497 Road Accidents in August 2025 Claim 502 Lives, Injure 1,232: PWAB Report

A staggering 497 road accidents across Bangladesh in August 2025 resulted in 502 deaths and 1,232 injuries, according to a report released by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB). The report, compiled by the organization’s Accident Monitoring Cell through media surveillance, also documented 34 railway accidents claiming 34 lives and injuring 7, alongside 21 waterway incidents that left 27 dead, 22 injured, and 13 missing. Collectively, 552 accidents across road, rail, and waterways caused 563 fatalities and 1,261 injuries last month.

The PWAB, in a press release signed by its Secretary-General Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury on Wednesday, highlighted that motorcycle accidents accounted for 33.19% of total incidents (165 cases), resulting in 176 deaths (35.05% of total fatalities) and 144 injuries (11.68% of total injuries). Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road accidents at 132, with 128 deaths and 333 injuries, while Barishal Division saw the fewest, with 15 accidents leading to 14 deaths and 22 injuries.

Among the victims, identities included 162 drivers, 82 pedestrians, 97 students, 95 women, 42 children, 19 transport workers, 12 law enforcement personnel, 11 teachers, 3 journalists, 1 freedom fighter, 1 lawyer, and 26 political activists. Of those killed, 142 were drivers, 82 pedestrians, 73 women, 51 students, 38 children, 7 transport workers, 7 teachers, 11 political activists, 1 police officer, 1 army member, 1 fire service member, 1 freedom fighter, and 1 lawyer.

The report identified 789 vehicles involved in road accidents, with motorcycles comprising 26.10%, trucks/pickups/covered vans/lorries 24.71%, buses 15.08%, battery-powered rickshaws/easy-bikes 13.68%, CNG auto-rickshaws 7.35%, nosimon/karimon/Mahindra/tractors/lagunas 6.59%, and cars/jeeps/microbuses 6.46%.

Analysis of accident types revealed that 44.06% were caused by vehicles running over pedestrians, 30.38% by head-on collisions, 19.19% by vehicles losing control and veering into ditches, 3.82% by miscellaneous causes, 0.60% by scarves getting caught in wheels, and 1.20% by train-vehicle collisions. Geographically, 45.07% of accidents occurred on national highways, 26.55% on regional highways, 20.32% on feeder roads, 5.03% in Dhaka city, 1.81% in Chattogram city, and 1.20% at railway crossings.

Key Causes of Accidents

The PWAB identified several contributing factors to the high accident rate in August:

1. Potholes and road damage due to monsoon rains.
2. Unregulated movement of motorcycles, battery-powered rickshaws, CNG auto-rickshaws, and nosimon/karimon vehicles on highways.
3. Lack of road signs, markings, and streetlights, leading to sudden vehicle entries from feeder roads.
4. Absence of road dividers and overgrown vegetation causing blind bends.
5. Construction flaws in highways, vehicle defects, and disregard for traffic laws.
6. Wrong-way driving, extortion on roads, and passenger transport in goods vehicles.
7. Unskilled drivers, unfit vehicles, and overloading.
8. Reckless driving and operating vehicles without rest.

Recommendations for Prevention

To curb the rising tide of accidents, the PWAB proposed the following measures:

1. Urgent repair of rain-damaged roads and highways.
2. Installation of streetlights on national and regional highways for safe nighttime travel.
3. Initiatives to train skilled drivers and implement digital vehicle fitness certification.
4. Construction of service lanes and footpaths on major highways.
5. Eradication of road extortion and regulation of drivers’ salaries and working hours.
6. Provision of pedestrian crossings, road signs, and markings.
7. Enforcement of traffic laws using digital technology aligned with global standards.
8. Development of a modern, high-quality bus network and enhanced capacity of regulatory bodies.
9. Ensuring quality road construction and regular safety audits.
10. Scrapping of expired public transport and long-unfit vehicles.
11. Exemption of VAT and income tax for drivers undergoing training.
12. Regulation of motorcycle and battery-powered rickshaw imports and registration.

The PWAB’s report underscores the urgent need for comprehensive road safety reforms to address the persistent loss of lives and injuries on Bangladesh’s roads, railways, and waterways.