The past 11 years, from 2014 to September 2024, witnessed 60,980 road accidents in Bangladesh, resulting in the deaths of 1,05,338 people and injuries to 1,49,847 others.
The alarming statistics, attributed to widespread corruption, mismanagement, extortion, and lawlessness within the road transport sector under the former Awami League government, were disclosed by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh during a press briefing held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion of National Safe Roads Day 2024, the association’s secretary-general, Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, presented the findings of a comprehensive report detailing the accidents.
According to the report, mismanagement and failure to regulate the transport sector, particularly during the tenure of Obaidul Quader as minister for Road Transport and Bridges, exacerbated the rate of accidents and fatalities.
Quader's long tenure saw rampant extortion, chaotic fare hikes, and deteriorating public transport standards, leading to a rise in road casualties.
Even after the government changed following mass protests, corruption and inefficiency within the Ministry of Road Transport and the regulatory body BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority) persist, with officials loyal to Quader's regime remaining entrenched in key positions.
Motorcycle accidents surged during the period due to a public transport crisis, with 20,124 motorcycles involved in crashes that claimed 37,553 lives and injured 46,167 people, accounting for 39.65% of the total fatalities. In total, 2,55,185 people were affected by road accidents in these 11 years, with the identities of 75,884 individuals confirmed.
The deceased and injured include 14,928 drivers, 17,150 pedestrians, 7,332 transport workers, 8,801 students, 1,593 teachers, 514 law enforcement officers, 12,109 women, 8,067 children, 559 journalists, 430 doctors, 294 freedom fighters, 55 artists, 361 lawyers, 330 engineers, and 3,416 political leaders and activists.
Mozammel Haque Chowdhury demanded the immediate formation of a Road Transport Sector Reform Commission to address the sector's pervasive issues. He pointed out that, despite the ousting of the previous regime, the Ministry of Road Transport and the BRTA remain riddled with corruption.
Though extortion on the roads has decreased and fuel prices have fallen, transport fares and commodity prices have yet to be reduced. Certain corrupt officials, beneficiaries of the former road minister's patronage, have amassed fortunes worth hundreds of crores, effectively monopolising control over the ministry and the BRTA.
These officials continue to implement the former government's agenda, threatening to plunge the new government into further crisis if the road sector's chaos is not resolved.
The report also revealed that, from 2014 to September 2024, the media reported details of 88,127 vehicles involved in accidents, including 20,549 trucks, pickups, lorries, and covered vans; 20,124 motorcycles; 15,301 buses; 8,215 light commercial vehicles (Nasimon, Karimon, Mahindra, tractors, and lagunas); 9,044 CNG autorickshaws; 9,312 battery-powered rickshaws, bicycles, and easy bikes; and 5,582 private cars, jeeps, and microbuses.
The analysis found that 31.76% of accidents occurred on national highways, 37.59% on regional highways, and 22.54% on feeder roads. Additionally, 5.44% of accidents were recorded in Dhaka metropolitan areas, 1.82% in Chattogram metropolitan areas, and 0.83% at railway crossings.
Passenger Welfare Association regularly publishes such reports, though under the previous authoritarian Awami League government, it faced repression, imprisonment, lawsuits, and other forms of harassment. Despite these challenges, the association persisted in its efforts to highlight the road safety crisis. However, the former road minister's political rhetoric yielded no substantive action to curb accidents or fatalities.
Among the attendees who spoke at the event were Dhaka University professor and media personality Robayet Ferdous, barrister and political leader Asaduzzaman Fuad, public transport analyst Abdul Haque, and Passenger Welfare Association vice-president Tawhidul Haque Liton.
