Experts demand comprehensive road safety law to save lives

Members of Parliament, policymakers, road safety experts and other stakeholders have called for the prompt enactment of a comprehensive road safety law to reduce preventable deaths and serious injuries from road crashes in Bangladesh.

They stressed the need for coordinated action to ensure safe road infrastructure, controlled speed limits, safer vehicles, responsible road use and timely emergency medical services for crash victims, said a press release.

They made these remarks at a discussion meeting held on Sunday at the CIRDAP International Conference Centre in Dhaka, marking the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh jointly organised the meeting.

Speakers said that road crashes are not just a transport sector issue. They are also a major public health, economic and development challenge. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1.19 million people die in road crashes worldwide every year, with more than 3,000 deaths every day. Road crashes are one of the leading causes of death among people aged 5 to 29. Around 92% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Mohammad Wali Noman, road safety project manager at the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper. Referring to the WHO South-East Asia Regional Report on Road Safety 2023, he said that road traffic deaths in Bangladesh increased by 23% between 2010 and 2021.

In contrast, road traffic deaths in the European Region declined by 36% during the same period. He emphasized that effective policies, laws, safe infrastructure and proper enforcement can significantly reduce road deaths.

Citing data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the keynote paper stated that the number of road crash deaths in Bangladesh was 5,305 in 2023, 5,480 in 2024 and 5,489 in 2025.

The paper highlighted five key elements of a safe road system: safe roads and infrastructure, safe vehicles, safe speed, safe road users and effective post-crash response.

It also highlighted the growing pressure of road crash injuries on hospitals in Bangladesh. According to a 2024 study titled Estimating Hospital Burden of Road Traffic Injuries in Bangladesh, an average of 16.2% of hospital beds are occupied by patients injured in road crashes.

An injured patient stays in hospital for an average of 16 days. During this period, the average out of pocket expenditure per patient is Tk31,683, excluding government spending. This includes costs for diagnostic tests, medicines, surgery, hospital beds, transportation, food and accommodation for accompanying family members.

Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said that most road crash deaths and serious injuries are preventable.

He stressed that effective prevention measures must receive as much attention as medical treatment after a crash. Ensuring a safe road system would not only save lives but also reduce pressure on healthcare services.

Mohammad Habibur Rahman Khan, secretary general of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said that the deaths of three trained youth volunteers in a road crash were a major loss for the organisation’s humanitarian activities.

On 23 October, Noor Mohammad Arik, Mohammad Rabbi Hossain and Tamanna Tabassum Oishi were killed when an ambulance collided with a bus on the Madhukhali to Kanaipur road in Faridpur. They were returning to Magura after taking part in a VBD activity when the crash occurred.

He stressed the need for proper investigations into every serious road crash, accountability for those responsible and timely rescue and emergency medical services for victims. He also said that the Red Crescent's volunteer network could play an important role in supporting rescue and emergency response activities.

As the chief guest, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, member of parliament for Pabna-5 and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said that the government had committed to enacting a comprehensive road safety law to reduce deaths and injuries from road crashes.

He said the proposed law would help ensure prompt rescue and emergency medical treatment for injured people while providing legal protection to those who come forward to help crash victims. He also stressed the need for regular training, healthcare and social protection for transport workers.

He further emphasised the importance of informing road crash victims and their families about the support available through the government trust fund so that they can access the assistance they are entitled to receive.

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The meeting was chaired by Professor Khondker Abdul Awal Rizvi, president of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. Sayma Ferdousi, director of the Youth and Volunteer Department of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, delivered the welcome address.

Other speakers included Mohammad Ziaur Rahman, director (road safety) of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and Khalid Mahmud, manager of the BRAC Road Safety Program.

Speakers said that the United Nations Global Plan for the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021 to 2030 aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% within 2030. To achieve this target, Bangladesh needs to implement the Safe System Approach, enact a comprehensive road safety law, ensure accountability among relevant agencies and strengthen post-crash rescue and medical services.

They concluded that ensuring road safety requires coordinated efforts from the government, law enforcement agencies, the transport sector, healthcare institutions and civil society.