Dhaka:Road accidents have tragically claimed at least 45,252 lives in Bangladesh between 2020 and October 2026, as reported by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF). The alarming statistics reveal a continuing crisis on the country's roads.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the RSF compiled data showing that between 2020 and 2025, there were 38,357 road accidents resulting in 40,605 deaths and 67,364 injuries. In the first ten months of 2026 alone, 5,093 accidents led to the deaths of 4,647 people.
Saidur Rahman, the executive director of RSF, highlighted the devastating impact of these accidents, noting that entire families have been wiped out in some incidents. The RSF's family-based analysis estimated that nearly 300 families were completely destroyed by road accidents over the last six years and ten months. The report also detailed specific accident types, showing significant fatalities among family members involved in motorcycle, auto-rickshaw, and microbus accidents.
The Road Safety Foundation identified several causes for the high number of road accidents, including excessive speed, reckless driving, defective vehicles, and poor road infrastructure. It also pointed out the inadequate institutional capacity of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and issues like extortion in the public transport sector.
To combat the crisis, the RSF recommended measures such as professional training for drivers, regulated working hours, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws. Additionally, it called for improvements in road infrastructure and public awareness campaigns to promote road safety.
In response to the crisis, authorities have announced plans to enact a comprehensive road safety law by 2027. The draft Road Safety Act 2026 includes provisions for mandatory emergency treatment for road crash victims and a demerit point system for traffic violations, aiming to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 percent by 2030.