Seven years after student-led road safety protests forced the government to tighten traffic laws, one glaring gap still endangers the nation’s roads: children on motorcycles.
In 2018, after two students were killed by a speeding bus, tens of thousands of young people poured into the streets demanding accountability and safer roads. Their movement pushed the government to make helmets mandatory for both riders and passengers, a rule that reshaped habits across Bangladesh. Adults began wearing helmets regularly, a once-rare sight that quickly became routine.
But amid that progress, one group has been left behind. Every day, across Dhaka’s gridlocked avenues, families ride three to a motorbike: parents wearing helmets, a small child wedged between them, head bare against the rush of air and risk.
Children’s helmets remain a rarity in both homes and markets. The absence stems partly from low awareness among parents, but also from a limited supply of certified helmets designed for young riders.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), motorcycles now account for nearly 40 per cent of all road fatalities in recent years. Research by the Accident Research Institute (ARI) at BUET finds that a proper helmet can reduce the risk of deadly head injuries by up to 70 per cent. For children whose necks and skulls are still developing, the danger is even more acute.
Safety experts say the lack of helmets for young passengers reflects not just a market failure but a moral one. “Parents often think a short ride is safe, or that helmets are uncomfortable for children,” one road safety researcher noted. “But it takes only one second for tragedy to strike.”
Advocates argue that enforcement and awareness must evolve. Campaigns should target families, not just solo riders, and manufacturers should be pushed to produce certified helmets for children. Police, too, must extend their checks beyond adults.
The 2018 movement reshaped public consciousness about road safety, proving that civic pressure can save lives. But until every child on a motorcycle is protected, the legacy of that movement remains unfinished.
On Dhaka’s busy streets, the smallest passengers are still waiting for the promise of safety to reach them.
