Bangladesh loses 66 lives on its roads each day, making traffic crashes the leading cause of injury-related deaths, according to a new national survey. Each year, 24,233 people die in crashes, nearly four times higher than the official figure of about 5,500, while more than 3 million are injured and 38,000 left permanently disabled.
The survey, conducted by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh and the Directorate General of Health Services with support from the World Health Organization, found the roads plagued by unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers and weak law enforcement. Economic growth has expanded road networks and vehicle ownership, but safety infrastructure and training have not kept pace.
Bangladesh needs a national road safety and injury prevention plan that enforces vehicle standards, strengthens licensing and curbs transport syndicate influence. Without action, the country’s roads will continue to claim more than 24,000 lives and 3 million injuries every year, a clear failure of governance and accountability.