Total Disregard of ICC bars in Bangladesh Commercial/Heavy Vechiles (Trucks/Buses/Trailers/Cover Van etc).
Bangladesh is known as one of the most densely Populated Country and Infamous for huge traffic jam and car accidents. Car accidents are very frequent in Bangladesh and everyday there will be news of an accident in the news channels and papers.
In the past 4 years (2015–2018) . At least 25,120 people died in road accidents across the country.This record suggests 17 people were killed in Bangladesh every day. Thats only the deaths recorded but there are many minor accidents that happens almost every hour.
Because the population of the country is so much over populated. The country also have a huge number of privately owned vehicles and also many commecial vehicles.
Even though the Private cars are imported from abroad as a single Unit , but the commercial vehicles (Trucks/Buses/Coaches/Trailers/Semis) are imported not as a single unit but only their chassis and engine are imported from aborad but their Body and frame are made in Bnagladesh to reduce cost.
But the workshops that makes these body frames for these heavy duty vehicles are not professionally trained , not well funded and invested , and have no knowledge of Road safety regulations , idea about how a cars body frame or structure acts during a crash and what laws and regulations they need to follow or maintain , when making the frame of the vehicle.
As a result almost 90% of the heavy vehicles in Bangladesh have no safety barriers or ICC bars installed in them. Now what is an ICC bar ?
Mansfield bar or Mansfield bumper, the guards at the rear of trailers, is also known as ICC bar (named for the Interstate Commerce Commission) intended to prevent a phenomenon known as “underriding” — which is when the car collides with the trailer and goes under it.
The picture shown above is an example of an vey inexpensive part which can be easily installed on heavier vehicles to prevent cars with lower height and low ground clearance from crashing directly on to the vehicles and going under , which may cause serious damage to passengers and may eventually cause deaths.
Why is this ICC bar so important in Bangladesh ?
Because in Bangladesh almost many of the private cars are imported as a whole unit but heavier vehicles having no ICC bar makes them extremely dangerous to heavier vehicles . as road accidents in highways are very frequent and occurs daily .
Why is it Dangerous for Private cars (Sedans, Suvs , Hatchbacks etc)?
A car that is meant for use privately and not for heavy duty or public trasnport basically the Sedan,SUVs and Hatchbacks etc . Are build and structured in such a way that most of the impact from the crash could be absourbed within its crumble zone that is located on the front middle of the cars bumper and the structural rigidity and crash bars are also located within these areas .
but as heavier vehicles without no ICC bar hits direclty on the cars weaker and upper part ,where the windshield is located . but these part of the car having zero crumble zone and weaker structural rigidity fails to perform as the same lvl , the frontal part of the car could perform . as a result the cars upper part is collided and hits the driver and passenger directly , resulting a fatal crash or death.
But these fatal incidents can be easily avoided if the Body makers and workshops in Bangladesh are taught about the importance of ICC bars and Goverment and BRTA should put more stronger emphesis and laws regarding ICC bars and having stronger and expensive Punishments for not having ICC bars on commercials and heaveier vehicles . Also the vehicles that already on the road having no ICC bars should install ICC bars as soon as possible.