Road Safety Needs Strict Law Enforcement, Not More Promises

We welcome the government’s target of halving road accidents and road deaths by 2030. A recent investigation by this newspaper found that authorities have begun driver training and physical-fitness screening under a dedicated road-safety project. A broader transport overhaul is also planned, including action against unauthorised sleeper buses and tighter control of auto-rickshaws. These initiatives are necessary. Still, unsafe vehicles, untrained drivers and routine violations remain common. The challenge, therefore, is not a lack of rules but the failure to make people follow them.

The scale of the problem is evident across the transport system. Drivers often enter the profession without adequate training. Unfit vehicles remain in service, while banned three-wheelers continue to use major routes. The BRTA has also confirmed that it never approved 829 illegal double-decker sleeper coaches now operating on the roads. Yet these vehicles continue to carry passengers. The Highway Police also lacks sufficient manpower to control traffic effectively. Meanwhile, the planned restrictions on battery-run rickshaws and e-rickshaws on Dhaka’s major roads could improve traffic management, provided authorities prevent unauthorised vehicles from returning.

The human cost is devastating. The Road Safety Foundation recorded 7,364 student deaths between 2019 and June 2026, including 3,328 children aged five to 17. In 2025 alone, 1,008 children under 17 died on the roads. For total road deaths that year, the Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association counted 9,111, while the BRTA recorded 5,490. This gap exposes the absence of a reliable national system for recording road deaths. Both figures point to the same grim reality. Families continue to suffer loss, disability and financial hardship because of preventable crashes. Road deaths should never become an accepted price of mobility.

The proposed overhaul offers some practical measures. Authorities plan to register two- and four-seater e-rickshaws, conduct fitness checks, introduce zone-based colour coding and license charging stations. Solar-powered charging facilities are also part of the plan. These measures can bring greater order to a largely unregulated sector. But officials must ensure that registration and fitness checks have real value. Dangerous vehicles should not receive certificates simply because their owners meet paperwork requirements. Restrictions must also match the availability of safe and affordable public transport. Otherwise, commuters will face greater hardship without gaining safer travel.

We believe road safety is a basic test of governance. People should reach work, school or home without fearing for their lives. The 2030 goal needs measurable annual targets, transparent progress reports and clear responsibility for results. Regulators must act when operators violate safety requirements, while transport owners and workers should face appropriate penalties for serious breaches. Reliable data must also guide policy. What we expect is more than another set of plans. We expect consistent action, accountable institutions and a steady reduction in deaths and injuries. Only then will the 2030 target become a meaningful commitment.