assembled and modified and these vehicles were considered hazardous.  These types of vehicles cause accidents as they collide with other vehicles and hit people.
    These vehicles lack proper braking system with only the front wheel having brakes. Therefore, these vehicles frequently overturn while trying to stop due to their unmanageable speed.
According to statistics of Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), such vehicles contribute to around 7-8 percent of all the road accidents.
Unskilled drivers, slow speed, technical flaws and improper brakes in these vehicles make them vulnerable to accidents on the roads dominated by trucks and buses.
 "They get on the highways from connecting roads. They make a turn suddenly and sometimes come from the opposite direction. Some spots on the highways to the north have become waiting places for battery-run rickshaws," said Saidul Islam Himu, a supervisor of Satkhira Express that operates long-haul bus services.
A driver of Hanif Paribahan bus that runs between Panchagarh and Sylhet described the non-motorised vehicles as 'torture' for bus or truck drivers on the highways.  
"They [non-motorised vehicles] follow no rules. They take the wrong lane the moment they see a little traffic jam. At night, they are not visible which poses a risk of accidents."
"These vehicles may turn over on slopes or while making a turn. The rate of deaths among the drivers and passengers of these vehicles when hit by bigger vehicles is quite high. Besides these, the drivers are not trained."
Imran Hossan , an auto-rickshaw driver, said he bought a monthly token from police for Tk 800 for running his vehicle on Satkhira-Jashore highway. "Several hundred drivers of our area are regularly buying this monthly token," he said.
Illegal battery-run rickshaws rickshaw operators pay bribe to local police and operate the vehicles.
These types of vehicles also operate on national and regional highways, allegedly paying toll to some dishonest local political leaders and policemen on a monthly basis.