Today (16 November 2025) is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The observance of this day began in 1993 through the initiative of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims. In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognized the day as an international observance. Since then, countries worldwide have observed this day each year to remember the 1.3 million people who lost their lives and the crores who were injured, and to reinforce the need for their rehabilitation.
Road crashes are among the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, 31,578 people died in road crashes in Bangladesh in 2021. The report also indicates that fatalities are rising steadily from 15.3 deaths per 10,000 people in 2016 to 19 in 2021. In light of this alarming reality, today is observed as the Day of Remembrance for those who lost their lives in road crashes.
The day is observed to remember those who were killed or injured in road crashes, to express sympathy to their families, and to reaffirm the global commitment to road safety. Considering this objective, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) organized a memorial gathering, community mobilization, and a rally today. The event honored the victims and expressed condolences with affected families, discussing road safety issues with the community, and sharing awareness messages.
Speakers at the event described road crashes as a major public health issue in the country and called for a comprehensive road safety law based on the Safe System Approach to ensure a sustainable solution.
The event was chaired by Mr. Alhaj Alauddin Alal, Member Secretary of Kamarpara Janakalyan Society, with Dr. Selim Mahmud Chowdhury, Director of RIT Prevention and Research Unit of CIPRB, attending as the chief guest. In his address, the chief guest emphasized that road crashes are preventable and should not be considered ‘accidents.’ He highlighted risky behaviors on road such as speeding, using mobile phones while walking, not wearing quality helmets on motorcycles, and neglecting seatbelts or child restraints in cars- as major causes of crashes, fatality, and injuries.
He further stated that safe roads are a fundamental right and stressed the need for adequate research, accurate data on casualties, and evidence-based action plans to improve road safety. The chief guest also urged all members of society to support families affected by road crashes and called on relevant stakeholders to play an active role in strengthening road safety from their respective positions.
The president of the program noted that we were not fully aware of safe road-use practices. Today’s session helped us learn proper road use norms, which we must follow from now on. All members of the Kamarpara Janakalyan Samiti will abide by these rules and encourage others to do the same, hoping this collective effort will help reduce road crashes. We also learned about the rehabilitation of road crash victims from CIPRB, which will be valuable for us.
Mr. Kazi Burhan Uddin, Road Safety Project Manager of CIPRB, said that CIPRB has long history of working on road safety research, community-based awareness, and policy advocacy. He added that the organization aims to further strengthen its collaboration with the government in the future- supporting road crash data management, post-crash response, the development of motor vehicle speed-limit guidelines, and the formulation of comprehensive road safety laws etc.
