Make roads safer for our children

Road crashes remain one of the worst threats to children’s safety in Bangladesh. According to the latest report by the Road Safety Foundation, in 2025, as many as 7,359 people were killed by road crashes, of whom 1,008—13.7 percent—were children. This is a stark reminder of the state’s failure to protect its youngest citizens from a preventable death. The Road Safety Foundation has found that most child deaths from road mishaps occur in rural areas, where reckless traffic, unsafe road conditions, and lack of pedestrian infrastructure combined create a deadly situation.

Alarmingly, pedestrian deaths accounted for nearly half of child fatalities last year. Of the children who died on the roads, 44 percent were aged 13-17 years. Rural roads, which run close to homes and lack traffic control, are particularly unsafe for children. Additionally, small vehicles such as three-wheelers pose a serious risk to children on the highways. Analyses also show that midday is the most dangerous time, when children are moving between homes, schools, and playgrounds. 

Children are inherently more vulnerable on the roads, as experts point out: their height and lack of experience make them less visible to drivers, and they are often inattentive when moving in groups. Therefore, taking particular measures for children’s safety is necessary. Common measures taken in other countries include adult supervision while crossing roads, school buses, road awareness campaigns, and special measures around schools. But such measures are largely absent in Bangladesh. 

The report by the Road Safety Foundation should serve as a warning that urgent, efficient action is needed to prevent further child fatalities and injuries on the roads. The government must treat road safety as a national priority, with targeted policies to protect children. Families, schools, and communities must be educated on safe road use, while strict law enforcement, improved road design, child-friendly infrastructure, and regulation of drivers and vehicles are urgently required. Political parties must include road safety in their manifestos as they prepare for the upcoming national election. Without proper measures and effective enforcement of the law, our children will remain vulnerable on the roads.