Road accidents in Bangladesh have surged by nearly 60% over the past five years, with fatalities rising by about 36%, according to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF). Injuries have more than doubled during the same period, increasing by 123%, the foundation revealed today (10 January) at the "Annual Report of Road Accidents 2025: Review and Reform Recommendations" event held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity Sagar-Runi Auditorium.
The report identifies motorcycles as the leading cause of accidents. In 2025, 3,029 motorcycle accidents resulted in 2,671 deaths, representing 36.29% of all road fatalities. Most victims were young men aged 14 to 45. Although motorcycles make up 71% of all vehicles in Bangladesh, safety management remains weak.
Pedestrian deaths were also significant. Last year, 1,564 pedestrians lost their lives, accounting for 21.25% of total fatalities, including around 1,008 children. Child and pedestrian deaths were particularly high on rural and regional roads due to unsafe roads, lack of footbridges, and weak law enforcement.
Dhaka recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 2,018 deaths in 2,139 accidents. Most accidents in the capital occurred at night (41.56%), with heavy vehicles posing the greatest risk.
The financial cost of road accidents in 2025 was estimated at nearly Tk25,550.85 crore. Including unreported cases, the total loss could exceed 1.5% of the country’s GDP.
To address the crisis, the RSF recommended restructuring the National Road Safety Council, improving accountability of BRTA, BRTC, and DTCA, appointing experienced experts, adopting IoT technology for motorcycle safety, and enforcing mandatory quality helmet use.
Other suggestions include passing comprehensive road safety laws, phasing out old vehicles, expanding driver training, improving driver wages and healthcare, upgrading unsafe vehicles, constructing service roads for slow-moving traffic, conducting road safety audits, rationalising bus routes, providing school and college buses, training officials on safety measures, raising public awareness, installing gatekeepers at railway crossings, establishing trauma care centres along highways, creating a unified transport ministry, and setting up a trust fund for accident victims.
