Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chairman Abu Momtaz Sad Uddin Ahmed has said that no driving licence will be issued without applicants completing 60 hours of training, as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen road safety.

He made the remarks on Sunday at the inauguration of a driving training programme in Sylhet.

“The (Transport) Adviser has instructed the introduction of this training nationwide. To ensure the issuance of international-standard licences, 60 hours of training have been made mandatory,” he said.

Highlighting concerns over rising road accidents, the Chairman said 73 per cent of accidents in the country involve motorcycles. He urged all riders to use BRTA-approved helmets to reduce casualties.

Earlier in the morning, the driving training programme—aimed at enabling participants to obtain the Master Instructor Certificate—was inaugurated at the Alampur BRTC bus depot and training centre in Sylhet.

Additional Divisional Commissioner Debjit Singh presided over the event, while BRTA Director Rubaiyat-E-Ashik attended as special guest. The welcome address was delivered by Dalim Uddin, Deputy Director (Engineer) of the BRTA Sylhet divisional office.

The training has been organised jointly by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and the Road Transport and Highways Division.