Editing Transport in Bangladesh (section)

==== Safety ====
Bangladesh has one of the highest road accident fatality rates globally,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ethirajan |first=Anbarasan |date=2011-05-11 |title=Bangladesh kicks off UN road safety decade |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13356780 |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=BBC News |location=Dhaka |language=en-GB}}</ref> with estimates from non-governmental sources reaching as high as 25,000 deaths in 2019, although official government figures are much lower.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-27 |title=Bangladesh 106th among 183 countries for having most road accidents: Report |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-106th-among-183-countries-having-most-road-accidents-report-335299 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=[[The Business Standard]] |language=en}}</ref> The annual road crash [[Mortality rate|deaths per capita]] in Bangladesh are twice the average rate for high-income countries and five times that of the best-performing countries worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sultana |first=Marium |date=29 Jul 2022 |title=Long way to road safety in Bangladesh: traffic accidents are still on the upward curve |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/60zkf3i6zr |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=[[bdnews24.com]] |language=en}}</ref> Buses and trucks are identified as the primary contributors to traffic accidents, with pedestrian casualties being particularly common. Major contributing factors include a mix of diverse traffic, inadequate enforcement of laws, poor road conditions, and a lack of formal training and education.<ref name=":17" />

Road safety concerns have sparked significant movements, such as [[Nirapad Sarak Chai]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-20 |title=সড়ক দুর্ঘটনায় প্রতি বছর বিশ্বে সাড়ে বারো লক্ষ মানুষ মারা যায় |trans-title=Twelve and a half lakh people die around the world in road accidents every year |url=https://www.voabangla.com/a/road-accident-death-sh/3015461.html |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=VOA Bangla |language=bn}}</ref> and mass protests, primarily led by students.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-21 |title=Daylong protest over unsafe road |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/students-stage-demo-for-road-safety-movement-over-unsafe-road-in-dhaka-1718227 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 November 2021 |title=Student protests for road safety widen in Bangladesh |url=https://www.newagebd.net/article/155825/student-protests-for-road-safety-widen-in-bangladesh |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=[[New Age (Bangladesh)|New Age]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=26 April 2024 |title=Cuet students suspend road safety protests, set to resume classes |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/education/344948/cuet-students-suspend-road-safety-protests-set-to |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-22 |title=Students take to streets again |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/rights/news/students-take-streets-again-2944461 |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> A notable instance was the major [[2018 Bangladesh road-safety protests|2018 road safety protests]], when tens of thousands of schoolchildren in Dhaka and nearby cities protested following the deaths of two students caused by a speeding bus.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-08-02 |title=Bangladesh teenagers demanding road safety paralyse Dhaka |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45048012 |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-08-06 |title=Bangladesh protests: How a traffic accident stopped a city of 18 million |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45080129 |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-01 |title=Protest spreads outside Dhaka |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/country/safe-roads-demand-of-students-protest-spreads-outside-dhaka-bangladesh-1614331 |access-date=2024-06-17 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> In response to these events, the government passed the Road Transport Act in September 2018, despite opposition from transport workers. The act aimed to enhance road safety by increasing fines for traffic violations, imposing stricter licensing requirements, and introducing harsher penalties, including the possibility of the death penalty for causing serious injury or death in motor vehicle accidents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haq |first=Rahbar Al |date=2019-11-06 |title=Road Transport Act 2018 – details, repercussions, reactions |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/shift/news/road-transport-act-2018-details-repurcussions-reactions-1823818 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> Despite its hasty introduction, enforcement of the law has been inconsistent, leading to no significant improvement in road safety. Road accidents have continued to increase, while the government has reduced fines and sentences, attributed to entrenched interests and conflicts of interest between businesses, regulatory authorities, and politicians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khan |first=Moazzem Hossain |date=16 December 2021 |title=Outcomes of road safety movements |url=https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/education/outcomes-of-road-safety-movements-1639594287 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Financial Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jawad |first=Readus Salehen |date=2021-11-27 |title=Road deaths and protests: A cycle doomed to repeat itself |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/road-deaths-and-protests-cycle-doomed-repeat-itself-335329 |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=The Business Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shubhra Adhikary |first=Tuhin |date=2019-07-29 |title=A Year Since Road Safety Demo: Lofty promises, little action |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/road-safety-demo-in-bangladesh-lofty-promises-little-action-1778512 |access-date=2019-09-09 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref>