Dhaka:Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam announced the government's commitment to enacting a comprehensive road safety law by 2027. He highlighted several initiatives, such as updating helmet standards, enforcing speed limits, and improving post-crash medical services, during a roundtable discussion held on National Road Safety Day 2026.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the event, organized by BRAC's Road Safety Programme and Road Safety Coalition Bangladesh, focused on the theme "Safe Roads, Prosperous Country, Bangladesh First." The discussion addressed the country's road safety challenges, including the need for greater awareness and coordination among stakeholders to achieve significant progress.
Rabiul emphasized the importance of continuous efforts beyond a dedicated day, urging collaboration between the government, non-governmental organizations, development partners, and transport industry stakeholders to reduce road fatalities by half by 2030. He also stated that the government, alongside the World Bank and other organizations, was working to implement the Safe System Approach to curb road crash deaths and injuries.
Projects are underway to enhance infrastructure safety through the construction of underpasses and the development of left-side lanes on highways. The government is also focused on improving safe road crossings for students and refining road crash data management. Greater coordination among agencies is necessary to implement these measures effectively.
Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labour and Employment, highlighted the need for extensive changes in Bangladesh's road management system. He pointed out that unsafe road conditions are a persistent issue, with different parties blaming one another. The Prime Minister prioritizes changes in the transport sector, including efforts to dismantle the existing mafia system.
Ahmed Nazmul Hossain, director of BRAC's Road Safety Programme, gave the introductory remarks, followed by a presentation from M Khalid Mahmud, the programme manager, who discussed the government's road safety commitments and policy priorities. Participants in the open discussion exchanged views on enacting and enforcing road safety laws to reduce accidents and injuries.