Stop Road Deaths, Ensure Enforcement of Traffic Laws

The deaths of 16 people in two separate highway accidents in Sylhet and Bogura within a few hours on Friday are yet another reminder that road deaths in Bangladesh are not simply unfortunate accidents. Nine people, including a three-year-old child, died when two buses collided head-on on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Osmani Nagar. In another accident on the day, seven people died in Bogura after a passenger bus lost control and crashed into roadside labourers on the Bogura-Naogaon highway. More than two dozen people were also injured in those incidents. Sadly, such tragedies have become all too common. And we cannot continue treating such deaths as an unavoidable cost of using our roads.

The circumstances of Friday’s crashes also show why stronger preventive action is necessary. The Sylhet collision raises questions about speeding, dangerous overtaking and lane discipline. In Bogura, the bus reportedly lost control, hit an electric pole and then ploughed into a group of labourers waiting beside the highway for work. Such incidents prove that road safety involves more than protecting passengers inside vehicles. People walking, working and waiting beside highways also need protection. To protect them, the authorities should identify dangerous road sections and promptly introduce suitable measures such as speed controls, warning signs, proper markings, lighting and safe spaces for pedestrians.

However, we already know the main factors behind road crashes. Reckless driving, excessive speed, unfit vehicles, inadequate driver training and weak enforcement have featured in countless reports and investigations. We have highlighted these concerns repeatedly, yet the situation remains largely unchanged. The Road Safety Foundation recorded 7,362 road deaths across the country in 2025. In addition, 472 road crashes killed 438 people and injured 561 in June 2026 alone. Against this backdrop, another expression of concern after a fatal crash will achieve little. This time, we need the authorities to prevent crashes rather than respond only after lives are lost.

Accountability must therefore form a central part of that effort. Commercial drivers need proper training and licensing, while transport operators should ensure reasonable working hours to reduce fatigue. Concurrently, authorities must conduct genuine vehicle fitness inspections and take action against operators that repeatedly violate safety rules. Highway police should strictly enforce speed limits and crack down on dangerous overtaking. Also, every major crash should undergo a proper investigation, and those found responsible should face appropriate consequences.

More importantly, the government must turn existing recommendations into concrete measures, set clear responsibilities and hold relevant agencies accountable for results. Road deaths are not inevitable when authorities enforce traffic laws, ensure vehicle fitness, improve road design and demand responsible driving. The 16 lives lost in Sylhet and Bogura should strengthen our determination to prevent the next tragedy. 

Moreover, we must stop accepting preventable deaths as part of everyday life and start treating every road death as a failure that demands action.