Building a culture of road safety

Tackling road safety through people and policy

Bangladesh ranks among the highest countries globally for road crash fatalities, with road accidents costing Bangladesh over USD 1.7 billion (BDT 210 billion) each year.

Building safer roads and stronger communities

BRAC tackles the challenge of making Bangladesh’s roads safer through a multi-sectoral approach. Unlike conventional interventions focused solely on infrastructure, we tackle the human factors. Our model combines driver training through our driving school with community-led safety initiatives in high-risk areas, fostering local ownership of road safety. We also advocate for policy reforms to create lasting systemic change. By empowering both road users and decision makers – from professional drivers to grassroots communities – we are building a culture of safety. This holistic strategy reflects our approach of identifying root causes rather than symptoms, and creating solutions that work.

Making Roads Safer

1.36M

people engaged in road safety awareness activities in the past 12 years

10,891

people trained in basic driving between June 2012 - December 2024

BRAC Bangladesh road safety - Srimti Banita Khalko sitting in her car, proud of her new identity.

3,836

women received professional driving training to date

I started the car with boundless joy. I used to get a lot of strange looks on the streets but I ignored them. The steering wheel to my dreams was in my hands. And then, I got the job.”

Learning to drive to become self-sufficient

Srimti Banita Khalko sitting in her car, proud of herself.

Once struggling to find her footing after a difficult childhood, Srimti Banita found confidence and independence through a free driving training program. Today, she works as a professional driver for BRAC—a job that brings her both respect and joy. Military guards salute her on the road, and her sons proudly tell everyone, “My mom can drive!” As Srimti shares, “I steered my life in a different direction by becoming a driver. My sons beam with pride when I take them on the road.”