Thursday, 23 October, 2025
Bangladesh’s roads have turned into death traps, claiming 116,726 lives and injuring 165,021 others in 67,890 accidents over the past 12 years, according to a grim new report by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS).
Unveiling the data at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday, the organisation’s Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury described the continuing bloodshed on highways as “a form of mass killing,” fuelled by corruption, mismanagement, and policy failures.
“Unfit vehicles, underage and unlicensed drivers, and a nexus of transport owners, workers, and corrupt police officers have made our roads killing fields,” he said. “What we are witnessing is not a series of accidents — it’s serial killing by neglect.”
The data, compiled from media reports between 2014 and September 2025, paints a devastating picture of lawlessness on the nation’s roads. Mozammel Haque warned that the actual number of deaths could be far higher, given the absence of official transparency and systematic reporting.
To underline the scale of the tragedy, he drew a chilling comparison: “In the same period, around 67,000 people were killed in the Gaza war and 45,000 in the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet, road crashes in Bangladesh have claimed more lives than both wars combined.”
He accused the former Awami League government of enabling the chaos through years of inaction and collusion. “Irregularities, extortion, and political protection of reckless transport operators created a death economy on our highways,” he said.
Just last week, ten garment workers were killed when a speeding bus rammed into a pickup van on the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway near Gazipur, leaving more than two dozen others injured.
In Jhenaidah, a microbus carrying wedding guests collided head-on with a truck on Monday, killing eight people on the spot, including two children. The next day, a college student was crushed by a sand-laden truck in Narsingdi, sparking protests by locals who blocked the highway for hours, demanding justice and strict enforcement of traffic laws.
Earlier this month, five passengers died when a private car caught fire after hitting a roadside tree in Cumilla, while two motorcyclists were killed in Chattogram’s Sitakunda after being hit by a covered van racing on the wrong lane.
Road safety campaigners say these daily tragedies reflect the same structural failures the BJKS has highlighted — reckless driving, weak enforcement, and impunity for offenders.
Mozammel Haque said the country’s transport system remains hostage to corruption and political manipulation. “Irregularities, extortion, and collusion between traffic police, BRTA officials, and transport owners have institutionalised death on the roads,” he alleged.
He criticised the government’s road-centric transport policy, saying donor-driven mega projects have sidelined safer and more sustainable modes like rail and waterways.
“Unregulated vehicles—battery-run three-wheelers, motorcycles, CNGs, and makeshift pickups—have flooded the roads, worsening congestion and deadly crashes,” he said.
He also blamed former Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader for years of failure to reform the sector, saying that even after the political transition, “no meaningful steps” have been taken by the Ministry of Road Transport, BRTA, or Traffic Division.
He urged the government to treat road safety as a national emergency, calling for underground metro systems in all divisional cities and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes with digital fare systems in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other major urban centres.
“Such measures could restore order, reduce accidents, ease congestion, and rebuild Bangladesh’s global image,” he said. “Without bold reforms, our roads will remain graveyards.”
Road fatalities double in Cumilla in nine months
At least three road accidents occur every day on Cumilla highways, killing two and injuring at least five people daily -- a rate nearly double that of last year, according to Highway Police.
Data from the Dhaka–Chattogram, Cumilla–Noakhali, Cumilla–Sylhet, and Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highways, spanning 792km, paint a grim picture of rising fatalities across the region.
From January to September this year, the region recorded 842 accidents, killing 525 people and injuring 1,210, said Superintendent of Police Shahinur Alam Khan of Cumilla Highway Region.
On the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway alone, from Daudkandi Toll Plaza in Cumilla to Chattogram City Gate, 465 accidents killed 284 people and injured 509.
Highway Police data show that compared with 2024, both the number of accidents and casualties have risen significantly in 2025. Last year, the region reported 630 accidents, killing 522 and injuring 784. Officials now fear this year’s death toll may surpass all previous records.
According to Saiful Islam, motor vehicle inspector at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), over 40 percent of the crashes stem from excessive speed.
“Despite speed control drives, neither the BRTA nor the police have enough manpower to effectively enforce rules,” he said.
Journalist Abdullah Al Maruf blamed what he called police “inactivity” on highways since Aug 5 last year, saying it was one of the main reasons for the surge.
“Had Highway Police been active, they could have curbed speeding, acted against unfit vehicles, and held unlicensed drivers accountable,” he said.
He added that the BRTA “cannot evade responsibility either” and that stronger coordination could restore discipline on the highways.
“Many regional roads remain riddled with potholes and broken surfaces for over a year,” he said. “These damaged roads are destroying vehicles and causing more deadly crashes.”
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Bangladesh’s roads have turned into death traps, claiming 116,726 lives and injuring 165,021 others in 67,890 accidents over the past 12 years, according to a grim new report by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS).
Unveiling the data at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday, the organisation’s Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury described the continuing bloodshed on highways as “a form of mass killing,” fuelled by corruption, mismanagement, and policy failures.
“Unfit vehicles, underage and unlicensed drivers, and a nexus of transport owners, workers, and corrupt police officers have made our roads killing fields,” he said. “What we are witnessing is not a series of accidents — it’s serial killing by neglect.”
The data, compiled from media reports between 2014 and September 2025, paints a devastating picture of lawlessness on the nation’s roads. Mozammel Haque warned that the actual number of deaths could be far higher, given the absence of official transparency and systematic reporting.
To underline the scale of the tragedy, he drew a chilling comparison: “In the same period, around 67,000 people were killed in the Gaza war and 45,000 in the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet, road crashes in Bangladesh have claimed more lives than both wars combined.”
He accused the former Awami League government of enabling the chaos through years of inaction and collusion. “Irregularities, extortion, and political protection of reckless transport operators created a death economy on our highways,” he said.
Just last week, ten garment workers were killed when a speeding bus rammed into a pickup van on the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway near Gazipur, leaving more than two dozen others injured.
In Jhenaidah, a microbus carrying wedding guests collided head-on with a truck on Monday, killing eight people on the spot, including two children. The next day, a college student was crushed by a sand-laden truck in Narsingdi, sparking protests by locals who blocked the highway for hours, demanding justice and strict enforcement of traffic laws.
Earlier this month, five passengers died when a private car caught fire after hitting a roadside tree in Cumilla, while two motorcyclists were killed in Chattogram’s Sitakunda after being hit by a covered van racing on the wrong lane.
Road safety campaigners say these daily tragedies reflect the same structural failures the BJKS has highlighted — reckless driving, weak enforcement, and impunity for offenders.
Mozammel Haque said the country’s transport system remains hostage to corruption and political manipulation. “Irregularities, extortion, and collusion between traffic police, BRTA officials, and transport owners have institutionalised death on the roads,” he alleged.
He criticised the government’s road-centric transport policy, saying donor-driven mega projects have sidelined safer and more sustainable modes like rail and waterways.
“Unregulated vehicles—battery-run three-wheelers, motorcycles, CNGs, and makeshift pickups—have flooded the roads, worsening congestion and deadly crashes,” he said.
He also blamed former Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader for years of failure to reform the sector, saying that even after the political transition, “no meaningful steps” have been taken by the Ministry of Road Transport, BRTA, or Traffic Division.
He urged the government to treat road safety as a national emergency, calling for underground metro systems in all divisional cities and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes with digital fare systems in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other major urban centres.
“Such measures could restore order, reduce accidents, ease congestion, and rebuild Bangladesh’s global image,” he said. “Without bold reforms, our roads will remain graveyards.”
Road fatalities double in Cumilla in nine months
At least three road accidents occur every day on Cumilla highways, killing two and injuring at least five people daily -- a rate nearly double that of last year, according to Highway Police.
Data from the Dhaka–Chattogram, Cumilla–Noakhali, Cumilla–Sylhet, and Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highways, spanning 792km, paint a grim picture of rising fatalities across the region.
From January to September this year, the region recorded 842 accidents, killing 525 people and injuring 1,210, said Superintendent of Police Shahinur Alam Khan of Cumilla Highway Region.
On the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway alone, from Daudkandi Toll Plaza in Cumilla to Chattogram City Gate, 465 accidents killed 284 people and injured 509.
Highway Police data show that compared with 2024, both the number of accidents and casualties have risen significantly in 2025. Last year, the region reported 630 accidents, killing 522 and injuring 784. Officials now fear this year’s death toll may surpass all previous records.
According to Saiful Islam, motor vehicle inspector at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), over 40 percent of the crashes stem from excessive speed.
“Despite speed control drives, neither the BRTA nor the police have enough manpower to effectively enforce rules,” he said.
Journalist Abdullah Al Maruf blamed what he called police “inactivity” on highways since Aug 5 last year, saying it was one of the main reasons for the surge.
“Had Highway Police been active, they could have curbed speeding, acted against unfit vehicles, and held unlicensed drivers accountable,” he said.
He added that the BRTA “cannot evade responsibility either” and that stronger coordination could restore discipline on the highways.
“Many regional roads remain riddled with potholes and broken surfaces for over a year,” he said. “These damaged roads are destroying vehicles and causing more deadly crashes.”
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