Road crashes claim 438 lives in June: RSF

At least 438 people were killed and 561 injured in 472 road accidents across Bangladesh in June, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF). 

The victims included 44 women and 56 children, said the organization in a press release today (5 July).

The report said 145 motorcycle crashes claimed 134 lives, accounting for 30.59 percent of the total fatalities.

Among other deceased, 91 were pedestrians and 57 drivers and transport assistants .

The RSF said the report was compiled based on information published by nine national newspapers, 17 national and regional online news portals, various electronic media outlets, and its own data.

During the same period, nine waterway accidents left seven people dead and four injured, while 21 railway accidents claimed 18 lives and injured seven others, according to the report.

Vehicle-wise data showed that motorcyclists and pillion riders accounted for the highest number of fatalities, followed by passengers of three-wheelers, trucks, covered vans and pickup vehicles, buses, locally made vehicles, and rickshaws and bicycles.

According to the RSF, 151 crashes, or 32 percent of the total, occurred on national highways, while 194 accidents (41.10 percent) took place on regional roads. Another 64 crashes (13.55 percent) occurred on rural roads and 57 (12.07 percent) on urban roads.

The report said loss of vehicle control was the leading cause of crashes, followed by head-on collisions, pedestrian knockdowns, and rear-end collisions.

In the capital, 32 road accidents left 24 people dead and 49 injured during the month.

The report also highlighted the occupational profile of the victims, saying they included 58 students, alongside police personnel, teachers, journalists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, businesspeople, NGO workers, bank and insurance employees, sales representatives, political activists, garment workers, construction workers, religious leaders, and others.

The RSF identified defective vehicles and roads, speeding, reckless and unskilled driving, long working hours and poor wages for drivers, the movement of slow-moving vehicles on highways, reckless motorcycle riding by young people, poor compliance with traffic laws, weak traffic management, institutional shortcomings at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and extortion in the public transport sector as the major causes of road crashes. 

The report recommended reconstituting the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and place the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC), and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) under its authority.

The RSF said a safer road transport system could be achieved through updated policies, improved infrastructure and technology, and greater public awareness, adding that strong political commitment would be essential to implementing these measures.