Published : 04 Oct 2025, 06:53 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 01:53 PM
At least 417 people were killed and 682 injured in 446 road accidents across Bangladesh in September, according to the Road Safety Foundation.
On Saturday, the foundation published its monthly report on road accidents, based on data collected from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, several electronic media outlets, and the organisation's own sources.
Among the fatalities, 143 stemmed from 151 crashes involving motorcycles, making them the most lethal category of vehicles, according to the organisation. In percentage terms, motorcycles accounted for 33.87 percent of all accidents and 34.29 percent of fatalities last month.
As many 112 pedestrians were killed in road accidents last month, representing 26.85 percent of the death toll, according to the report. Meanwhile, 69 of the victims were passengers of three-wheelers, 35 were bus passengers, 23 were travelling in trucks, covered vans, pickups or tractors, eight were in cars, 16 were in locally manufactured vehicles, and 11 were cyclists or rickshaw riders.
Of the 446 accidents, 161 (36.09 percent) occurred on national highways, 139 (31.16 percent) on regional roads, 57 (12.78 percent) on rural roads, and 89 (19.95 percent) in urban areas.
The breakdown by type of crash showed 92 head-on collisions, 171 accidents caused by vehicles losing control, 119 incidents where vehicles hit or ran over pedestrians, and 58 rear-end collisions. Six other cases were attributed to miscellaneous causes.
A total of 661 vehicles were involved, with motorcycles topping the list at 159, followed by 119 buses, 104 trucks, 101 three-wheelers, 44 locally made vehicles, 21 covered vans, 18 pickups, seven microbuses, and 16 cars.
The foundation said the main causes of accidents included defective vehicles, poor road infrastructure, excessive speeding, reckless driving attitudes, driver incompetence, physical and mental health issues, the presence of slow-moving vehicles on highways, and reckless motorcycle use among young people.
It also warned that pedestrian deaths were rising due to both reckless driving and a lack of awareness among pedestrians themselves.
The Road Safety Foundation said improved monitoring and driver training were urgently needed, along with large-scale public awareness campaigns through government initiatives, mainstream media and social media.
It also pointed to the poor working conditions of drivers, including the absence of formal contracts, fixed wages and regulated working hours, which it said left many physically and mentally unwell. This, in turn, often led to reckless behaviour on the roads.
To reduce accidents, the foundation recommended ensuring better professional benefits for transport workers, and reforming the management and structure of transport regulatory agencies to bring greater transparency and accountability.
