Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam on Wednesday said the government is firmly committed to enacting a comprehensive road safety law by 2027.
"The government was taking swift initiatives to ensure road safety. Various measures are also being taken, including updating helmet standards, enforcing speed limits, strengthening post-crash medical care, constructing underpasses, building left-side lanes on highways and improving road safety data management," he said.
He made the remarks while addressing a roundtable discussion marking National Road Safety Day 2026 at a hotel in the capital.
BRAC's Road Safety Program and Road Safety Coalition Bangladesh jointly organized the discussion titled "Government Commitment to Improving Road Safety in Bangladesh".
Rabiul said the government, the World Bank and various other organizations were working to ensure road safety. However, despite the collective efforts, the desired progress had not been achieved. A lack of coordinated initiatives and insufficient awareness about personal safety were making the situation more complicated, he added.
He said road safety programs should not be limited to a particular day; effective initiatives must be taken throughout the year. To halve road crash fatalities by 2030, the government, non-governmental organizations, development partners, transport owners' and workers' associations, and all other relevant stakeholders must work together, he added.
This year's National Road Safety Day theme is "Safe Roads, Prosperous Country, Bangladesh First".
The roundtable, organized under this theme, discussed the country's road safety situation, the government's national and international commitments, recent progress and future actions.
Particular emphasis was placed on implementing the Safe System Approach to reduce road crash deaths and serious injuries.
The minister said the government was taking various measures to improve road safety. In line with national and global commitments, initiatives were being taken to update helmet standards, enforce speed limits and formulate the necessary guidelines. At the same time, ensuring prompt medical treatment after crashes and strengthening emergency services to save injured people's lives were also receiving priority, he added.
He said projects were being undertaken to improve infrastructure safety through the construction of underpasses and the development of left-side lanes on highways.
The government was also working to ensure safe road crossings for school and college students and improve the recording and management of road crash data. Greater coordination among the relevant agencies was needed to implement these initiatives, he added.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labour and Employment Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, MP, Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haque, and Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury attended the roundtable as special guests.
Speaking as a special guest, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas said extensive changes to Bangladesh's existing road management system had become essential. People were suffering constantly because of unsafe road management.
Although different parties were blaming one another for the situation, collective initiatives were needed to find a lasting solution, he added.
He said the prime minister was working with the highest priority on bringing changes to the road transport sector. Efforts were also underway to dismantle the existing mafia system in the sector, he added.
At the beginning of the program, Ahmed Najmul Hussain, director of BRAC's Road Safety Program, delivered the welcome and introductory remarks.
Later, M Khalid Mahmud, program manager of the same program, made a PowerPoint presentation highlighting Bangladesh's road safety situation, the government's commitments, recent progress and policy priorities, including the enactment of a road safety law.
During the open discussion, participants exchanged views on enacting a comprehensive road safety law, effectively enforcing existing laws and regulations, and reducing road crash deaths and serious injuries.
