At least 1,25,405 people were killed and 1,76,249 others injured in 72,736 road crashes across the country from 2014 to June 30, 2026, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS).
The organisation disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Wednesday on the occasion of National Road Safety Day 2026, blaming mismanagement, irregularities and flawed policies in the road transport sector for the high toll.
It said the figures on crashes, casualties and their causes were compiled by monitoring media reports published between 2014 and June 30, 2026.
The BJKS also claimed that the actual number of casualties could be several times higher than the published figures.
It alleged that successive governments had focused on building and expanding roads since independence instead of developing an integrated transport system by increasing the use of waterways and railways.
As a result, dependence on roads has increased without a corresponding improvement in public transport or the development of an integrated transport network, the organisation said.
BJKS Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said the pressure of vehicles on roads has increased because of road-centric development that ignored strategic transport planning, and because of policies that shrank railways and waterways.
He also alleged that policy blunders, irregularities and corruption of the previous government contributed to the rise in road crashes.
The statement said chaos on roads is growing due to mismanagement in the transport sector, alleged extortion involving transport owners, workers and some police officials, the plying of unfit vehicles, unlicensed and unskilled drivers, flaws in road construction, and violations of traffic rules.
In its observations, the organisation said the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles, battery-run rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws, and their unrestricted movement are one of the major causes of road crashes.
It also cited the absence of medians on roads, obstructed visibility at curves due to trees, structural defects in highways and vehicles, and disregard for traffic rules as contributing factors.
Driving on the wrong side, extortion on roads, carrying passengers in goods-laden vehicles, unskilled drivers, unfit vehicles and overloading of passengers also heightened the risk of accidents, BJKS said.
It further identified reckless speeding, dangerous overtaking, and driving for long hours without breaks or rest as significant causes of crashes.
To reduce road fatalities, the organisation recommended that the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) be run under the supervision of local and foreign transport experts, instead of the bureaucratic system.
It also stressed building a modern, technology-based bus network across the country, in line with developed nations, and modernising road control systems through greater use of technology.
The recommendations call for issuing licences only after ensuring drivers' skills through modern, technology-based training.
The BJKS also suggested building footpaths and service lanes on important national highways, arranging safe road crossings for pedestrians, and installing necessary road signs and markings.
It emphasised ending extortion through structural reforms in the transport sector and fixing drivers' wages and working hours.
The organisation also recommended ensuring quality road construction and repair, conducting regular road safety audits, and modernising the process of issuing vehicle fitness certificates.
It proposed withdrawing expired public transport vehicles from the roads, enhancing the institutional capacity of the BRTA, and establishing a traffic training academy for drivers. -UNB