DMP to rollout GPS tracking, vehicle scrapping, driver healthcare scheme

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is set to introduce a suite of technology-driven road safety measures, including GPS-based vehicle monitoring, the removal of unfit transport, healthcare support for drivers, stricter noise pollution controls, and structural road improvements.
Outlining the plans, DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Anisur Rahman stressed that no single factor accounts for the capital’s safety crisis.
“It is a mix of driver conduct, training gaps, working conditions, vehicle fitness, road design, weak infrastructure and the general behaviour of road users,” he explained.
To curb reckless driving, wrong-way movement, and signal-jumping, the DMP is developing a GPS monitoring system. Once operational, it will allow authorities to track a vehicle’s exact route and timing, verifying whether it adhered to its designated route or drove against traffic flow.
Ageing, unsafe vehicles remain a persistent challenge. Under the Road Transport Act, buses over 20 years old and trucks exceeding 25 years are banned. While the DMP regularly fines unfit transport, many simply return to the streets. A national scrapping policy targeted at these vehicles has been drafted, with implementation resting on the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
“Effective implementation of the scrapping policy can significantly reduce the number of risky vehicles on the roads,” Anisur noted, adding that flawed infrastructure, such as uncontrolled feeder roads merging directly onto highways, also compounds collision risks.
Addressing driver welfare, the Traffic Division has launched an initiative delivering medical services directly to transport workers.
“A bus driver carries the lives of 40 to 50 people at a time. His physical fitness is therefore an essential part of road safety,” Anisur said, highlighting that many drivers cannot afford to forgo daily earnings for hospital visits.
He also warned of the severe health toll that prolonged exposure to exhaust, dust, and constant honking inflicts on officers and transport workers – citing personal hearing loss revealed in a recent test.
“Road safety is not simply about preventing accidents. We must also protect the health of the people who work on and around our roads,” he added, urging public restraint on unnecessary honking, particularly to protect children.
The DMP emphasised that lasting improvements will require sustained, coordinated action from law enforcement, transport agencies, infrastructure bodies, vehicle owners, and the public.