Draft road safety law proposes free emergency care for crash victims

The draft Road Safety Act 2026 proposes mandatory free emergency treatment for road crash victims, legal immunity for good Samaritans, a demerit point system for traffic offences and double penalties for repeat offenders.
Prepared by the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD), the draft has 15 chapters, 111 sections and two schedules. It will be placed before the cabinet "soon", BRTA Establishment Section Deputy Secretary Al-Ameen Md Nurul Islam told BSS ahead of Road Safety Day 2026.
The World Health Organization estimates that road crashes kill about 31,578 people in Bangladesh each year. 
BRTA data record 5,490 deaths in 2025. The draft describes road crashes as a leading cause of death among people aged 5-29 and, citing the World Bank, puts the economic loss in countries like Bangladesh at around 5 percent of GDP.
Bangladesh pledged at a ministerial conference in Marrakech in February 2025 to enact a comprehensive road safety law by 2027. 
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam repeated the commitment at a UN high-level meeting in New York on 20-21 July, and again at an event on 14 October. 
The government also plans to prepare a speed management manual and helmet-use guidelines by the end of this year.

Emergency care and legal protection
The draft would require hospitals and clinics to provide free emergency first aid during the "Golden Hour" after a crash, without advance payment or ticketing. It identifies the absence of such a mandatory provision as a gap in current law.
Volunteers who rescue crash victims would receive full civil and criminal immunity. The draft says fear of police harassment, criminal charges and court proceedings often deters bystanders from helping.

Offences and penalties
Using a mobile phone, smoking, eating or playing loud music while driving would be punishable, and passengers would be barred from distracting drivers. Seatbelts would be compulsory for drivers and passengers. 
Children under 14, or shorter than 135 centimetres, could not sit in the front row and would need appropriate restraints. Drink- and drug-driving would be prohibited, with breathalyser or laboratory tests permitted.
Motorcyclists and pillion passengers would have to wear BSTI-approved helmets, and children under six could not ride as passengers. 
Cyclists would need helmets and protective equipment, with designated cycle lanes where conditions allow. 
Pedestrians would have to use footpaths and designated crossings; under proposed Section 74, failing to use a footpath would carry a fine of up to Tk1,000 for a first offence.
Licence points would be deducted automatically for violations, and accumulating a specified number could lead to cancellation. The maximum penalty would double for a second or subsequent offence by the same person.

Infrastructure and data
The draft calls for roads and intersections built to international standards, regular identification and correction of crash-prone "black spots", and pedestrian- and disability-friendly features such as footpaths, ramped or lift-equipped footbridges and refuge islands. 
Public transport operators would have to ensure access for women, pregnant women, children, older people and people with disabilities.
It also proposes speed cameras, speed humps, rumble strips, Intelligent Transport Systems, a star-rating system for road safety, and safety audits from planning through implementation.
An Integrated Central Database System would collect and publish crash data, and a research fund would support studies and road safety initiatives. 
The draft also covers driver training, public awareness, freight and public transport safety, crash investigation, post-crash medical expenses and passenger insurance.

Why a separate law
The draft says further amendments to the Road Transport Act 2018 would not adequately address road engineering, vehicle standards, speed management, pedestrian protection, emergency medical services, research and inter-agency coordination. It proposes a standalone law in line with the global Safe System Approach.