Mass Killing on the Roads: 116,000 Deaths in a Decade — Bangladesh Paying the Price of Corruption, Anarchy, and Wrong Policies

Md. Kamal Uddin    |    ০২:৫৪ পিএম, ২০২৫-১০-২১

— Ziku Chowdhury, Dhaka:

: Bangladesh’s roads have now turned into a bloody death trap, every day people step onto the streets, and many never return home, on the roads now, it seems as if a small massacre happens every single day. According to the latest statistics of the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association, in the past 12 years, 67,890 road accidents occurred across the country, in which 116,726 people were killed, and 165,021 were injured. This horrifying information was revealed by the organization’s Secretary General, Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, at a press conference organized on the occasion of National Safe Roads Day 2025.
Collapse of Road Policy after Independence, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said, “Before independence, 80 percent of the people of this country used waterways and railways, and only 20 percent used roads. At that time, road accidents were limited. But after independence, under the prescriptions of donor agencies, unrestrained plundering and corruption began in the name of constructing one road after another.” By destroying waterways and railways without building an integrated transport system, the government has forced 80 percent of people to depend on roads, this abnormal dependence has turned every road in the country into a field of death. He said, “In a state where crores of taka are spent in the name of road development, no initiative is taken to ensure people’s safety. It is a tragic irony.”
Transport Sector Held Hostage by Corruption and Extortion, at the press conference, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said in strong language, “The road transport sector is now infected with the cancer of corruption. Due to the monopoly of transport owners’ and workers’ associations, extortion by corrupt police officials, mismanagement, and anarchy—disorder has become the rule on the roads.” He said that the unrestrained movement of unfit vehicles, unlicensed and underage drivers, and allowing drug addicts to hold the steering wheel are the main reasons why the procession of death never stops, many drivers even obtain licenses in exchange for money, despite having no basic training. In response to journalists’ questions, he said, “The road administration of this country is like a blind ruler in a blind kingdom. The traffic department, BRTA, and the Ministry of Road Transport—none of them can avoid responsibility. During Obaidul Quader’s long tenure as minister, we have seen only death statistics, not safety.”
Road Accidents: Deadlier than War, according to the organization’s written report, from 2014 to September 2025, the number of people killed on Bangladesh’s roads exceeded the death tolls of two of the world’s most discussed wars. In Gaza, around 67,000 people were killed in the Israel–Palestine war, in the Ukraine–Russia war, around 45,000 were killed—together, less than one lakh. Yet in Bangladesh, 116,726 people have been killed on the roads. “This data is collected only from media reports,” said Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, “if hospital data is included, the number will double.” He said with sorrow, “This is not an accident—it is a continuous mass killing caused by state negligence.”
Collapse and Chaos in the Transport Sector, once, the public transport system in Bangladesh’s cities was bus-centric, now that structure has completely collapsed. Without introducing modern public transport, the government has allowed the unregulated movement of unsafe vehicles such as battery-run autorickshaws, ridesharing motorcycles, Nasimon–Karimon, Mahindra–Piaggio, etc. As a result, accidents have increased, and city life has become paralyzed. Mozammel Haque said, “The interim government’s decision to register battery-run autorickshaws is a sign of ignorance and immaturity, once this process begins, Dhaka and Chattogram will become completely immobilized within a year.”
12-Point Demand to Prevent Accidents, the Passenger Welfare Association has demanded the implementation of the following 12 points to establish road safety and discipline: 1. Establish an integrated transport network combining waterways, railways, and roads, 2. Structural reform of the transport sector to stop corruption and extortion, 3. Introduce government-operated mass transit (underground metro rail) in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other divisional cities, 4. Launch two bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes based on digital transactions, 5. Introduce quality bus services at district and upazila levels, 6. Limit the import and marketing of motorcycles and battery-run autorickshaws, 7. Provide driver training under advanced curriculum with state funding, 8. Digitize traffic management and establish a traffic training academy, 9. Take every road accident case into government consideration and ensure compensation, 10. Ensure the participation of passenger representatives and victims in transport policymaking, 11. Bring responsible officials under accountability and establish the rule of law, 12. Build separate lanes and safe sidewalks for cyclists and pedestrians.
Appeal to the Interim Government, at the press conference, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said, “The policy of the current interim government is still as old and outdated as the previous one, development does not mean only widening roads—ensuring safety is true development, if this sector is not reformed urgently, the death procession will double within a year.” He also said, “If mass transit systems are introduced in all divisional cities including Dhaka and Chattogram, traffic congestion will reduce and road accidents will decrease, this is not only a matter of human safety but also of national dignity.”
Those Present at the Press Conference, also present at the conference were the association’s president Sharif Rafiquzzaman, Barvita president Abdul Haque, Drivers Welfare Association chairman Badal Ahmed, and other top leaders of the organization.
Without Discipline on the Roads, the Nation Will Lose Its Future, in today’s Bangladesh, the roads have become arenas for competition in taking human lives, every day, someone’s father, mother, child, friend, colleague, or loved one joins this procession of death. This reality is not just about numbers—it is a reflection of the nation’s moral and administrative failure. This report by the Passenger Welfare Association should serve as an awakening message for the government and administration