1,384 killed in Dhaka road crashes in 6.5 years; pedestrians, bikers account for over 80% of deaths

At least 1,384 people were killed and 2,488 others injured in 1,849 road accidents across the capital between 2020 and July 2026, with pedestrians and motorcyclists accounting for more than 80% of the fatalities, according to Road Safety Foundation(RSF).

The RSF data show that of those killed, 1,034 were men (74.71%), 219 women (15.82%) and 131 children (9.46%).

Pedestrians remained the worst affected group, accounting for 592 deaths or 42.77% of the total fatalities.

Another 536 motorcyclists (38.72%) lost their lives, while 256 drivers and passengers of buses, rickshaws, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and other vehicles were killed.

The analysis also found that road crashes were most frequent at night, when 519 people, or 37.5%of the victims, were killed.

Morning hours claimed 258 lives (18.64%), followed by the afternoon with 195 deaths (14.08%), evening 174 (12.57%), dawn 142 (10.26%) and nightfall 96 (6.93%).

Heavy vehicles, including trucks, covered vans, pickups, tankers and garbage trucks, were involved in 33.25% of the accidents, followed by motorcycles at 26%, buses at 21.75%, auto-rickshaws, CNG-run vehicles and legunas at 12.73%, and private cars, microbuses and jeeps at 6.25%.

According to the analysis, the absence of bypass roads forces heavy goods vehicles to travel through the capital between 10pm and dawn, often at high speed, increasing the risk for pedestrians crossing roads.

It also noted that prolonged traffic congestion contributes to impatience and aggressive driving behaviour, further raising the likelihood of crashes.

The report attributed the high number of accidents to inadequate road capacity compared to the growing number of vehicles, the mixed movement of slow- and high-speed traffic on the same roads, encroached footpaths, poorly located or unusable footbridges and a lack of awareness among road users.

Jatrabari, Demra, Mohammadpur, Kuril, Biswaroas and the Airport Road have been identified as major accident hotspots in the capital.

The report recommended introducing company-based bus services through route rationalisation to improve discipline in the transport sector.

It also called for stronger coordination among the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the two city corporations and traffic police to implement comprehensive road safety measures.