Road accidents in Bangladesh claimed 7,359 lives and injured 16,476 others in 2025, according to a year-end report by the Road Safety Foundation. The study, compiled from national dailies and online portals, revealed that nearly 40% of these incidents involved motorcycles.
The report highlighted a grim toll on the country’s workforce, noting that 78% of the deceased (5,723 people) were aged between 18 and 65. Among the casualties were 962 women and 1,008 children. Motorcycle accidents alone accounted for 3,029 crashes, resulting in 2,672 deaths.
Professor A.I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Chairman of the Foundation, attributed the surge to reckless riding by teenagers and youths, who operate a significant portion of the country’s motorcycles. He also blamed poor institutional coordination among the BRTA, police, and city corporations, alongside a lack of systemic accountability.
Beyond the roads, the report documented 478 deaths in 519 railway accidents and 149 fatalities in 132 maritime incidents, with 34 people still missing at sea.
To curb the rising death toll, the Foundation proposed 21 recommendations. Key demands include restructuring the National Road Safety Council, reforming the BRTA and DTCA, and implementing Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor motorcycle speeds. The organization also urged political parties to prioritize road safety in their upcoming election manifestos.