Accidents on roads and highways are increasing, with the death toll rising almost every day. A large proportion of these accidents involve motorcycles. Additionally, a significant number of accidents involve buses, trucks, covered vans, and small battery-powered vehicles.
Some of the recent tragic incidents highlight the gravity of the crisis. On September 2, 2025, Bagerhat Government Physical Education College lecturer Avni Kumar Mondal lost her life when the motorcycle she was riding was hit by a goods-laden truck. She died on the way to the hospital. The next day, September 3, Iftekharul Islam Famin, a student of the English Department at Rajshahi University, was killed in a road accident in Binodpur. On September 5, Mostafiz Hasan, officer-in-charge of Naoga Police in Gazipur, was run over by a bus; he was declared dead at the hospital, while his wife was critically injured.
A report published on September 3 revealed that 497 road accidents occurred in August alone, leaving 502 people dead and 1,232 injured. Of these, 165 accidents involved motorcycles, causing 176 deaths and 144 injuries.
Road accidents are fast becoming an epidemic in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association points to damaged roads, worsened by the monsoon and riddled with potholes, as one of the key reasons for the spike in accidents. Free movement of motorcycles, battery-powered rickshaws, CNG auto-rickshaws, and locally made vehicles such as Nachimon-Karimon further add to the chaos. Accidents are also caused by vehicles suddenly entering highways from feeder roads due to the absence of road signs, markings, and lights. Added to this are unfit vehicles, reckless driving, and overloading of passengers-all of which contribute to the deadly toll.
Safety is one of the most basic human needs. Yet today, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that ordinary people feel unsafe stepping onto the roads. Who will ensure the safety of citizens on the roads?
Md. Raihan Hossain
Lecturer
Government College of Physical Education
Barishal
