16 November is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. It’s not a day to celebrate but to reflect — a time for all of us to think about the many lives lost, and those we know who’ve been permanently affected by road crashes. For many, this is not just another date in the calendar; rather it’s a day they recall the voice that they can no longer hear, and smile that will never appear. It’s a day for governments, individuals and all global citizens to recommit to making the road safe for everyone.
Road crashes claim more than 1.19 million lives each year worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. Behind those figures are stories of children who will never return from school, workers who do not come back home and families whose aspirations are rudely devastated. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of fatal injuries in low- and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. The tragedy is being counted not only in lives lost but in livelihoods ruined, as the impact has pushed many families further into poverty and despair.
Bangladesh today is in the grip of a silent epidemic on its roads. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) recorded 5,495 deaths in 2023 although independent sources claim that over 8,000 people are killed annually and at least another 12,000 are injured. This means that we lose 20 lives on an average every day just because of road accidents in our county. But the truth is far more than data. Each crash affects an entire web of lives — spouses becoming widows, children becoming orphans and parents living with the eternal pain of losing their sons and daughters.
In many cases, the victims are young men and women in their prime of life, which has a major impact on the economy and social structure of Bangladesh. Road crashes have emerged among the top causes of death in persons aged 5–29 years in Bangladesh. The country loses close to 2.5% of GDP every year on account of road crashes—an economic loss well exceeding many of our health and development investments. This is not just a transportation issue; it is a public health and human rights emergency that requires urgent, coordinated national attention.
Bangladesh’s road safety issue is complex with poor infrastructure and weak enforcement, but also a culture of neglect regarding basic road safety. Unsafe vehicles, unqualified drivers, inadequate traffic enforcement and a lack of pedestrian infrastructure that has turned it into a death trap. Among the most apparent problems: reckless driving and poor law enforcement. Speeding, passing a vehicle while it’s turning, and driving without active licenses are common. Enforcement of current laws is very rare and can be hampered by lack of personnel, political intervention or corruption. Even after the passage of the Road Transport Act (RTA) 2018 after major student protests, enforcement has been inactive. There is no rigorous oversight, and the culture of liberty means violations do not get punished.
Poor road planning and bad infrastructure make Bangladesh’s highways extremely dangerous. Nearly all main roads do not have separators, cross-walks or overhead bridge; unsegregated mixed movement is the norm. City crossroads are crowded, and rural throughways are narrow and in disrepair.
The people are still ignorant about the road safety in Bangladesh. Pedestrians and cyclists are often unaware of traffic regulations, and there is no instruction in road safety at schools. Post-crash care is also worse — many victims die because they do not reach emergency services soon enough. It gets worse due to lack of trained first responders, trauma care centers and dependable ambulance service. A coordinated national response system for emergencies could save many lives, but is largely lacking.
There’s a human story behind every statistic. Death of students Abdul Karim Rajib and Dia Khanam Mim on Dhaka’s Airport Road had led to the 2018 student campaign for road safety, justice and safer roads. Their protests forced the government to accept that the crisis existed and implement the Road Transport Act 2018. But six years on, the question is — how much has the situation really changed? The same carelessness, lack of law enforcement and callous disregard of safety has left countless dead-on Bangladesh’s roads.
The 2018 movement brought hope but no real change. Every day, other families are still losing their loved ones on the road, just as Rajib and Dia’s families did. Many survivors suffer pain and disability for the remainder of their lives. Resources for recovery and compensation are scarce. An injured person is sometimes ignored by society. Victims and their families are rarely cared for when dealing with mental anguish and despair, despite the fact that mental health help is in desperate need.
Road safety is recognized around the world as a key development target. The UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) has a goal to halve road deaths and injuries by 2030. Bangladesh has now taken this initiative and working with many organizations to overcome it. However, progress is slow. While safe roads, safe vehicles, safe users and post-crash care are the target in the plan but weak funding; no clear leadership to spearhead this initiative; lack of strong political commitment and coordination with other departments have all dented its effective implementation.
Road safety in Bangladesh is often treated as a transport issue, yet it should be recognized as a national emergency requiring action on health, education, law and justice, local government and finance. A joint responsibility and better coordination among BRTA, police and the local administrations are also indispensable to ensure more substantive enforcement for real accountability.
Youth, civil society are inspiring in recent years for advocacy on road safety in Bangladesh. The younger generation is involved in campaign for safer roads and more-regulatory policies. They host rallies for awareness, remembrance walks and policy dialogues which frame road safety around the need to address broader development issues. Their work emphasizes the need to lower road traffic fatalities, and make accessible and safe transport systems, for all—demonstrating that meaningful change starts from the grassroots when people are empowered in their communities.
Their efforts show that positive change can originate on the ground, but official backing is required to spread and maintain them. Education is important as well for a lay population. Including road safety lessons in the school syllabus, engaging students in awareness campaigns and integrating road safety into civic education can contribute to nurturing a generation that prioritizes safe behavior and respects traffic signals.
To achieve lasting transformation, Bangladesh needs to build institutional capacity for road safety. The authority should have a clear mandate, data driven decision making and strong mechanism of accountability. Road safety funds need to be transparently assigned and wisely spent in infrastructure and policing. Equally important is the need for a consolidated and credible database on road traffic injuries to develop evidence-based interventions.
Infrastructure development is key to the safety of the road, and it involves constructing pedestrian bridges, provision of dedicated lanes and even upgradation of signage. It is essential to ensure vehicle safety through periodic fitness testing as well as phasing out old and unsafe vehicles. There is also a need for better post-crash care, including trauma centers and trained first responders near highways. Road safety needs to be integrated into a healthy and educational system, with local government capacities built for intervening in protection of the community and all road users.
The World Day of Remembrance is not just for mourning, it is a call to action. Every year this day implores us to convert memory to action. We must remember victims, stand up for survivors, and work to prevent further tragedies. We cannot allow road fatalities to be considered as inevitable. Yet every crash is preventable with better road design, responsible behavior and robust governance. Motorists who drive too fast, pedestrians who dart across streets recklessly or enforcement that lags in issuing citations for crashing into someone continue to place untold lives in danger.
However, accountability needs to also be the moto for any road safety interventions. Laws are only relevant when they apply equally to everyone — a truck driver or the owner of transport. Public transport operators should be accountable for the actions of their drivers and insurance systems must exist to compensate victims and families.
The government is not the only agent responsible for making Bangladesh’s roads safer. It’s a collective responsibility for policymakers, drivers, passengers, pedestrians, the media, educators and all of us as citizens. We can save lives on the road by making decisions about driving—wearing standard helmet, buckling up, not passing dangerously and obeying traffic signals.
We are marking this World Day of Remembrance; Let us not remember in silence the people who died, but by taking action. Let’s turn grief into resolve — a resolve to make sure that no family ever has to go through this kind of pain. A safe road is not a privilege; it is a right.
