The escalating trend of road accidents and resulting casualties in Bangladesh remains a critical concern. However, due to the absence of comprehensive governmental data collection, accurate information on road accidents and casualties cannot be fully determined, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over the true extent of the problem.
Several private organizations regularly publish monthly and annual reports on road accidents and casualties.
Nevertheless, due to various limitations, complete data is often not gathered, leaving any discussion on the exact figures of road accidents and casualties in the dark.
A review of the figures from 2015 to 2022 - an eight-year span, shows a variety of reported data. Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA-we demand safe roads), reports that in the past eight years, 32,195 road accidents have claimed the lives of 43,220 individuals, and injured 54,381.
According to Save the Road, during this time, 130,509 road accidents have led to the deaths of 40,523 individuals, with 182,308 injured.
As per Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity's records, over the past seven years, 44,171 road accidents have resulted in 61,656 fatalities and injured 112,753 people.
Lastly, the Road Safety Foundation reports that over the last four years, 21,628 road accidents have caused the deaths of 24,639 individuals and injured 34,565.
Although previously one private organization used to work on road safety, currently four organizations are active. Comparing the road accident and casualty data provided by these organizations over the past eight years makes the “information chaos” quite apparent.
The concerned parties cite numerous constraints in data collection, stating that only major road accidents and casualties are covered by the media. Smaller incidents or injuries often do not make the news.
Moreover, while immediate casualty numbers are reported, subsequent fatalities among those injured are not often updated in the media.
Stakeholders suggest that due to the government's lack of reporting on road accidents and casualty figures, private organizations have to rely on news published in the media. This is why the data from each organization varies.
To solve this issue, it has become crucial to create a centralized government database or information bank. Otherwise, the general public will not receive accurate information, and the confusion over data will persist, they noted.
beginning of social movement on road safety
The tragic death of Jahanara Kanchan, the wife of actor Ilias Kanchan, in a road accident, sparked the first social movement in Bangladesh focusing on road safety.
In response to this tragedy, Ilias Kanchan initiated the Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA) campaign on December 1 in 1993. The campaign ignited widespread demand for safer roads among the populace.
Following the launch of NISCHA, several organizations were founded to join the cause, including the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity in 2006, Save the Road in 2007, and the Road Safety Foundation in 2017.
NISCHA, along with these organizations, has been publishing regular reports on road, rail, and maritime accidents and casualties.
NISCHA began these reports in 2012, followed by the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity in 2015, Save the Road in 2014, and the Road Safety Foundation in 2019.
These organizations currently issue monthly reports and even provide separate accounts during major events like Eid travels.
Perplexing data
The monthly and annual reports on road accidents and casualties presented by these organizations provide an inconsistent set of information.
Again, there is a considerable divergence between the figures presented by the government agency, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and the information supplied by private organizations.
This discrepancy is leading to disputes among the relevant parties. Consequently, the public remains perplexed when trying to obtain accurate information.
According to the calculations of the past eight years by NISCHA, the year 2015 witnessed 2,626 accidents, leading to 5,003 fatalities and 6,197 injuries. The following year, 2,316 accidents occurred, resulting in 2,144 deaths and 5,225 injuries. In 2017, there were 3,349 accidents that took 5,645 lives and caused injuries to 7,908 people. The number of accidents increased to 3,103 in 2018, with 4,839 lives lost and 7,425 injuries reported. A surge was seen in 2019 with 4,702 accidents that caused 5,227 fatalities and 6,953 injuries. The year 2020 saw a slight decrease with 4,092 accidents, 4,969 deaths, and 5,085 injuries. The following year, 4,983 accidents resulted in 5,689 deaths and 5,805 injuries. Lastly, 2022 marked a significant rise with 7,024 accidents, causing 8,104 deaths and injuring 9,783 individuals.
As per the calculations by Save the Road, the annual breakdown of accidents and casualties is as follows: in 2015, there were 10,261 accidents that claimed 4,303 lives and injured 10,178 individuals. In 2016, the number of accidents increased to 12,607, resulting in 4,597 deaths and 12,645 injuries. The figures for 2017 stood at 13,959 accidents, leading to 4,664 fatalities and 13,593 injuries. In 2018, there were 13,621 accidents, with 4,295 deaths and 12,705 injuries. The count slightly decreased in 2019 to 11,751 accidents, causing 3,938 deaths and 9,399 injuries. In 2020, a total of 8,690 accidents were reported, with 3,922 deaths and 8,222 injuries. In 2021, there were 7,512 accidents that led to 5,370 deaths and 70,229 injuries. Lastly, the numbers for 2022 were staggering with 52,048 accidents, 9,434 deaths, and 45,337 injuries.
Since 2015, the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has been chronicling road accidents and associated casualties. The organization's data reveals a series of statistics, starting from 2015 when 6,581 accidents claimed 8,642 lives and injured 21,855 people. The subsequent years also showed significant numbers, with 4,312 accidents in 2016 causing 6,055 deaths and 15,914 injuries, 4,979 accidents in 2017 with 7,397 fatalities and 16,193 injuries, and 5,514 accidents in 2018 leading to 7,221 deaths and 15,466 injuries. The data for 2019 showed 5,516 accidents with 7,855 fatalities and 13,330 injuries. A total of 4,891 accidents in 2020 resulted in 6,686 deaths and 8,600 injuries. The figures for 2021 documented 5,629 accidents, leading to 7,809 deaths and 9,039 injuries, and the records for 2022 show 6,749 accidents, causing 9,951 fatalities and 12,356 injuries.
Since 2019, the Road Safety Foundation has also been documenting road accidents and their resulting casualties. The organization's report shows 4,693 road accidents causing 5,211 deaths and 7,103 injuries in the inaugural year. This trend continued with 4,735 road accidents in 2020, resulting in 5,431 fatalities and 7,379 injuries. In 2021, there were 5,371 road accidents causing 6,284 deaths and 7,468 injuries, and in 2022, the foundation's report indicates 6,829 road accidents leading to 7,713 fatalities and 12,615 injuries.
The regular monthly and yearly reports published by these non-governmental organizations have led the BRTA to begin publishing its own reports since January of this year.
As per the accounts, in January there were 322 road accidents leading to 333 deaths and 336 injuries; in February, 308 road accidents resulted in 303 deaths and 416 injuries; in March, 387 road accidents caused 415 deaths and 688 injuries; in April, 476 road accidents led to 459 fatalities and 705 injuries, and in May, 483 road accidents resulted in 394 deaths and 649 injuries.
Confusion over Eid travel accident data
Eid travel is often regarded as the riskiest period in terms of road accidents and casualties. However, there is a clear lack of consensus in the reported figures, as individual organizations publish their own distinct data, leading to widespread confusion.
According to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, there were 278 road accidents during the Eid-ul-Fitr travel period of 14 days (from April 16-29), resulting in 301 deaths and 551 injuries. Compared to the previous year, accidents have decreased by 18.2%, fatalities have declined by 21.1%, and injuries have decreased by 33%.
As per the Road Safety Foundation's figures, the same 14-day Eid travel period saw 240 road accidents, causing 285 deaths and injuring 454 individuals.
Meanwhile, Save the Roads reports that during the same 14-day Eid travel period, there were 1,041 road accidents, which resulted in 244 deaths and 1,173 injuries.
However, the road accident and casualty figures for the 14-day Eid travel period reported by these three organizations do not match up.
For instance, the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity reports 304 accidents, the Road Safety Foundation cites 240, and Save the Roads indicates 1,041.
As per the casualty numbers, the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity reports 328 deaths, the Road Safety Foundation states 285, and Save the Roads reveals 244.
Regarding the count of injuries, the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, the Road Safety Foundation, and Save the Roads have provided figures of 565, 454, and 1,173, respectively.
Allegations of fudged statistics
In early May 2023, Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury requested daily road accident and casualty data for April from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), by sending a letter to its chairman, Nur Mohammad Mazumder.
In response, the BRTA declared the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity's Eid accident report unfounded and fictitious, asking for more detailed information via letter.
The BRTA sought an explanation as to why the number of road accidents in the report by the Jatri Kalyan Samity was 51 more than their report, and why there were 89 more deaths and 55 more injuries.
The letter from Jatri Kalyan Samity stated: “The BRTA has been compiling and publishing monthly road accident reports since January this year. Upon review, it is clear that there is no correlation between the BRTA's report and the police report or any report from a private organization.”
Reason for the data discrepancy
To understand the reason for this discrepancy in data, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said: "We have been reporting on road accidents for the last 12 years. We gather our data from news published in the media. We also collect information from our volunteers. The numbers taken from the media as a source can vary, hence the difference in each organization's data.”
“Many accidents do not make it to the media, so it is not possible for us to collect those figures. Additionally, some are adding or subtracting information from our data and submitting separate reports. Due to these reasons, different organizations' reports contain different information. The task of collating this data was supposed to be carried out by the BRTA. We are doing it because they are not," he remarked.
Road Safety Foundation Executive Director Saidur Rahman also said that their organization collects accident and casualty information from news published in the media.
“Often, in doing so, the same information comes multiple times. Also, many accident and casualty data do not make it to the media, and we are unable to provide that information. Additionally, we often cannot accurately obtain information about why accidents occurred, the age of victims, their gender identity, and so on. The only solution to this problem is the creation of a database or application (app) for accidents through a government initiative," he said.
Save the Road Secretary General Shanta Farzana echoed the same information.
“We collect information from national dailies, regional dailies, online portals, and television. Along with our volunteers present in various districts, we also gather information from the police. We report on road accidents and casualties based on this data. The disparity seen in the information from different organizations is due to the lack of centralized organization of this information,” she said.
What could be the solution?
Those involved in road safety assert that large-scale road accidents and fatalities make headlines in the media. Small accidents or injury-related news often do not appear as news.
Although the number of casualties is reported at the time of the accident, the count of individuals who die subsequently is not relayed to the media in the same way.
Non-governmental organizations are forced to rely on published news due to the government not disclosing the number of road accidents and fatalities.
This results in each organization providing differing data.
They suggest that a centralized government database or data bank could be a solution.
What does BRTA say?
No responsible officials from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) agreed to comment on this data disparity regarding road accidents and fatalities.
However, multiple officials speaking on the condition of anonymity mentioned that they had not previously kept such accident data.
Now, that private organizations are regularly publishing reports, the authority is obliged to release such information.
These organizations collect data from the media, and BRTA collects information from regional offices.
This results in a mismatch between the data of each organization, even between these organizations and BRTA.
In May, BRTA asked for public assistance to solve the discrepancies between the data provided by the government and non-government institutions about road accidents.
In a statement, the authority announced that they have been publishing data about road accidents since last January.
The published data about road accidents is collected through BRTA's 64 circle offices throughout the country.
At the same time, reports published by the police department and newspapers are verified and validated.
If a road accident happens anywhere, it is urged to promptly contact the nearest BRTA office or the BRTA head office at 01550051582 to provide the information.