Bangladesh has taken a major step towards safer roads with the signing of a crucial agreement to train 60,000 vehicle drivers nationwide, aiming to reduce road fatalities and build a skilled transport workforce.
An official deal was signed at the Road Transport and Highways Division between the Bangladesh Road Safety Project and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) on Thursday.
The agreement aims to deliver large-scale, structured driver training as part of a broader national road safety strategy.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Bangladesh Road Safety Project by its Project Director Mohammad Sabbir Hasan Khan. Abdul Latif Mollah, Chairman (Additional Secretary) of BRTC, signed it on behalf of the corporation.
The agreement forms part of the Bangladesh Road Safety Project, jointly financed by the government and the World Bank.
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The project was approved at an ECNEC meeting on April 18, 2023 and has been designed to address one of the country’s most pressing public safety challenges: the high number of deaths and serious injuries caused by road accidents.
The project’s core objectives are twofold—to reduce road traffic fatalities and serious injuries, and to strengthen the road safety management capacity of relevant agencies.
To achieve this, Bangladesh is piloting the internationally recognised Safe System Approach, which treats road safety as a shared responsibility across road design, vehicles, speed management, post-crash response and, crucially, driver behaviour.
One of the five key pillars of the Safe System Approach is the presence of skilled and responsible drivers. This pillar lies at the heart of the newly signed training programme.
Training 60,000 drivers nationwide.
Under the programme, 40,000 new drivers will receive four-month-long professional training to develop them into skilled drivers, while an additional 20,000 existing professional drivers will undergo advanced training.
The latter will focus on road safety principles, pedestrian rights and higher-level driving competencies.
In total, 60,000 drivers will be trained under this initiative—an unprecedented scale for a government-led road safety intervention in Bangladesh.
The relevant training package was approved by the Advisory Committee on Government Procurement at its meeting held on 13 January 2026.
Under the approved arrangement, the training will be delivered by BRTC, a government entity with long-standing experience in driver education.
Sessions will be conducted across 27 BRTC training institutes and centres located throughout the country, ensuring nationwide reach.
Beyond safety: skills and employment While the programme is primarily aimed at saving lives and reducing injuries on the roads, its impact is expected to extend further.
By producing a large pool of trained, professional drivers, the initiative will contribute to human resource development and help address unemployment, particularly among young people seeking formal skills and stable livelihoods.
Officials believe that better-trained drivers will not only improve compliance with traffic rules but also foster a culture of respect for pedestrians and other road users—an essential shift for sustainable transport safety.
As Bangladesh continues its journey towards rapid economic growth and urbanisation, initiatives such as this driver training programme underline a clear policy direction: development must go hand in hand with safety.
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By investing in skilled drivers and modern road safety systems, the country is laying the groundwork for safer, more sustainable mobility for all, officials said.
Road traffic accidents continue to pose a serious public health challenge in Bangladesh.
According to research findings, data from 2015 to 2023 show 50,432 crashes, resulting in 69,514 deaths and 123,125 injuries, underscoring the urgent need for stronger road safety measures.