Dhaka: At least 481 people were killed and 664 injured in road accidents across Bangladesh in August, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF). Of the deceased, 61 were women and 58 were children.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the report highlighted that 183 motorcycle accidents led to 176 deaths, accounting for 36.59 percent of the total deaths and 35.67 percent of all road crashes during the month. The RSF compiled the report using information from nine national dailies, 17 national and regional online news portals, electronic media, and its own sources.
The report revealed that 163 accidents, or 31.77 percent, occurred on national highways, while 217 (42.30 percent) took place on regional roads, 62 (12.08 percent) on rural roads, and 71 (13.84 percent) on city roads. Trucks, covered vans, pickups, tractors, trolleys, lorries, dump trucks, oil tankers, and 14-wheel lorries were involved in 28.57 percent of the accidents. Motorcycles were involved in 25.90 percent, passenger buses in 13.75 percent, and three-wheelers in 14.95 percent.
Motorcycle riders accounted for the highest number of fatalities at 176, followed by three-wheeler passengers at 78, occupants of trucks and similar heavy vehicles at 51, and bus passengers at 37. Additionally, 21 people traveling in locally made vehicles such as Nasimon, Bhatbhati, and Mahindra were killed, while five rickshaw and bicycle riders died.
In August, seven waterway accidents resulted in six deaths and nine injuries, while 34 railway track accidents killed 27 people and injured 23. Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road crashes, with 172 incidents leaving 144 people dead. Barishal Division had the lowest number, with 15 accidents and 14 deaths. Among individual districts, Bogura had the highest number of deaths, with 37. In Dhaka city, 48 road accidents claimed 23 lives and injured 54 people.
The report indicated that 61 students were among those killed. Other deceased individuals included 27 political activists, 24 local-level businesspeople, 21 sales representatives, 19 NGO workers, 13 day laborers, 12 bank and insurance employees, 11 teachers, seven garment workers, four journalists, four mosque imams or khadams, three doctors, three air force members, three motor mechanics, two army personnel, two engineers, and one police member.
The RSF noted that the average daily death toll from road crashes rose to 15.51 in August from 13.41 in July, a 15.65 percent increase. The report attributed most accidents to excessive speed and loss of control by vehicles, emphasizing the need for technology-based speed monitoring and motivational training for drivers. It also pointed out that reckless driving and pedestrian negligence were increasing pedestrian deaths.
The report identified faulty vehicles and roads, reckless driving, unskilled or unfit drivers, undefined wages and working hours, the movement of slow-moving vehicles on highways, reckless motorcycle riding by young people, ignorance of traffic laws, weak traffic management, capacity constraints at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and extortion in the public transport sector as major causes of road crashes.
The RSF recommended restructuring the National Road Safety Council and bringing various transport authorities under its supervision. It also called for structural and management reforms in transport agencies, mandatory use of modern vehicle safety technologies, removal of expired vehicles, introduction of company-based bus services in Dhaka, expansion of BRTC services, better training and welfare for professional drivers, and safer road designs with service lanes for slow-moving vehicles.
The organization further suggested appointing gatekeepers at all railway crossings, allocating funds for road safety awareness, enhancing road-safety expertise among officials, and integrating road, rail, and waterways under a unified transport ministry.