United News of Bangladesh

A total of 394 road accidents across Bangladesh claimed the lives of 402 people and left 1,294 others injured during the Eid-ul-Azha travel period this year, according to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS). Including rail and waterway accidents, the total tally rose to 442 across all transport modes, killing 438 people and injuring 1,340 others during the 15-day period from May 21 to June 4, it said in a report on Sunday. Besides, thirty-one rail accidents resulted in 23 deaths and 30 injuries, while 17 waterway accidents killed 13 and injured 16. Compared to last year's Eid-ul-Azha, road accidents rose 3.95 percent, fatalities increased 3.07 percent, and injuries jumped 9.47 percent. In 2025, 379 road accidents had killed 390 people and injured 1,182 during the same festive period. BJKS Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury presented the findings at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the morning, calling for urgent structural reforms to the country's public transport system. “What is needed is not 10 to 12 days of government activity around Eid, but short, medium and long-term planning to save lives and reduce travel misery,” he said, stressing the need for a modern bus network modelled on developed countries, technology-based road management, and the gradual removal of small vehicles from highways. Motorcycles were once again the deadliest vehicle category, involved in 153 accidents that killed 159 people and injured 180, accounting for 38.83 percent of all road accidents during the period. In terms of vehicle types involved across all accidents, motorcycles made up 28.90 percent, followed by trucks and covered vans at 21.40 percent, buses at 16.56 percent, battery-powered rickshaws at 12.34 percent, cars and microbuses at 7.81 percent, locally-made light vehicles (nosimon-korimon) at 6.56 percent, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws at 6.40 percent. Among the victims, 80 were drivers, 89 transport workers, 59 pedestrians, 64 women, 45 children, and 66 students. Three journalists, one doctor, one engineer, and five law enforcement members were also among the victims. Analysis of accident types shows that 46.44 percent were head-on collisions, 29.18 percent involved vehicles running over pedestrians or ramming others, and 17.25 percent involved vehicles losing control and falling into ditches or off roads. Train-vehicle collisions accounted for 1.52 percent, with the remaining 5.58 percent attributed to other or unidentified causes. Half of all accidents – 50.50 percent – occurred on national highways, 30.71 percent on regional highways, and 14.46 percent on feeder roads. The organisation identified several systemic causes behind this year's toll: unregulated movement of motorcycles and battery-powered vehicles on national highways; absence of road signs, lane markings, and streetlights; roads riddled with potholes following rain; a severe driver shortage forcing 80 percent of vehicles to operate continuously with a single driver; defective and life-expired buses being pushed into service by profit-seeking owners; and low-income passengers being forced onto bus rooftops or cargo trucks due to exorbitant fares. It urged the government to develop and implement short, medium, and long-term road safety plans, modernise the vehicle fitness certification system; remove expired public transport; expand BRTA's enforcement capacity; establish a traffic training academy; and end the monopoly control of bus owner associations and worker federations over the transport sector.

Four people, including a woman and her son, were killed in separate road accidents in Sadar and Sarail upazilas of Brahmanbaria district on Friday morning. According to local and hospital sources, Kawsar Mia, a resident of Bahadurpur village in Kasba upazila, was travelling towards Sarail Bishwa Road with his wife and children in a CNG-run autorickshaw. On the way, a fish-laden pickup van hit it from behind in the Biyallishwar area of Ramrail union in Sadar upazila on the Cumilla-Sylhet highway around 8:30am, leaving autorickshaw driver Mahbub, 45, passenger Josna Begum, 40, and her five-year-old son Ashraful dead on the spot. Kawsar, 50 – Josna’s husband – and their daughter Adiba, 4, were injured in the accident. The injured were first taken to Brahmanbaria General Hospital and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. Officer-in-Charge of Khatihata Highway Police Station Md Abu Taher Dewan said police were sent to the spot after receiving information. However, the pickup driver and his assistant managed to flee immediately after the accident. In a separate accident, a man was killed in a head-on collision between a private car and a CNG-run three-wheeler in the Bariura area of Sarail upazila on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway around 6:00am. The deceased was identified as Md Oli Mia, 55, son of Haji Mohammad Idon Mia of Boribari village under Panishor union of the upazila.  

Two people, including a female student, were killed and three others injured when a speeding truck rammed into a parked CNG auto-rickshaw on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in Mirsarai upazila on Wednesday morning. The accident occurred around 8:30am in front of Zahedia Madrasah at Borotakia Bazar, said Nadim Haider, Police Superintendent of Mirsarai Circle. “Two people died on the spot, while three others were taken to hospital in critical condition. Fire service personnel and highway police are working to restore normal traffic,” said Nadim Haider. One of the deceased was identified as Khadija Mashmum, 12, a Class X student of the madrasah. The identity of the other victim could not be confirmed yet. Police said the accident occurred when the truck driver lost control over the steering while heading towards Chattogram and hit the stationary auto-rickshaw, causing it to plunge into a nearby pond. The injured were rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where their condition was said to be critical. Read More: 219 killed in 409 road accidents in Dhaka in 2025 The accident led to severe traffic congestion on the Chattogram-bound lane of the highway for several hours.

Three people were killed in two separate road accidents in Sreepur and Mohammadpur upazilas of Magura district on Thursday. The deceased were motorcyclist Taslim, 65, battery-run three wheeler driver Monirul, 50, and 12-year-old bicyclist Abid Hossain. Locals said a three wheeler and a motorcycle collided head-on at Chaturia village under Sreepur upazila around 12pm, leaving Taslim and Monirul critically injured. Drain work, encroachment renders Narayanganj footpaths unusable They were rushed to a nearby private hospital where physicians declared them dead upon arrival, said Idris Ali, officer-in-charge of Sreepur police station. Moreover, a speeding tractor crashed into a bicycle run by Abid at Bethuri village under Mohammadpur upazila, leaving him dead on the spot around 10am, police sources said. The bodies were sent to Magura Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Two separate cases were filed with the police stations in these incidents.    

Road safety experts and government officials on Wednesday underscored the urgent need for data-driven interventions to reduce the alarming number of road accidents in Bangladesh. They came up with the suggestion during a seminar titled “Bangladesh Road Safety”, held at a hotel in Dhaka. The day-long event, jointly organised by the Road Transport and Highways Division and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts in ensuring safer roads. The seminar was supported by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP). Speaking at the inaugural session, Ehsanul Haque, Senior Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, reiterated the government’s commitment to enacting a comprehensive road safety law in line with World Health Organization guidelines. “The government is working on drafting the law through consultations with relevant public and private stakeholders. We hope that through coordinated action, we will make Bangladesh’s roads safer in the near future,” he said. Kelly Larson, Director of Road Safety Programmes at Bloomberg Philanthropies, noted that their organisation is currently working in 27 cities around the world to improve road safety. ERD signs €5 mln grant deal with IOM to boost migration, reintegration services in Bangladesh She said Dhaka North and Chattogram joined the initiative in 2020 and are now collaborating with international partners to share experiences and implement effective safety measures. Highlighting the importance of speed management, she added that the Bangladesh government has already developed a guideline for speed limits based on road types and vehicle categories, and its effective implementation could save countless lives. Ehsanul Haque and other speakers stressed the need for managing road crash and fatality data, enacting and enforcing integrated road safety laws, regulating speed limits, ensuring the use of seatbelts and quality helmets, and planning and constructing safer roads. They also emphasised the crucial role of awareness campaigns through the media. DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Md Sarwar said the DMP, in coordination with the DNCC, has been analysing crash data to identify high-risk roads. With support from the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), police officers have received specialised training to enhance road safety enforcement, he said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Sazzat Ali has emphasised the need to involve traffic police in road accident investigations. "In the event of an accident, the investigation should be conducted using scientific methods, and the police's capabilities in this regard need to be improved. Though police are responsible for the roads, the crime division conducts investigations into road crashes. It is necessary to involve traffic police in such investigations or coordinate with them," he said. Sazzat Ali made the remarks while addressing a training session on Monday, arranged for DMP officers for improving skills to prevent road accidents, at the InterContinental Dhaka. International organisation Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) organised the two-day training covering techniques for accident prevention, with 60 police officers attending. DMP Commissioner orders urgent probe into July movement cases On the concluding day (Monday), the DMP commissioner, who attended the event as the chief guest, highlighted the importance of following traffic rules for maintaining road discipline and preventing road crashes. "However, many commuters do not comply with traffic rules, particularly issues like not adhering to speed limits and suddenly changing lanes, which are often responsible for accidents,” he said. He said most road crashes in Dhaka occur between midnight and morning when the roads are relatively empty, directing police officers to strictly enforce speed limits on the streets and implement existing laws to prevent road crashes. Chaired by Abdul Wadud, initiative coordinator of Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and former additional secretary, DMP's Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Sarwar, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Superintending Engineer Khandkar Mahbub Alam, and senior DMP officers were also present on the occasion.  Traffic sergeants to get small arms to combat mugging: DMP Commissioner On the first day of the two-day event, "Road Policing Leadership" was discussed and on the second day, "Speed as a Key Risk Factor in Road Crashes" was focused.

The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) on Sunday called for controlling battery-run rickshaw movement across the country's large cities including the capital Dhaka, to avoid road accidents. The organisation also urged the authorities to determine the quality of the rickshaws and take initiatives for short-term training to the drivers. NCPSRR president Mohammad Shahid Mia and its general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey made the call in a statement on Sunday. Banned autorickshaw drivers’ protests bring Dhaka traffic to a standstill According to the statement of the civic organisation sent to the media, the movement of three-wheeled non-mechanised vehicles like battery-powered rickshaws on highways and long-distance roads is prohibited and extremely dangerous. Despite this, approximately 35-40 lakh battery operated rickshaws are plying across the country including Dhaka. Mentioning that these small vehicle drivers have no training, the statement said, they drive recklessly as they have no idea about traffic laws. As minor accidents are happening every day in different places, it is also causing serious disruption in the movement of pedestrians and road crossings. The statement said, despite being illegal and risky, battery-run rickshaws cannot be banned now. Because, at least 1.5 crore people depend directly and indirectly on it. 78 battery-run autorickshaws seized during DNCC drive at Mirpur Therefore, the movement of battery-powered rickshaws on the main roads of the large cities should be strictly controlled, the drivers should be given immediate short-term training and the infrastructure of such rickshaws should be strongly improved to avoid accidents, the leaders said.

As Bangladesh’s roads remain perilous, some 8,543 people lost their lives and 12,608 suffered injuries in road accidents across the country in 2024 alone. General Secretary of Jatri Kalyan Samity Mojammel Hossain Chowdhury came up with the shocking figures in its annual report on road accidents at a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) on Saturday. Besides, 9,237 fatalities and 13,190 injuries were recorded in 6,974 accidents on roads, railways and waterways during the period. According to the report, 497 railway accidents left 512 people dead and 315 injured. Four killed, scores injured on Dhaka-Mawa Expressway accidents Besides, 118 accidents on waterways caused 182 deaths, 267 injuries and left 155 people missing. Among 6,359 road accidents, 2,329 were motorcycle accidents that led to 2,570 fatalities and 3,151 injuries during the period.

Bangladesh saw 443 road accidents in October this year, claiming the lives of 469 people and injuring 837 others. Among the deceased were 74 women and 66 children. A total of 208 motorbike-related accidents led to 196 deaths, comprising 41.79% of the total fatalities, with a motorbike accident rate of 46.95%. Besides, 102 pedestrians (21.74%) and 67 vehicle operators or their assistants (14.28%) were killed. During the same period, four maritime accidents caused seven deaths and injured three, while 21 railway incidents resulted in 18 fatalities and six injuries. The Road Safety Foundation compiled this report based on data from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, various electronic media, and its internal records. Fatalities by Vehicle Type The breakdown of fatalities by vehicle reveals that motorbike riders or passengers accounted for 196 deaths (41.79%), bus passengers for 31 (6.60%), and occupants of trucks, covered vans, pickups, trolleys, or lorries for 20 (4.26%). Private car, microbus, and ambulance passengers comprised 12 (2.55%), while passengers on three-wheelers (e.g., autorickshaws, CNGs, tomtoms) accounted for 94 deaths (20.04%). Locally manufactured vehicles (such as Nosimon and Korimon) were involved in 10 deaths (2.13%), with bicyclists and rickshaw passengers making up 4 deaths (0.85%). Accident Location by Road Type The Road Safety Foundation’s analysis shows that 173 (39.05%) of the incidents occurred on national highways, 162 (36.56%) on regional roads, 64 (14.44%) on rural roads, and 38 (8.57%) in urban areas, with six accidents (1.35%) at other unspecified locations. Types of Accidents The incidents included 112 (25.28%) head-on collisions, 171 (38.60%) incidents caused by loss of control, 104 (23.47%) incidents of pedestrians being struck, 42 (9.48%) rear-end collisions, and 14 (3.16%) caused by other factors. Vehicles Involved in Accidents Of the vehicles involved, trucks, covered vans, pickups, tractors, trolleys, lorries, and drum trucks were involved in 25.48% of accidents. Read: 426 deaths, 813 injuries in road crashes during September, says Road Safety Foundation Microbuses, private cars, ambulances, and jeeps accounted for 4.39%, passenger buses for 14.48%, motorbikes for 28.07%, and three-wheelers (such as auto-rickshaws) for 17.59%. Locally manufactured vehicles represented 5.43%, bicycles and rickshaws made up 1.81%, and unidentified vehicles were involved in 2.71%. Number of Vehicles Involved A total of 773 vehicles were involved, including 112 buses, 119 trucks, 22 covered vans, 25 pickups, seven tractors, six trolleys, nine lorries, eight drum trucks, one 18-wheeler lorry, 12 microbuses, 14 private cars, five ambulances, three jeeps, 217 motorbikes, 136 three-wheelers, 42 locally manufactured vehicles, 14 bicycles or rickshaws, and 21 unidentified vehicles. Time of Day Analysis An analysis of the time distribution indicates that 5.41% of accidents occurred at dawn, 26.63% in the morning, 16.93% in the afternoon, 15.57% in the evening, 9.25% around dusk, and 26.18% at night. Accident Statistics by Division The divisional statistics reveal that Dhaka Division recorded 29.57% of the accidents and 30.70% of the fatalities. Rajshahi Division accounted for 15.34% of accidents and 13.85% of fatalities, while Chattogram Division saw 17.83% of accidents and 17.27% of deaths. Khulna Division had 9% of accidents and 8.10% of deaths, while Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh divisions experienced lower figures ranging from 4.06% to 10.83% for accidents and 5.33% to 11.08% for fatalities. The highest number of accidents occurred in Dhaka Division, with 131 incidents resulting in 144 fatalities. The fewest accidents occurred in Sylhet Division, with 22 incidents and 24 deaths. Within individual districts, Chattogram saw the highest numbers, with 34 accidents and 39 deaths, while Magura, Jhalokathi, Barguna, and Panchagarh reported accidents without any fatalities. In the capital, Dhaka, 29 road accidents resulted in 21 deaths and 34 injuries. Read more: 467 lives lost on roads across country in Nov: Road Safety Foundation Occupational Analysis of Deceased According to published media data, the fatalities included three police officers, two Ansar members, nine teachers from various educational institutions, and four journalists. The Road Safety Foundation urged all stakeholders to consider these statistics and take immediate steps to improve road safety.

Bangladesh saw 60,980 road accidents, leading to 105,338 deaths and 149,847 injuries, between 2014 and September 2024, said the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity on Monday. The Association came up with the shocking statistics during a discussion meeting held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, marking the National Road Safety Day 2024. Association's Secretary-General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, attributed the rampant road accidents and chaos in the transport sector to the mismanagement of the Ministry of Road Transport over the past 11 years. He said the road transport sector in Bangladesh witnessed severe corruption, chaos, extortion and mismanagement during the past decade under the Awami League's rule. Mozammel Haque specifically pointed out that during Obaidul Quader’s tenure as the minister, lawlessness, irregularities, corruption and extortion in the transport sector increased manifold. Even after the change of government following the student and public protests, the Ministry of Road Transport and policymakers at the BRTA have continued the fascist practices that plagued the previous regime. Read: Road accidents claim 498 lives in Sept: Jatri Kalyan Samity During the event, he said, "No effective measures have been taken to reduce passenger fares or establish order in the roads. To resolve the crisis in the transport sector, comprehensive reforms are needed, and for this, it is essential to form a reform commission for the transport sector." The grim statistics were further elaborated by Mozammel Haque, who said that over the past 11 years, 88,127 vehicles were involved in road accidents, including 20,549 trucks, pickups, and lorries, 20,124 motorcycles, and 15,301 buses. He said accidents occurred on national highways (31.76%), regional highways (37.59%), and feeder roads (22.54%). Haque also mentioned that the association has faced pressure from the Awami League government when publishing their road accident reports. Read more: 35,384 killed in road, railway, waterway accidents since 2019 He alleged that they were subjected to lawsuits, attacks, and harassment for exposing the grim reality of road accidents under the current regime.