Bikers in the city pose a threat to themselves and others as they tend to be careless to abide by road safety and traffic rules.

A traffic police personnel on duty at Bijoy Sarani requesting not to be named said, "Since the vehicle is very small, bikers crisscross their way through the traffic gridlock. They stand in packs in front of all the standing vehicles and slowly cross the red signal hindering the flow coming from the other end"

"Often they speed off right at the moment when the traffic signal is about to change. They speed through the busy traffic haphazardly switching lanes very often. This can be really dangerous mostly to the bikers themselves," he added.

According to Road Safety Cell, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups in the streets of Dhaka. In 95 percent of the cases, ignoring to wear helmets is the primary reason for fatalities in motorbike related accidents. Motorcyclists aged between 20 and 30 are the most vulnerable group comprising 32 per cent of the total accidents.

"The most risky part is that majority of the motorcyclists do not use helmets. Often three people ride in one bike very uncomfortably. Sometimes they carry objects at the back. They can easily lose control yet they don't bother. They even speed in this condition," said another traffic police at Farmgate.

"Bikers often carry their entire family at the back. May be one child in the front, wife and another kid in the rear without wearing any helmet. People risk the lives of their entire family mostly to save money," he said.

There are no specific rules regarding this dangerous practice. Jashimuddin, joint commissioner of traffic said, "Currently we can only fine bikers without helmets. The fine for not wearing helmets is only Tk 200 under Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1983, which is definitely not enough. Most bikers do not care for the fine."

During the last seven days, around 2,500 cases were filed against motorcyclists for various traffic rule violations, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police control room.

"Bikers often ride without any papers showing 'applied for registration' sign at the back. This will not be allowed at all. If the biker fails to provide legal papers we will file cases," added Jashimuddin.

According to BRTA, there are around 1,56,334 registered motorbikes in the city. The original number however would be more than 2 lakh. BRTA suspects that thousands of bikers do not have any registration.

BRTA is making it mandatory for the dealers to obtain registration papers for the motorbikes while the purchase takes place.

"There are no learners' school for bikers. They learn to drive from friends or family members. It is obvious they will not learn about traffic rules and safety issues," Jashimuddin said.

"Change in the public attitude is very important to ensure safety and definitely stronger laws for motorcycle related offences is required," he said.

BRTA issues a three-month apprentice licence that does not require any test. Young bikers misuse the apprentice licence and without much experience, they drive recklessly in the city.

"Most bikers are young men. They are often not alert of the inherent risks of high-speed travelling or riding without helmets," said Abu Bakar M Shahjahan, chairman of BRTA.

"We have counselling programmes for drivers. It is brief because we cannot afford more than that. We try to give guidelines for the drivers and try to make them aware of possible danger," he added.

He mentioned that after the apprentice period, there are three types of tests for obtaining a motorcycle licence -- written, oral and practical.

"In most of the cases, bikers forget about the counselling sessions and do not abide by the rules after getting the licence. BRTA cannot do anything after that. It is the responsibility of the bikers themselves," he said.

Shahjahan said that use of helmets while riding motorbikes will be strictly enforced in the future. BRTA is planning to revise the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1983. The revised law will give special emphasis on road safety. Bikers without helmet will be penalised under clause 82 (C) with a fine of Tk 500. The fine will be doubled for repeat offenders.

Road traffic injuries place heavy financial burdens on the victims and their families. Many families are driven deeply into poverty by the loss of a breadwinner and the added burden of disabled members. World Health Organisation (WHO) projects that by the year 2020, road crash injuries will be the third highest threat to public health.