Are Eid return journeys deadlier?

On 1 April, Imdadul Haque boarded a bus from Cumilla, heading back to Dhaka after spending Eid with his loved ones. But what was meant to be a joyful return turned into a nightmare.

"The bus was speeding. Suddenly there was a jolt — and then, chaos. I still hear the screams," Imdadul recalled.

The 'Tisha Plus Paribahan' bus he was travelling in lost control in the Indrachar area of Chandina Upazila and slammed into a roadside tree. Three passengers died instantly. Twenty-five others, including Imdadul, were injured — some seriously — and all traumatised.

Unfortunately, Imdadul's experience was far from isolated.

According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), 132 people were killed and 208 injured in 110 road crashes during the Eid holidays this year, with return journeys being the deadliest. Between 1 and 4 April alone, 67 lives were lost as people rushed back to Dhaka and other urban centres. BRTA data was not available for road accidents after 4 April at the time of filing this report. 

A separate report by the Road Safety Foundation painted an even grimmer picture. Between 26 March and 5 April, they recorded 257 road accidents across the country. Those crashes claimed 249 lives and injured at least 553. But unofficial estimates suggest that over 2,000 people were actually hurt.

Eid is meant to bring joy and reunions. But for many families this year, it ended in heartbreak. 

At the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) alone, 571 patients were admitted in just two days, most victims of motorcycle accidents. Among the deceased were 41 women and 59 children. These numbers fail to capture the human cost.

On 2 April, Rafiqul Islam and Lutfun Nahar set off for a family trip to Cox's Bazar in a microbus. With them were their three daughters and a young niece. It was meant to be a holiday filled with joy and memories. But tragedy struck on the way, in Lohagara, Chattogram, when their vehicle collided head-on with a passenger bus.

Rafiqul, Lutfun, their daughter Liana, and niece Tanifa died instantly. Another daughter, Anisha, died later in hospital. Their eldest, Tasnia, clung to life in the ICU for days before she too passed away. In one brutal moment, an entire family was gone.

The horror of road crashes was not limited to just one family.

On 3 April, Ashikul Islam, a biker from Rajshahi, witnessed two chilling accidents on his way back to Dhaka.

"Motorcyclists are suffering the most," he said. "Around 4pm, a three-wheeler suddenly cut in front of a motorbike. It lost control and crashed into a minivan near Sirajganj.

"Later that evening, near Hemayetpur, I saw another bike crash into a truck. The rider was bleeding heavily. Highways are no longer safe for us. These three-wheelers don't follow any rules — they roam the highways as if they own them. We need separate lanes, or we'll keep seeing bodies on the road," he added.

The Road Safety Foundation has pointed to the underlying causes of this crisis: faulty, unfit vehicles still operating freely, rampant speeding, and drivers who are often poorly trained or physically and mentally unprepared for the demands of the road. Many work long hours without rest, pushing themselves to the limit just to earn a living — at the cost of their own lives and the lives of others.

Behind every statistic is a human story. And this Eid, too many of those stories ended in heartbreak. 

The situation worsens when slow-moving vehicles — like three-wheelers — share the same roads with fast traffic, leading to frequent collisions. Young bikers, often without proper gear or training, ride recklessly, adding to the fatality count. Public disobedience of traffic rules and weak law enforcement further exacerbate the problem.

At the institutional level, the BRTA lacks both the manpower and technological capacity to regulate and monitor road safety nationwide.

Saidur Rahman, Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation, said, "The safety efforts for the return journey to Dhaka are nonexistent. After Eid, people don't have much money, so they choose the cheapest travel options — safety becomes secondary." 

He also highlighted a systemic issue — the lack of planning around the return rush. "It takes two to three days for people to leave Dhaka before Eid. But when it's time to come back, almost everyone returns on the same day when offices reopen. Over 11 million people try to re-enter Dhaka all at once. It's chaos. And we don't have the transport system to handle that volume," he added.

"There is no shortcut to solving this crisis. The government must take long-term measures. They need to increase public transport options — buses, trains, waterways — so people don't feel forced to ride unsafe vehicles or motorbikes. Most importantly, there must be mass awareness. People should be told not to return on the last day. If the return can be spread across a few days, the pressure on the roads will ease," he said.

The Road Safety Foundation has put forward several key recommendations. They propose launching nationwide initiatives to train skilled drivers, reforming recruitment practices, and ensuring fixed working hours to reduce driver fatigue. 

Strengthening the BRTA is critical — both in terms of its manpower and its technological capabilities. Without this, enforcement of traffic laws will remain lax.

The foundation also recommends banning slow-moving vehicles like three-wheelers from highways and constructing dedicated service lanes for them. Road infrastructure needs urgent improvement too — particularly the construction of dividers on all highways to prevent head-on collisions. 

There should be investment in digital systems to monitor and regulate vehicle speed across highways.

Furthermore, a long-term shift toward reforming rail and waterway transport systems is necessary to relieve the pressure on road travel. If public transport becomes more accessible, affordable, and reliable, it will naturally discourage the widespread use of unsafe motorcycles, especially for inter-district travel.

Finally, a national monitoring mechanism should be introduced to oversee road, rail, and water transport operations before and after the Eid holidays. Regular audits, emergency response coordination, and proactive communication can prevent many of the tragedies we now accept as routine.

Until road safety is prioritised with the seriousness it demands, our festivals will continue to be marked by funerals.