The grim tally of road crashes and fatalities in Bangladesh in 2024 paints a harrowing picture. According to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, at least 8,543 lives were lost and 12,608 people injured in 6,359 road crashes last year. These staggering numbers are more than statistics; they are a wake-up call for a nation grappling with a systemic road safety crisis.

The report is unequivocal: motorbikes accounted for nearly one-third of all accidents, with 2,570 deaths resulting from 2,329 bike-related crashes. This alone underscores the urgency of addressing reckless driving, unskilled operators, and the unchecked proliferation of unfit vehicles on roads and highways.

While motorcycles and battery-run auto-rickshaws have offered mobility to millions, their misuse has become a growing menace.
But the root causes run deeper.

In the report, "8,543 killed on the roads in 2024" published in The Daily Star on January 5, the Jatri Kalyan Samity identified 22 reasons behind road crashes, from reckless driving and unfit vehicles to the illegal operation of both speedy and slow-moving vehicles on highways.

The situation is further exacerbated by an enforcement framework that prioritises revenue collection over public safety. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and the traffic department appear more concerned with collecting fines and fees than ensuring safer roads.
What needs to be done?

For one, the government must move beyond cosmetic measures like speeches and advertising campaigns. A comprehensive overhaul of road safety governance is needed, starting with enacting and enforcing a robust new road safety act. Unfit vehicles must be taken off the roads, and reckless driving should result in severe penalties, not just token fines. Training programmes for drivers should be mandatory, with a special focus on motorbike users.

Additionally, extortion from transport operators -- which undermines adherence to safety regulations -- must be eradicated. Equally crucial is ensuring that vehicles operating on highways meet strict fitness and documentation standards. As the recent accidents on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway showed, the absence of fitness clearance, route permits, and valid driver licenses can turn into devastating catastrophes.

The numbers underscore the gravity of the crisis. The 1.56 percent rise in road crashes, 8.11 percent increase in deaths, and 21.56 percent surge in injuries compared to 2023 are more than alarming. Students, women, children, and law enforcement personnel were among the victims, alongside 1,952 drivers and 622 transport workers.

The distribution of crashes is also telling: 35.67 percent occurred on national highways, 21.66 percent on regional highways, and 35.81 percent on feeder roads. These figures suggest that safety measures need to be uniformly implemented across all types of roads.

Bangladesh cannot afford to let these numbers grow unchecked. The government, policymakers, and citizens must recognise road safety as an urgent national priority. Without decisive action, the country's roads will remain pathways to tragedy, not progress.

Hasan Meer is a journalist at The Daily Star