A total of 458 road crashes killed 416 people and injured 629 across the country in July. Among the dead were 57 women and 48 children. Motorcycle crashes caused the most deaths, at 138 — 33.17 percent of the total.
The figures came in the Road Safety Foundation’s monthly road-crash report, published on Wednesday. The report was prepared on the basis of reports in national and regional media and the organisation’s own data.
The report said that among those killed in road crashes, 106 were pedestrians and 51 were drivers and transport helpers. In the same period, 13 waterway accidents killed 9 people and injured 11. In addition, 29 rail accidents killed 24 people and injured another 18.
Of the road crashes, 169 occurred on national highways, 155 on regional roads, 61 on rural roads and 66 on city streets. The organisation cited faulty vehicles, excessive speed, unskilled drivers, weak road infrastructure, slow-moving vehicles on highways, reckless motorcycle use and weak traffic management as the main causes.
By division, Dhaka had the most, with 125 people killed in 133 crashes. In the capital, Dhaka, 18 people died and 47 were injured in 34 crashes.
The Road Safety Foundation made 12 recommendations to strengthen road safety, including reconstituting the National Road Safety Council, halting the movement of expired vehicles, ensuring driver training and fair working conditions, building service roads along highways, making the use of modern safety technology mandatory, and raising road users’ awareness.
According to the organisation, safe roads can be ensured only through a combination of timely policy, improved infrastructure, effective use of technology and the government’s firm political will.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report