A staggering 37,894 people have lost their lives and 59,597 others sustained injuries in road accidents across Bangladesh between 2020 and July 2025, according to data revealed by the Road Safety Foundation at a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Sunday.
The organisation’s findings paint a grim picture of the country’s transportation crisis, with over 500,000 expired vehicles still operating nationwide – 70% of which remain active on roads, including more than 10,000 such vehicles in Dhaka alone, identified as primary contributors to most road accidents.
The Road Safety Foundation proposed comprehensive measures to address the transportation chaos, highlighting how 75% of road space is currently dominated by private vehicles and rickshaws that transport merely 11% of passengers, while public transport carries 53% of commuters despite inadequate infrastructure.
Their recommendations include implementing a company-based modern bus service through route rationalisation to bring order to Dhaka’s public transport system, noting that properly organised feeder services could potentially transport four times more passengers than the combined capacity of Dhaka’s metro rail and BRT systems.
Road Safety Foundation Chairman Professor AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed expressed frustration about the lack of reliable transportation data, stating, “There exists no accurate vehicle count for Dhaka or the nation despite public funds being allocated to relevant institutions. The sector’s condition remains critically unstable due to this information vacuum.”
The press conference was attended by key foundation officials including Executive Director Saidur Rahman, Vice Presidents Syed Jahangir and Ferdous Khan, and Joint General Secretary Mahmud Riaz.