Road safety law stuck in drafting despite rising fatalities

Infograph: TBS

Bangladesh's long-awaited road safety law remains stalled in the drafting stage, raising concerns among experts about the country's ability to curb mounting road fatalities and meet the United Nations' target of halving road deaths by 2030.

The government initiated the move in January 2024 to enact a comprehensive Road Safety Act, designed to align with the UN-endorsed Safe System approach.

The proposed legislation aims to protect all road users, including passengers, pedestrians, drivers, women, children, the elderly, and people with special needs, while addressing gaps in the existing Road Transport Act of 2018.

That earlier law was passed after student-led protests in 2018 demanding safer roads, but experts note it prioritised transport regulation rather than safety for road users.

A nine-member committee was formed in January to prepare the new legislation, which now sits in draft form with the Road Transport and Highways Division.

While officials describe the draft as nearly complete, progress remains slow.

The road transport division held a meeting this month to begin reviewing the draft Road Safety Act, 2025, where they decided to add four more members to the committee.

However, the committee could not reach any decisions on how to complete the draft.

Several rounds of inter-ministerial meetings are still needed before finalisation, according to related sources.

Sitangshu Shekhar Biswas, head of the drafting subcommittee, confirmed that the draft was submitted earlier this year but had been sent back for refinement.

The draft contains 15 chapters covering issues such as swift medical support for accident victims, compensation mechanisms, and overlapping provisions with the 2018 law, according to a committee member.

Rising deaths raise urgency

Bangladesh's delayed progress comes as road accident fatalities remain alarmingly high.

Data from the Road Safety Foundation shows 6,284 people were killed in 2021, 7,723 in 2022, 6,524 in 2023, 7,294 in 2024, and 3,662 in the first half of 2025.

Figures from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) are lower but still concerning, recording 5,024 deaths in 2023, 5,480 in 2024, and 2,943 in the first six months of this year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated 31,578 fatalities in 2021, far exceeding local counts.

This discrepancy highlights gaps in data management, another issue the proposed law seeks to address.

Enforcement of seatbelt use, drunk driving laws, and speed limits remains weak in Bangladesh compared to global standards.

By contrast, countries such as Sweden have drastically reduced fatalities through strong enforcement and policies like Vision Zero, while India updated its Motor Vehicles Act in 2019 to introduce stricter penalties. 

Bangladesh, experts warn, continues to lag behind. The Road Transport Act 2018 prioritises road transport, not safety, experts observed.

Questions over implementation

Stakeholders have raised doubts about whether the proposed act will be effective without stronger enforcement.

Shariful Alam, country coordinator of Global Health Advocacy Incubator, told TBS, "Road Safety Act is needed to protect all road users, drivers, and passengers. Although various countries have completed it long ago, we are still stuck in the draft."

He added that enforcement is as critical as legislation.

"Last year, speed limits were fixed for all roads, including expressways, roads, and highways, but in most cases, drivers are not following them. The government can use digital systems to monitor speed, where violations are recorded and action taken later."

Experts argue that the new law should include clear standards for helmet use, stronger penalties for drunk driving, and rules for crash data management.

However, progress on consultations has slowed.

Road Safety Foundation Executive Director Saidur Rahman, a member of the drafting committee, said, "For the last two months, meetings with us regarding the Road Safety Act have not been held regularly. Despite the government's emphasis on the issue, there is not much activity from BRTA."

He warned that delays could derail Bangladesh's commitments to the UN's Decade of Action for Road Safety.

"It is not likely that this law will be implemented during this government's term. And if there is no law, there will be weaknesses in enforcement. As a result, the UN's target of reducing road crash deaths by half by 2030 will not be possible, but accidents and deaths are constantly increasing."

While the proposed Road Safety Act, 2025, offers a path forward, its true impact remains uncertain given the widespread lack of enforcement of existing regulations.