Traveling Hazard in Eid: System failures behind rising road accidents

A series of fatal road accidents across Bangladesh has once again exposed systemic failures in road safety management, with experts blaming poor enforcement, unfit vehicles and untrained drivers for the rising death toll.

At least 14 people, including a bride and groom, were killed on Thursday in a head-on collision between a microbus carrying a wedding party and a passenger bus in Rampal of Bagerhat district.

The crash occurred near the Belai Bridge area when a bus coming from Mongla collided with the microbus travelling in the opposite direction, leaving the front portions of both vehicles badly mangled. Authorities said the accident was primarily caused by driver error.

On the same evening, two people were killed in another collision between an engine-driven van and a bus at Bagharpara on the Jessore-Magura highway. A day later, two truck drivers died in a head-on crash between two trucks in Taraganj of Rangpur.

Such accidents occur year after year, with transport analysts pointing to a combination of unskilled drivers, unfit vehicles, pressure to maximise trips and poor road infrastructure as the main causes.

During Eid holidays in particular, road crashes often turn festive journeys into tragedies.

Data from the Road Safety Foundation show that during the 12 days surrounding last Eid-ul-Azha, 312 people were killed in 347 road accidents across the country.

During the same period, 1,057 people were seriously injured, 589 vehicles were involved in accidents and economic losses due to the loss of human resources exceeded Tk 12.18 billion.

Experts say the number of accidents tends to rise during Eid travel as drivers often operate vehicles without adequate rest.

Loss of concentration, vehicles plunging into roadside ditches after losing control and collisions with parked trucks due to carelessness are also common causes. Tyre bursts have also contributed to a rise in accidents.

According to the Road Safety Foundation, the number of fatalities during Eid travel has been rising in recent years.

During the 13 days around Eid-ul-Azha in 2024, 262 people were killed, averaging 20 deaths a day.

In 2025, the daily average rose to 26 deaths during the same period, marking a 29 per cent increase.

Annual data also show an upward trend in road casualties. In 2025, some 7,359 people were killed and 16,476 injured in road accidents.

In 2024, there were 6,927 accidents that killed 7,294 people and injured 12,019. In 2023, 6,911 accidents resulted in 6,524 deaths and 11,407 injuries.

Road Safety Foundation Executive Director SaidurRahman described the rise in accidents during Eid travel as a sign of institutional failure.

“There is a lack of institutional capacity. Agencies such as the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) have little accountability or transparency, and their failures rarely lead to punishment,” he said.

He added that investigations after accidents often reveal the same problems—drivers working long hours without rest, mechanical faults in buses and a lack of action against unfit vehicles and unskilled drivers. “Police must be stricter in enforcing traffic laws,” he said.

Rahman also warned that the shortage of quality transport during Eid forces passengers to travel in unsafe vehicles, including tempos and other improvised transport, increasing the risk of accidents.

He suggested temporarily deploying buses from the armed forces, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar, police and other government institutions to help transport passengers to major destinations.

Officials say that on the country’s 22,428 kilometres of national, regional and district highways, many drivers routinely ignore traffic regulations and drive at reckless speeds.

Banned vehicles continue to operate on highways, while many ageing and unfit buses remain in service.

The government enacted the Road Transport Act in 2018 to restore discipline on the roads and introduced new motor vehicle speed limit guidelines in 2024, setting maximum speeds for expressways, city corporation areas, municipalities and district roads.

However, officials admit that most drivers pay little attention to these regulations.

Most roads in Bangladesh are not suitable for speeds of 80 kilometres per hour, yet many drivers exceed 100 kilometres per hour whenever possible.

To control speed, issuing automated cases on a trial basis on the Dhaka-Mawa and Dhaka-Chattogram highways is crucial. The system will gradually be expanded to other highways.

More than 650,000 unfit vehicles are currently operating across the country, raising questions about the capacity of authorities responsible for enforcing transport laws.

Police officials say they also face shortages of technological equipment needed to ensure effective enforcement.