A total of 7,963 children were killed in road accidents across Bangladesh between 2020 and September 2026, highlighting the risks children face due to unsafe roads, poor traffic management and a lack of road safety awareness, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
The report was compiled using information from nine national dailies, 17 national and regional online news portals, electronic media and the foundation’s own data.
An analysis of child fatalities found that 2,958 children, or 37.14%, were killed while riding or driving motorcycles. Another 2,812 children, or 35.31%, died as pedestrians after being hit by vehicles while crossing or walking along roads.
Among child pedestrians killed in road accidents, three-wheelers accounted for the highest number of deaths, at 1,271 or 45.19%. These vehicles included CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, other auto-rickshaws and locally made vehicles such as Nasimons and Bhotbhotis.
Heavy vehicles, including buses, trucks, covered vans and pickups, were responsible for 1,126 pedestrian child deaths, or 40.04%. Private cars, microbuses, ambulances and jeeps accounted for another 317 deaths, or 11.27%.
Rural Roads Account for the Highest Share
Rural roads recorded the highest number of child fatalities, with 2,713 deaths, accounting for 34.07% of the total.
Regional roads accounted for 2,082 deaths, or 26.14%, while 1,974 children, or 24.78%, were killed on highways. Urban roads accounted for 1,194 deaths, or 15%.
The report also examined when children were killed. The afternoon recorded the highest number of fatalities, at 2,634 or 33.07%. Another 2,168 children, or 27.22%, died in the morning, while 1,813, or 22.76%, were killed around noon.
Night-time accidents accounted for 598 deaths, or 7.50%, while 546 children, or 6.85%, died in the evening. A further 204 deaths, or 2.56%, occurred in the early morning.
Teenagers Account for the Largest Share
Children aged 13–17 accounted for the largest share of fatalities, with 3,547 deaths, or 44.54%.
A total of 2,884 children aged 6–12, representing 36.21%, were killed, while 1,532 children aged 0–5 accounted for 19.23% of the total.
The report found that 2,513 children, or 31.55%, were killed while travelling to or from educational institutions. Another 962 children, or 12.08%, died while playing on roads near their homes.
Factors Behind Child Road Deaths
The RSF identified several contributing factors, including roads and transport systems that fail to prioritise children’s safety, inadequate road safety awareness among children, and insufficient guidance and training at home and in educational institutions.
Other factors included unskilled and underage drivers, inadequate medical facilities for injured children and families’ inability to afford treatment.
The foundation noted that children face particular risks on rural roads, which often pass close to residential areas. Vehicles frequently operate on these roads without following traffic rules, while law enforcement agencies have a limited presence to regulate traffic.
Children’s limited understanding of road safety further increases their vulnerability, the report said, expressing concern over what it described as inadequate attention from government authorities and the public.
The foundation warned that unsafe road conditions were causing children to die or suffer permanent disabilities, resulting in an irreparable loss to the country.
RSF Recommendations
To reduce child fatalities, the RSF recommended making roads and transport systems safer for children and raising road safety awareness at home and in educational institutions.
It also called for strict action against unskilled and underage drivers, stronger treatment capacity at district-level hospitals, and a special government fund to cover medical expenses for road accident victims.
The foundation further urged the authorities to ensure effective implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018.