Despite a massive development of roads and highways over the past 15 years, the country faces a horrifying reality: its roads are becoming increasingly deadly due to inadequate regulation of the transport system.

While new lanes are built, basic safety measures are neglected, creating a chaotic free-for-all where unfit vehicles driven by unlicensed operators race at breakneck speeds. The result: a staggering rise in road accidents, claiming thousands of lives each year.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) acknowledges that nearly 6 lakh registered vehicles are unfit, with expired route permits.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) paints an even grimmer picture, revealing that almost 20% of buses operate without registration and only a quarter are considered fit for the road.

In the capital itself, buses race with each other recklessly in front of authorities’ eyes, making accidents a regular occurrence. At the same time, highways across the country are becoming unsafe too. Vehicles permitted for one route are running on other routes illegally.

For a long time now, passengers and pedestrians moving amid various risks have been pondering how to make roads safer, and who is responsible for doing it, but answers to those questions seem unbelievably tricky and illusive. Meanwhile, authorities in charge of implementing road safety measures have been avoiding their responsibility by blaming each other, said experts as well as people involved in this sector.

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Road transport experts said unfit vehicles, unlicensed drivers, analogue traffic system, bribery, extortion, lack of political will, lack of adequate bus terminals, illegal parking, reckless driving, crisis in public transport, excessive fare collection, and law-abiding mentality, among other things, are responsible for the increase in accidents.

Various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Traffic Police, Highway Police, National Road Safety Council (NRSC), and District Road Safety Committees are responsible for looking after these issues, but their roles in these regards are not satisfactory. Even if a solution is found, it is not implemented properly.

Md Hadiuzzaman, a transport expert and professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told the Daily Sun, “We have messed up the roads and highways and the transport system so much that it would take a lot of work to restore order. Taking initiatives only on paper will not bring any visible change. Roads and highways have been developed a lot but not in a scientific manner.

“There are all kinds of mismanagement on the roads. Concerned stakeholders should take responsibility without blaming the drivers. Hundred percent of scientific measures to control accidents are needed on highways, but there are only 5%. As much as 95% of the system is unscientific. The formation of the inquiry committee should be changed. There should be an independent impartial commission of inquiry.”

According to BRTA sources, the number of vehicles registered across the country is around 59.82 lakh. There are almost 21 lakh registered vehicles in the capital, of which about 6 lakh do not have fitness. At the same time, the route permit of most of these vehicles has also expired. However, 30% to 40% of the total registered vehicles are no longer plying on roads.

A research report by anti-corruption organisation Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said 18.9% of buses operating in the country do not have registration, only 24% of buses are fit, 18.5% of buses do not have tax tokens, and 22% of buses do not have route permits.

BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder told the Daily Sun, “BRTA operations on roads in 64 districts are going on until order is restored. In these raids, non-mechanised and illegal vehicles are being fined more. As a result, we firmly believe that order on roads will be restored.

“Everyone has a responsibility to restore order to the roads. Passengers and pedestrians also have a responsibility. That is why we are moving towards social movements. Everyone has to work together to restore order on the roads.”

Road safety promised, not realised

Following the unprecedented student movement in 2018, a law with tougher penalties for violating traffic rules was passed. A High Power Committee submitted 111 recommendations to prevent accidents. A task force headed by the home minister was formed to implement the recommendations. Earlier, 17-point instructions were given from the prime minister’s office. The prime minister herself gave six-point instructions. However, none of these is being implemented properly on the roads.

The life expectancy of vehicles has been determined, but it cannot be enforced to bar the movement of unfit vehicles due to transport leaders’ pressure, said people involved in this sector.

Professor Md Hadiuzzaman of BUET said, “Organisations of owners and workers have a big responsibility. BRTA is also liable. Above all, the government is responsible. Exemptions have been given under the Road Transport Act. As a result, the government is also unable to keep its commitment to restore order on the roads.”

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri told the Daily Sun, “There are road signs everywhere. Good roads have been constructed. Four lanes and service lanes are being built. The bends have been straightened. The Highway Police is monitoring. BRTA is conducting operations. So, we should not say that we have no achievements, but we have to make people aware and develop social movements.”

Accidents rise as infrastructure develops

Road infrastructure has expanded immensely in the country. At present, the length of national and regional roads is around 22,476 km. The length of rural roads is about 2.7 lakh km. Along with the expansion of roads nationwide, vehicle movement and speed have also increased, but the technology for controlling speed and monitoring traffic is not being used to a large extent. As a result races among vehicles are going on, regularly leading to accidents.

According to the information from the Road Safety Foundation, 5,211 people died in road accidents across the country in 2019, 5,431 in 2020, 6,284 in 2021, 7,713 in 2022, and 6,524 in 2023.

Saidur Rahman, chief executive of Road Safety Foundation, told the Daily Sun, “Excessive speed of vehicles is the main cause of 85% accidents. For every 5 km increase in vehicle speed above 60 km per hour, the risk of an accident increases two to four times.

“Other reasons for the increase in accidents are faulty vehicles, drivers’ inefficiency and their physical and mental illnesses. Moreover, undetermined salaries and working hours of drivers, low-speed vehicles on highways, reckless riding of motorcycles, people’s tendency of not to learn and obey traffic laws, and lack of BRTA’s capacity.”

Transport org leaders ‘block’ road discipline

Unfit buses, which often race with each other, ply on the roads under the aegis of influential people, including the leaders of owners’ and workers’ organisations, said sector insiders.

Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, told the Daily Sun, “A section of the ruling party is extorting money from the road transport sector. This opportunist group is the main obstacle to establishing order in the transport sector. Bureaucrats and transport leaders are responsible for the fact that the issue of road safety in the country is still in the process of forming various committees and making recommendations.

“At present, it can be understood from the situation of the roads that there is no such thing as road safety in the country. Political goodwill is needed to restore order on the roads.”

According to a TIB report, about 92% of the owners and directors of bus companies have ties to political parties – 80% to the ruling party and 12% to other parties. Consequently, no matter how much people expect that the public transport system will become passenger-friendly, in reality, it remains hostage to organisations of owners and workers.

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners’ Association President Mashiur Rahman Ranga told the Daily Sun, “Some owners show reluctance to repair their vehicles to make them fit. We demand bringing these vehicle owners to justice. We do not go on strike. We do not create any pressure on the government.”