Motorbike accidents kill over 15,700 in 6.5 years

Around 16,065 motorcycle crashes occurred across Bangladesh in the six and a half years from 2020 to July 2026, leaving 15,712 people dead and 14,143 others injured, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

The foundation released the report on motorcycle crashes on Saturday.
According to the report, 3,548 crashes, or 22.08 per cent, resulted from head-on collisions, while 5,497, or 34.21pc, occurred after motorcycle riders lost control. Another 6,314 crashes, or 39.30pc, involved collisions with heavy vehicles, while 706, or 4.39pc, occurred for other reasons.

An analysis of the vehicles involved found that goods-carrying vehicles were involved in 6,481 crashes, or 40.34pc. Motorcycle riders were solely responsible for 5,831 crashes (36.29pc), followed by buses with 2,164 (13.47pc), three-wheelers with 732 (4.55pc), private cars, microbuses, ambulances and jeeps with 438 (2.72pc), pedestrians with 296 (1.84pc), and bicycles and rickshaws with 123 (0.76pc).

Regional highways recorded the highest number of motorcycle crashes, with 6,689 incidents (41.63pc), followed by national highways with 4,773 (29.71pc), urban roads with 2,646 (16.47pc) and rural roads with 1,957 (12.18pc).

The report said motorcycles account for 71 per cent of all registered motor vehicles in the country, with a large proportion ridden by teenagers and young people, among whom reckless riding is becoming increasingly common. It also noted that the language and presentation used in motorcycle advertisements may encourage riders to travel at excessive speeds.

According to RSF observations, 58 per cent of those involved in motorcycle crashes are aged between 13 and 35. Motorcycles are nearly 30 times more dangerous than four-wheeled vehicles, it said. The lack of adequate and affordable public transport, coupled with severe traffic congestion, is also encouraging people to use motorcycles, contributing to the rise in crashes.

The report identified the lack of quality helmets as a major factor behind the increasing number of fatalities. Research shows that wearing a quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by around 48 per cent.

RSF identified reckless riding, disregard for traffic laws, a culture of reckless motorcycle use in politics, weak enforcement of traffic laws, lack of awareness campaigns, poor road infrastructure, inadequate technology and monitoring, insufficient public transport and severe traffic congestion as major causes of motorcycle crashes.

To reduce crashes, the foundation made eight recommendations, including the use of safety and monitoring technologies, mandatory use of quality helmets, strict enforcement of traffic laws, awareness campaigns in educational institutions, road-safety campaigns on social media through the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), changes to the language and presentation of motorcycle advertisements, development of safer road infrastructure, and ensuring affordable and accessible public transport.

The foundation said that alongside law enforcement, effective measures to raise awareness among young people and improve the public transport system are essential to significantly reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities.