For a nation such as ours where road safety looks to be a distant dream with every passing day, tThe World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is a solemn occasion to honour those who have lost their lives on our roads. As a nation striving toward progress and development, this day has more significance due to our persistent struggle with one of the highest road traffic fatality rates globally.
Indeed, the numbers are nothing if not tragic; Over 35,000 lives lost in more than 32,700 accidents from 2019 to mid-2024, with yearly deaths fluctuating between approximately 5,000 to 8,000. This does not even take into account the hundreds of thousands who are injured permanently. The end result is families shattered and futures cut short.
Year after year, there are urgent calls for stronger road safety measures that fall on deaf ears. The systemic failures in traffic management, enforcement, and public awareness persist, and our ambition to become a safer, more prosperous nation slips further away.
It cannot go on like this however, and road safety must become a foundational pillar of the vision of creating a better Bangladesh for all. Political will, investment in safer road infrastructure, enforcement of traffic laws, and public education campaigns are all essential to begin addressing this trend of needless deaths on our roads.
This day of remembrance ought to lead to a collective commitment, from government bodies, civil society, the private sector, and citizens, to prioritize road safety at every level. There are victims on our roads every day, and it is time we remember them not only in grief but with decisive action that starts protecting all lives on our roads.
