A total of 472 road accidents claimed 438 lives and injured 561 people across Bangladesh in June 2026, with motorcycle crashes accounting for nearly one-third of all fatalities, according to the latest report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
The report, released on Thursday, said 44 women and 56 children were among those killed. It was prepared using data collected from national newspapers, online news portals, electronic media and the organisation's own monitoring.
Motorcycle accidents remained the deadliest, with 145 crashes killing 134 people, representing 30.59% of all road deaths. Pedestrians were also among the worst affected, with 91 deaths, accounting for 20.77% of the total fatalities. Another 57 drivers and transport assistants were killed.
Besides road crashes, the country recorded nine waterway accidents, leaving seven people dead and four injured, while 21 railway accidents claimed 18 lives and injured seven others.
According to the report, 41.10% of road accidents occurred on regional roads, followed by 32% on national highways, 13.55% on rural roads, and 12.07% on urban roads. The leading cause of accidents was loss of vehicle control, responsible for 206 crashes (43.64%), followed by head-on collisions (23.09%) and pedestrian knockdowns (20.55%).
A total of 713 vehicles were involved in the accidents, including 157 motorcycles, 141 three-wheelers, 116 buses, and 107 trucks. Among those killed, 134 were motorcycle riders or passengers, 112 were passengers of three-wheelers, 37 were travelling in trucks or pickups, and 27 were bus passengers.
The report found that 31.35% of all accidents occurred in the morning, followed by 19.27% at night.
Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 116 crashes claiming 118 lives, while Mymensingh Division recorded the fewest, with 19 accidents and 16 deaths. In the capital, 32 road accidents killed 24 people and injured 49 others.
Among the victims were 58 students, 24 businesspeople, 21 political activists, 19 sales representatives, 17 NGO workers, and 13 banking and insurance employees, along with teachers, lawyers, engineers, journalists, a doctor, a police officer, garment workers and construction workers.
The Road Safety Foundation identified defective vehicles, poor road conditions, reckless speeding, driver negligence and fatigue, weak traffic management, unsafe motorcycle riding, non-compliance with traffic laws, institutional shortcomings at BRTA, and extortion in the transport sector as the major causes of road accidents.
To improve road safety, the organisation recommended restructuring the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), reforming transport agencies, removing unfit vehicles, introducing modern vehicle safety technologies, improving driver training and welfare, constructing service roads for slow-moving vehicles on highways, appointing gatekeepers at railway crossings, and increasing investment in road safety education and integrated transport planning.
The Road Safety Foundation said stronger political commitment, institutional reforms, better infrastructure and improved public awareness are essential to reducing road fatalities and building a safer transport system in Bangladesh.
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