02 / The Crisis in Numbers
Bangladesh now loses more people to its roads each year than to any single infectious disease.
Longitudinal tracking shows what official figures still under-report: a five-year escalation in fatal crashes — driven by unchecked motorcycle growth, faulty vehicles, poorly engineered highways, and a fragmented regulatory system.
7,294
FATALITIES RECORDED · 2024
In 2024, the Foundation documented 6,927 crashes that killed 7,294 people and injured 12,019 more. Children (15.8%) and women (12.2%) bore a disproportionate share. In 2025 the toll rose again to 7,362 deaths — with reported injuries now more than double the 2020 baseline.
Motorcycle Fatalities
36%
Of all road deaths in 2025 (2,672 of 7,362). Motorcycles make up 71% of the country's registered fleet.
Pedestrians Killed
21%
1,535 pedestrians lost their lives in 2024 alone — the country's second-most vulnerable group.
Children < 18
15.8%
1,152 children killed in 2024; 1,008 in 2025. School-zone speeding remains largely unregulated.
Working-Age Adults
78%
5,723 of those killed in 2025 were aged 18–65 — the backbone of household earnings.
03 / The Diagnosis
Thirteen known causes. None of them accidental.
01Faulty vehicles on the road
02Routine overloading of goods and passengers
03Drivers' lack of skill and poor health
04Absent fixed wages and work hours
05Faulty road infrastructure
06Reckless riding by teenage motorcyclists
07Low public awareness and compliance
08Poor traffic management on highways
09Excessive speed without enforcement
10Unscientific road-space management
11Proliferation of three-wheelers on highways
12Weak bridges and highway engineering
13Extortion and informal "line" payments
Several institutions are involved in road-and-transport discipline — BRTA, BRTC, DTCA, the Police, city corporations, municipalities. But there is a severe lack of coordination, institutional mismanagement, structural weakness, and almost no accountability. Year after year, initiatives are confined to meetings, workshops and committees. The accidents do not decrease.Prof. A.I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed — Chairman, Road Safety Foundation
Annual Report launch · Dhaka Reporters Unity, 10 January 2026
We do not have sufficient safe and quality public transport to carry the huge number of passengers during the four-to-five days of Eid travel. People are forced onto risky vehicles and fall victim to accidents. A mid-term, three-year plan across road, rail and waterways is essential.Saidur Rahman — Executive Director · Eid 2025 press briefing