Promoting a community-based approach

Bangladesh has one of the highest road accident fatality rate -- higher than 73 deaths per ten thousand registered motor vehicles whereas in developed countries it is below 5 (NRSSAP'02-'04). But data constraints and widespread under reporting of accidents prevent understanding the real magnitudes of the road accident problems. Actual situation is even worse. National loss due to road accident is estimated to be about 15 billion taka (US$ 300 million) every year. 53 percent of road accident victims are pedestrians, the percentage often rise up to 70.

Numbers of BRAC staff and programme participants become casualties of road accidents every year. And as the government called upon BRAC to contribute in its endeavour to reduce road accidents in Bangladesh, BRAC has taken up a Community Road Safety Programme in 2001. Education of school students through textbook lessons, capacity development of local NGO and staff, development theatre, awareness campaign at accident prone communities and action research on road safety are major activities of the programme.

This article presents the experiences and lessons learnt from a community based action research titled 'Promoting Road Safety Through Community Education Programmes' carried out jointly by BRAC and Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), UK at Betila, a rural area in Bangladesh. The main objective of this study was to produce community based programmes to help documenting a "Good practice guidelines" for conducting similar activities within the country and other developing countries with a view to improve road safety and thereby quality of life. It emphasised participation of community in the identification, prioritisation, planning, designing and implementation of road safety campaign.

The local road safety situation was understood and possible countermeasures were identified through observation of local pedestrian behaviour, in-depth individual interview and household screening survey of road users and a series focus group discussion with different segments of community and stakeholders. To cope with local situation and community demand, a certain amount of flexibility has been followed throughout the project cycle. Further the methods and tools and interventions were used in a conjunctive way. The impact of road safety campaign was evaluated through observation and questionnaire survey.

Community profile
Considering the vulnerability of the rural road users especially the pedestrians, the project preferred to conduct this research in a rural area of Bangladesh. A set of selection criteria like a low-income rural community living beside a highway, where road accident, occur repeatedly and accident data indicate a treatable problem etc. were prepared to identify the feasible community. The ward Betila of Betila-Mitora Union Parishad of Sadar Upazila under Manikganj District was selected finally. Betila has 652 households with population of 3063 people -- half of them literate. The old Dhaka-Aricha road, 12 feet wide and featured by too many road bends, broken surfaces, bridges with high gradients, roadside canal and without any pedestrian facilities has gone through Betila.

Campaign materials
A Flip Chart focusing mainly on pedestrians with road safety messages and trainer's instructions has been prepared in Bengali as IEC material. Besides two posters with safe walking and crossing rules have been developed in consultation with professionals, stakeholders and community.

Community interventions
Road safety theatre: A total of three theatres focused on pedestrians including children and local road encroachers have been produced and staged at courtyards and local school grounds from mid-September to December 2003. The theatres depicted true stories of accidents in which pedestrians were killed. Performers communicated and demonstrated safe pedestrian practices in between acts of the play. 300 to 500 strong audiences attended each theatre staged at night.

The majority of the audience were women and children. People especially children showed lot of enthusiasm.

Courtyard meeting: For the convenience of local people especially women, courtyard and door-to-door counselling on safe use of road was conducted. No structured time and place were followed for this intervention. It was conducted very informally yet turned out to be very effective. This intervention was very useful and interactive for those who found it inconvenient to come out at public places to sit together and participate in road safety lessons.

School counselling: All students of local schools were brought under this campaign. Road safety counselling with demonstration and practices through using road safety Flip Chart were conducted to disseminate messages on safe use of road. The school-based campaign was found very effective for rapid awareness. During monitoring of pedestrians' behaviour, almost all students have been found to walk by the right side of road.

Road safety practices: To assist children and old people for using road safely, drivers to park vehicles at proper places, motivate people for not drying /keeping goods on road etc, Community Traffic Wardens (CTWs) both female and male were engaged from the local unemployed poor. The CTWs visible on road in green aprons with BRAC logo were given a daylong training on their duties and responsibilities. This initiative accepted by the community with great appreciation produced very good results in ensuring good pedestrian practices and proper use of road and roadside.

Community group for sustainability: The project has mobilised a group of interested and motivated people from local community through repeated meetings and information sharing. A workshop was organised at project area office on 21 December 2003 with participation of local elites, heads of local institutions, local government representatives, NGOs, stakeholders and local volunteers. The participants compromising local community group agreed to cooperate and take initiatives for continuing the improved road safety even during the post-intervention period.

Road Safety Day: Road Safety Day was jointly organised by the local community group and BRAC on 27 January 2004. All activities of the project were visualized in a stall at Palora school ground. A discussion session was conducted where local accident victims and their family members narrated their plights after accident. The members present agreed on the dire consequences of road accidents and reiterated their will to make the community more aware of rules and practices on safer use of road.

Lessons learnt
Betila is a successful road safety education campaign, which has focused mainly on pedestrians. The key learnings of this project are:

* Road safety campaign becomes effective if community is involved in identification of the problems and designing of countermeasures.
* Adopting locally preferred and appropriate programmes renders rapid mobilisation of community for road safety campaign.
* Road engineering facilities are important to reduce pedestrian fatalities caused by road accident
* Provision of pedestrian facilities through road engineering measures is generally viewed as not feasible by road authorities
* The local accident-incidents revealed human behaviour as the major factor behind accidents (92%) so road safety awareness campaign needs to be conducted for improving road users' knowledge, attitude and subsequent behaviour.
* Interventions should not be structured and predetermined; keeping it flexible to suit local conditions helps make awareness campaign effective.
* Emphasis should be given on local knowledge, skills and capacity of local people.
* Community's commitment to improve road safety is important for a successful campaign.

Ahmed Najmul Hussain is Director in Charge of BRAC Road Safety Programmes and Md. Rezaul Karim is Researcher of BRAC Road Safety Project.

The study
"Now I walk on the right side of road and feel safer than before. I have learnt this from BRAC's theatre staged at our courtyard and from poster on walking rules. I have told my friends and relatives to follow these walking rules. You please follow walking rules and tell others to do it", said Josna on Road Safety Day (27 January 2004) at Betila, Manikganj. Today about 66 percent residents of Betila walk on right side of road facing oncoming traffic knowing that it is safe. During community appraisal, only 5 percent did so. Besides, over 90 percent of Betila community now have correct knowledge on safe walking and crossing.

Tragic death of Billal
Billal aged 6 nick named Dulal was an affectionate local child. Their house was adjacent to the road. Billal's maternal uncle together with aunt came to see Billal at their house with some banana and called him to come and take those. At that moment Billal was playing with his friends on the opposite side of road. He began to cross the road to meet his uncle. A tempo coming from Baleertek bus station at high speed hit Billal and threw him about three metres away. Billal got serious injury on his head and different parts of his body and breathed his last on the way to Manikganj Hospital.

Key messages

*Walk on the right side of road or on footpath
*Don't cross in front of or behind a parked vehicle
*Don't play on or near road
*Don't gossip or gather on road or roadside
*Don't use road to keep goods and animals
*When walking at night wear or carry something visible by drivers
*When walking with a child hold its hand