A total of 443 road accidents occurred across Bangladesh in July, leaving 418 people dead and 856 others injured, according to a report published on Tuesday (August 19), by the Road Safety Foundation.
Among the victims, 72 were women (17.22 percent) and 53 were children (12.67 percent).
The findings were compiled from reports in nine national dailies, seven online news portals, various electronic media, and the foundation’s own data.
The report revealed that motorcycles were involved in 131 accidents, killing 109 people — accounting for 26.08 percent of total fatalities. Motorcycle accidents represented 29.57 percent of all road crashes.
In addition, 92 pedestrians were killed, making up 22 percent of fatalities, while 56 drivers and transport workers lost their lives, or 13.40 percent.
Beyond road accidents, four waterway accidents claimed six lives, while 21 railway track accidents killed 18 people and injured seven.
An analysis of accident timing showed that 4.96 percent occurred in the early morning, 29.57 percent in the morning, 21.89 percent at noon, 17.15 percent in the afternoon, 11.06 percent in the evening, and 15.34 percent at night.
By region, Dhaka Division recorded the highest share of accidents at 26.41 percent, while Mymensingh Division reported the lowest at 7.22 percent. In Dhaka Division, 117 accidents killed 105 people.
Dhaka district alone saw 47 accidents resulting in 34 deaths. The capital reported 26 road accidents that left 19 dead and 38 injured.
Causes of Accidents
According to the Road Safety Foundation, the main causes of road accidents include: faulty vehicles; poorly maintained roads; reckless speed; drivers’ negligence, incompetence, or physical and mental unfitness; absence of fixed salaries and working hours; movement of slow vehicles on highways; reckless motorcycle driving by youth; lack of awareness and compliance with traffic laws among the public; weak traffic management; insufficient capacity of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA); and extortion in the public transport sector.
Recommendations
To reduce accidents, the foundation has recommended: expanding training to produce skilled drivers; fixing drivers’ salaries and working hours; strengthening BRTA’s institutional capacity; ensuring strict enforcement of traffic laws for transport owners, workers, passengers, and pedestrians; banning slow-moving vehicles on highways and building separate service roads for them; gradually constructing road dividers on all highways; ending extortion in the public transport sector; upgrading railways and waterways to reduce pressure on roads; formulating and implementing a sustainable transport strategy; and ensuring the full implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018.
SMS/
