Photo : BSS

By Syed Altefat Hossain
 
DHAKA, Sept 26, 2025 (BSS) - Amid an alarming rise in road crashes in the capital and across the country, experts have stressed structural governance reforms, strict enforcement, and comprehensive legislation for combating this crisis, especially for ensuring discipline on the city's busy roads.
 
Professor Md Shamsul Hoque of the BUET Accident Research Institute (ARI) described the situation as a deep-rooted governance failure. "Road safety in Dhaka has reached a crisis point largely because of poor governance, institutional incapacity, and unchecked disorder," he told BSS.
 
Professor Hoque emphasized that while the government frequently introduces new initiatives - such as repairing footpaths, marking zebra crossings, installing traffic signals, or redesigning intersections - these efforts fail to address the real problem.
 
"You can repair footpaths, install road markings, put up signals. These are just symptomatic treatments," he said, adding, "But when the root cause is institutional failure, none of these will work."
 
Despite the existence of laws and multiple regulatory bodies, accidents continue to increase, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups like pedestrians, children, women, the elderly, and motorcyclists. "Accidents basically occur due to chaos," Hoque explained. 
 
"Our roads are in a state of extreme disorder, and it seems as if there is no institution to oversee safety," he said.
 
Statistics from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) reveal the escalating crisis. In 2024 alone, 5,856 crashes killed 5,840 people, up from 5,024 deaths in 2023. Till August of 2025, at least 3,741 fatalities and 4,170 injuries had already been recorded.
 
Dhaka itself accounts for a large share of these accidents. In 2024, the capital witnessed 1,191 crashes, which killed 1,220 and injured 1,199. In just the first eight months of 2025, the figures already stood at 997 crashes, 985 deaths, and 1,251 injuries.
 
Motorcycles remain the single most dangerous mode of transport. BRTA reported 2,039 motorcycle-related crashes in 2024, including 331 in Dhaka. In 2025, by August, 1,363 motorcycle crashes had already been recorded, with more than 315 in the capital.
 
A new study report released on Monday (Sept 22, 2025) painted an even starker picture. Conducted under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, the report found that 95 percent of road crash fatalities in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) areas involve pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists.
 
The breakdown shows pedestrians make up 73 percent, motorcyclists 20 percent, vehicle occupants 5 percent, and cyclists 2 percent.
 
The report, titled "Status Summary 2024: Road Safety Risk Factors", was unveiled at an event at DNCC's Nagar Bhaban. It was jointly organized by DNCC, the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU), the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh (CIPRB), and Vital Strategies. Since May 2021, JH-IIRU has been conducting such studies in Dhaka North.
 
Meanwhile, a separate tally by the Road Safety Foundation revealed that Bangladesh recorded 7,294 deaths and 12,019 injuries from 6,927 road accidents in 2024. Among the deceased, 893 were women, 1,152 children, and 1,535 pedestrians. Motorcycles accounted for 2,609 deaths-35.76 percent of all fatalities.

 Against this backdrop, both Dhaka city corporations - South (DSCC) and North (DNCC) - outlined the initiatives they are implementing to improve safety.
 
DSCC Engineer Rajib Khadem highlighted pedestrian behavior as a leading cause. "Most accidents happen because pedestrians cross the roads carelessly without using zebra crossings," he said.
 
To counter this, DSCC has begun demarcating zebra crossings, installing traffic signs, and constructing new foot overbridges. "Apart from the existing 30-31 overbridges, we are rebuilding an old overbridge near New Market and planning another in front of Ramna," Rajib explained.
 
He noted that DSCC, in coordination with police, occasionally carries out public awareness campaigns and eviction drives to clear footpaths. "Especially around schools, we have implemented measures so that traffic slows down and accidents can be prevented," he added.
 
On the other hand, DNCC Traffic Circle Engineer Nayeem Rayhan Khan explained their collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies. "Bloomberg's team is conducting studies to identify accident-prone hotspots," he said. "After the study, they will recommend specific measures for each location."
 
He also informed that DNCC has around 60 foot overbridges, with 20 more under construction -11 already completed. "Public awareness is essential, but before that, proper engineering facilities such as zebra crossings and automated signals must be provided," Nayeem stressed.
 
However, experts working in advocacy have pointed out another major gap - the absence of a comprehensive law. Shariful Alam, Country Coordinator of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), said, "Road crashes are one of the leading causes of deaths and injuries in Bangladesh, imposing a huge burden on health and the economy. But the country lacks dedicated legislation that comprehensively addresses road safety measures."
 
He urged for a new law aligned with the 'Safe System Approach', covering evidence-based risk factors such as speeding, drunk driving, and non-use of helmets, seatbelts, and child restraints.
 
While supporting the need for laws, Professor Hoque underscored that laws alone are meaningless without governance reform. "The real problem is not lack of laws - Bangladesh has plenty of laws. The problem is enforcement and institutional accountability," he insisted.
 
He singled out the BRTA and other regulators for failing to enforce even basic rules. "Illegal vehicles continue to increase. Operators who follow rules face risks, while those who flout them benefit," he said.
 
Hoque further criticized the culture of political interference and misuse of authority. "Top officials in transport agencies often treat their positions as rewards, not responsibilities. They are not held accountable. Good governance means you face punishment for neglecting duties, but here there is no accountability."
 
Noting that transport management requires people having expertise, the BUET professor said, "Transportation is a specialized science. Yet here, people from unrelated ministries become heads of agencies. They have no professional background in transport. How can they manage such a complex system?"
 
The professor warned that the scale of the transport crisis has already outgrown the institutional ability to manage it. "Every day 350 new vehicles enter Dhaka. Illegal three-wheelers like easybikes have mushroomed from a mere 10 to one million. Who allowed this? Authorities were asleep. Now removing them would cause unrest," he pointed out.
 
"The simple way to reduce crashes is to eliminate their causes. But when governance is absent and enforcement is compromised, the risks multiply," said Hoque.
 
Calling for an end to political interference and rent-seeking in the sector, he said, "Those who benefit from disorder-through extortion, political shelter, and illegal operations-will never want a safe transport system. They profit from chaos. Unless these beneficiaries are addressed, no reform will succeed."
 
Hoque concluded by stressing that transport management must be treated as a specialized science. "Every developed country appoints professionals with technical expertise to manage transport. We cannot fix our roads by just painting signs or training drivers. We need specialized planning, governance reform, and professional expertise."