Dhaka:At least 1,25,405 people were killed and 1,76,249 others injured in 72,736 road crashes across the country from 2014 to June 30, 2026, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS).
According to United News of Bangladesh, the organisation disclosed these figures in a statement issued on the occasion of National Road Safety Day 2026. The statement blamed mismanagement, irregularities, and flawed policies in the road transport sector for the high toll and noted that the figures on crashes, casualties, and their causes were compiled by monitoring media reports published during the period.
The BJKS also claimed that the actual number of casualties could be several times higher than the published figures. It alleged that successive governments focused on building and expanding roads since independence instead of developing an integrated transport system by increasing the use of waterways and railways. This has led to increased dependence on roads without a corresponding improvement in public transport or the development of an integrated transport network.
BJKS Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury stated that the pressure of vehicles on roads has increased due to road-centric development that ignored strategic transport planning and policies that shrank railways and waterways. He further alleged that policy blunders, irregularities, and corruption of the previous government contributed to the rise in road crashes.
The statement highlighted growing chaos on roads due to mismanagement in the transport sector, alleged extortion involving transport owners, workers, and some police officials, as well as the presence of unfit vehicles, unlicensed and unskilled drivers, flaws in road construction, and violations of traffic rules. It noted that the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles, battery-run rickshaws, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws, along with their unrestricted movement, are major causes of road crashes.
The BJKS identified several contributing factors to road accidents, including the absence of medians on roads, obstructed visibility at curves due to trees, structural defects in highways and vehicles, and disregard for traffic rules. It further pointed out issues such as driving on the wrong side, extortion on roads, carrying passengers in goods-laden vehicles, unskilled drivers, unfit vehicles, and overloading of passengers. Reckless speeding, dangerous overtaking, and driving for long hours without breaks or rest were also cited as significant causes of crashes.
To reduce road fatalities, the organisation recommended that the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) be run under the supervision of local and foreign transport experts instead of the bureaucratic system. It stressed the importance of building a modern, technology-based bus network across the country, modernising road control systems through greater use of technology, and issuing licences only after ensuring drivers' skills through modern, technology-based training.
The BJKS also suggested building footpaths and service lanes on important national highways, arranging safe road crossings for pedestrians, and installing necessary road signs and markings. It emphasised ending extortion through structural reforms in the transport sector and fixing drivers' wages and working hours. Additionally, it recommended ensuring quality road construction and repair, conducting regular road safety audits, and modernising the process of issuing vehicle fitness certificates. It proposed withdrawing expired public transport vehicles from the roads, enhancing the institutional capacity of the BRTA, and establishing a traffic training academy for drivers.