416 dead, 629 injured in road accidents in July: Road Safety Foundation

At least 416 people were killed and 629 others injured in 458 road crashes across Bangladesh in July, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

The deceased included 57 women and 48 children.

A total of 138 people were killed in 159 motorcycle crashes, accounting for 33.17% of all road fatalities. Motorcycle crashes made up 34.71% of the total accidents recorded during the month.

The report said 106 pedestrians were killed, representing 25.48% of the total deaths, while 51 drivers and transport workers accounted for 12.25%. During the same period, nine people were killed and 11 injured in 13 waterway accidents. Another 24 people were killed and 18 injured in 29 railway track accidents.

Of the road crashes, 169, or 36.89%, occurred on national highways, while 155, or 33.84%, took place on regional roads. Another 61 crashes occurred on rural roads, 66 on urban roads and seven at other locations. According to the report, 164 crashes, or 35.80%, occurred after drivers lost control of their vehicles.

A total of 123 were head-on collisions, while 108 involved vehicles hitting pedestrians. Another 54 crashes involved vehicles hitting others from behind, while nine occurred for other reasons. The RSF prepared the report using information published in nine national dailies, 17 national and regional online news portals, various electronic media outlets and its own sources.