Dhaka: Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS), an association dedicated to passenger welfare, reported today that 583 people lost their lives and 1,202 sustained injuries in 567 road accidents across the country during the month of April.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, motorcycle accidents were the leading cause of fatalities and injuries. There were 215 motorcycle accidents, resulting in 229 deaths and 224 injuries. These incidents accounted for 37.91 percent of total accidents, 39.27 percent of deaths, and 18.64 percent of injuries, as detailed in a statement from the BJKS accident monitoring cell, signed by Secretary General Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury.
The Chittagong division experienced the highest number of road accidents, with 138 incidents leading to 136 deaths and 377 injuries. Conversely, the Sylhet division reported the fewest accidents, with 28 incidents causing 31 deaths and 51 injuries.
In addition to road accidents, there were 35 train mishaps that resulted in 35 fatalities and five injuries, while waterway accidents claimed 10 lives and left one person missing. Overall, 628 individuals were killed and 1,207 injured in 610 accidents.
The BJKS report highlighted that 839 vehicles were involved in road accidents in April. Of these, 30.39 percent were motorcycles, 17.64 percent were trucks, pickups, covered vans, and lorries, 13.71 percent were buses, and the remainder included battery-operated rickshaws, CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, and other vehicles.
The analysis of accident locations revealed that 31.74 percent occurred on national highways, 29.10 percent on regional highways, and 33.68 percent on feeder roads. A smaller percentage took place in Dhaka and Chittagong Metropolitan Cities and at railway crossings.
BJKS identified several causes for these accidents, including the unrestricted movement of motorcycles and battery-powered rickshaws, inadequate road signage and lighting, non-compliance with traffic rules, and issues with driver efficiency and vehicle fitness. The organization has recommended several measures to address these issues, such as halting the import and registration of motorcycles and easy bikes, improving road lighting, training skilled drivers, and enforcing digital vehicle fitness checks.
Additionally, BJKS emphasized the importance of implementing the Road Transport Act digitally, enhancing bus networks, boosting the capacity of the BRTA, ensuring quality road construction, conducting safety audits, and retiring outdated and unfit vehicles.