A Natore lawmaker has boasted that he rode his motorcycle for around 13 years without licence and never “had any accident”.

“My motorcycle had registration. I rode my motorcycle without licence regularly from 1986 to 2009 on Bonpara-Lalpur road,” Abul Kalam Azad, lawmaker of Natore-1, told a seminar on road safety at Natore Circuit House yesterday.   

“I think fitness of vehicles is not important; it is important to raise awareness among drivers. Some people have no driving licences, but they drive very nicely and never have any accidents. Some people have accidents though they have driving licences.”

He said it had no meaning to conduct drive against unfit vehicles to reduce road accidents. “We must raise awareness among drivers and people to avoid accidents.”

Shafiqul Islam Shimul, MP of Natore-2, said no unauthorised vehicles should be allowed on highways, but the government should think of those who maintained their families from the income of the vehicles.

Unauthorised vehicles like human hauliers and three-wheelers should be permitted to ply only local or regional roads, he added.

MP of Natore-3 Zunaid Ahmed Palak, also state minister for information and communication technology, said filling station owners would have to be instructed not to sell fuel to unfit vehicles and those who have no driving licences.

Lawmaker Abdul Quddus of Natore-4 told the seminar that he would not ask the district administration to release any unauthorised vehicles or any unlicensed drivers.  

Earlier, three public representatives, including Quddus, had asked the administration to stop the drive against unauthorised vehicles on Natore-Pabna highway.

Mostafizur Rahman, superintendent of Bogra zone highway police, said he spoke to over 100 drivers of different vehicles and they said they had to face problems on roads at night as there were no road markings or signs at places on many highways.

Shaheena Khatun, deputy commissioner of Natore, said they would try to implement the recommendations they got from the seminar and some of the recommendations would be sent to higher authorities for execution.

The district administration will continue the drive against unauthorised vehicles on highways, she added.

The administration organised the seminar where people from different communities, including local public representatives, lawmakers, high officials, journalists and representatives of different vehicle owner associations, took part.