boldRoad accidents continue unabated across Chapainawabganj, with the Sonamasjid Highway proving to be the most dangerous route in the region. Three-fourths of all road fatality victims in the district lose their lives on this single highway. Over the past three years, both the frequency of accidents and the resulting casualties have risen at an alarming rate. Experts and officials attribute this persistent danger to a large number of unfit, expired vehicles operating on the roads alongside banned three-wheelers, such as CNGs and auto-rickshaws, which continue to ply the highways routinely.
According to data from the BRTA and the District Police, 150 people lost their lives in road accidents across the district over the 34-month period from 2024 through September 2026. These tragedies have left numerous families without breadwinners, devastated parents who lost children, and children left orphaned. Many survivors suffer lifelong disabilities and loss of limbs. Key factors contributing to these recurring crashes include reckless speeding, non-compliance with traffic laws, and the unrestricted movement of three-wheeled vehicles on highways.
Reports indicate that most vehicles travel at reckless speeds along the Chapainawabganj–Sonamasjid Highway, which handles heavy freight traffic from India via cargo trucks alongside high volumes of passenger transport. Buses, trucks, microbuses, private cars, and motorcycles share the road with countless auto-rickshaws and locally assembled unauthorized vehicles like Votvotis and Nosimons. Meanwhile, authorities have largely limited their intervention to installing a few warning signs in accident-prone spots reading "Accident Prone Area, Drive Slowly."
In a recent tragic incident on the night of September 30, a fatal road crash in the Puskuni area along the Choudata-Kansat road in Shibganj upazila claimed the lives of three people, including a father and son, while leaving eight others injured. The victims were returning home from the Sonaichandi cattle market in Nachole aboard an unauthorized Votvoti that lost control and plunged into a roadside ditch.
Despite rising annual fatalities, government agencies responsible for ensuring road safety have struggled to implement effective measures. National Safe Road Day, traditionally observed on October 22 since 2017, has been rescheduled to October 28 this year due to Durga Puja public holidays. The theme for this year's observance is "Safe Roads, Prosperous Nation: Bangladesh First."
Following the tragic deaths of two students in a bus racing incident in Dhaka on July 29, 2018, widespread student protests led to the passage of the Road Transport Act 2018. However, key directives and legal frameworks remain largely unenforced on the ground. Advocate Md. Abdus Salam emphasized that without strict legal enforcement combined with civic awareness among drivers, owners, and pedestrians, safety initiatives will fall short.
Addressing the issue, Md. Shahjaman, Assistant Director of Chapainawabganj Circle BRTA, stated that regular awareness programs and mobile court drives led by executive magistrates are being conducted. Additional Superintendent of Police ANM Wasim Firoz added that police are working round-the-clock to restore traffic discipline, emphasizing that joint cooperation from drivers, owners, and pedestrians is essential to prevent accidents.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Md. Tarek Rahman, Chapainawabganj, District Correspondent • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
