Student fatalities in crashes: How many deaths must be seen before roads are safe?
According to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), 5,619 students have died in road accidents over the past five and a half years.
A nationwide movement demanding safer roads for students flared in July 2018 following the tragic deaths of two college students in a bus accident in Dhaka. The 11-day protest led to the passage of the Road Transport Act 2018 in September of that year.
Six years later, road safety for students remains a grave concern despite this legislation.
According to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), 5,619 students have died in road accidents over the past five and a half years. Students accounted for 16.29% of all road accident fatalities from 2019 to June 2024, with a total of 34,478 deaths.
The Road Transport Act faced challenges early on, with transport owners' and workers' organisations protesting the law. In 2021, 29 out of 126 sections of the act were amended, weakening its provisions.
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Numerous major accidents have taken place since the Mirsarai tragedy. However, no long-term sustainable plan has been implemented to establish discipline in the road transport sector.
"It seemed that there would be some changes in the transport sector after the 2018 movement. But in reality, the situation is the same as before. The Road Safety Act has been discussed in parliament. But its implementation is hardly seen," said Dr Md Shamsul Hoque, a civil engineering professor at Buet and former director of the Accident Research Institute.
He added, "The government is hostage to the transport owners. As a result, the government is not able to implement initiatives in the transport sector. The government also lacks a proper plan for the transport sector."
The transportation engineering specialist cited statistics from developed countries indicating that two-wheelers were 30 times more dangerous than four-wheelers, a risk likely higher in Bangladesh.
He expressed concern that while developed nations were phasing out motorcycles, Bangladesh was making it easier to acquire them, even providing incentives to sellers.
An analysis of RSF's student accidents reveals that motorcycle riders and pillion passengers account for the highest number of fatalities, at 2,783 (49.52%).
This is followed by pedestrians struck by vehicles (1,534; 27.30%), vehicle passengers (721; 12.83%), bicycle riders (497; 8.84%), and those strangulated by clothes getting stuck in auto-rickshaw wheels (84; 1.49%).
Mirsarai tragedy a wakeup call
The RSF report was presented at a press conference titled "Student Fatalities in Road Accidents: Statistics and Analysis" at its Dhaka office today in observance of the Mirsarai Tragedy Day.
RSF observes the Mirsarai Tragedy Day in remembrance of the 45 who died, including 42 students, when a pickup truck overturned into a pond in Chattogram's Mirsarai on 11 July 2011. The students were returning from the Bangabandhu-Bangamata Gold Cup football tournament at Mirsarai Stadium.
"Numerous major accidents have taken place since the Mirsarai tragedy. However, no long-term sustainable plan has been implemented to establish discipline in the road transport sector. The initiatives being taken are largely unscientific and uncoordinated," said Dr AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, RSF chairman and professor at Dhaka University.
The foundation has called for the national observance of "Mirsarai Tragedy Day" to create awareness about road safety among students and to honour and express sympathy to the families of the deceased students.
"To establish order in the chaotic road transport sector, a long-term, integrated sustainable transport strategy must be implemented," Professor Mahbub added.
Rising student fatalities
RSF data shows that student road fatalities have increased consecutively from 2019 to 2022. In 2019, 693 students died, while in 2022, the number rose to 1,437.
The RSF report noted that 2,641 victims aged 5 to 17 were from schools and madrasas, accounting for 47% of the total. Meanwhile, 2,978 victims aged 18 to 25 were from colleges and universities, making up 53%.
Further analysis revealed that 1,339 (23.82%) fatalities occurred on rural roads, 1,486 (26.44%) on city roads, 1,651 (29.38%) on regional roads, and 1,143 (20.30%) on highways.
Students aged 5 to 12 are primarily involved in accidents while commuting to school or playing near their homes, often struck by auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, or goods vehicles on rural roads.
Students aged 13 to 25 are more likely involved in accidents as motorcycle riders or passengers, primarily on regional roads and highways.
Additionally, around 833 students have died since 2019 due to carelessly crossing railway tracks and walking along rail lines while wearing headphones.
The RSF identified several reasons for student fatalities: faulty roads and unsafe vehicles, lack of knowledge about safe road usage, and reckless motorcycle riding by students.
Way out?
To prevent such accidents, the RSF recommended not allowing underage individuals to ride motorcycles, strict law enforcement, road safety campaigns in educational institutions, government initiatives to train teachers on road safety, introducing road safety topics in exams, banning unsafe vehicles, ensuring safety measures near educational institutions, and creating awareness.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's Road Safety Wing Director, Sheikh Mohammad Mahbub-e-Rabbani, acknowledged ongoing awareness campaigns through leaflets and discussions.
"We have a strict stance against riding motorcycles without standard helmets, with mobile courts enforcing the rule. However, individual responsibility and cautious driving are most crucial in preventing accidents," he said.
