April sees 404 deaths, 709 injuries in road accidents: Road Safety Foundation
The highest number of road accidents was reported in Dhaka division, where 109 crashes killed 102 people
At least 404 people were killed and 709 others injured in 463 road accidents across the country in April, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
Among the deceased were 53 women and 48 children, the foundation said in its monthly report prepared based on information from nine national dailies, 17 national and regional online news portals, different electronic media outlets and its own sources.
Motorcycle crashes accounted for 113 deaths in 142 accidents, representing 27.97% of the total fatalities. The motorcycle accident rate stood at 30.66%.
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Pedestrians remained among the most vulnerable road users, with 102 people killed after being hit by vehicles, accounting for 25.24% of the total deaths. Besides, 46 drivers and assistants were killed, making up 11.38% of the fatalities.
During the same period, seven waterway accidents left four people dead and 11 injured, while 34 rail-track accidents killed 26 people and injured 17 others.
According to the report, 168 accidents took place on national highways, 193 on regional roads, 45 on rural roads and 57 on city roads.
The highest number of road accidents was reported in Dhaka division, where 109 crashes killed 102 people. The lowest number was recorded in Sylhet division, with 12 crashes killing 12 people.
In the capital, 36 road accidents left 24 people dead and 67 injured.
Of the accidents, 97 were head-on collisions, 194 occurred after vehicles lost control, 106 involved vehicles hitting pedestrians, 52 involved vehicles hitting the rear of other vehicles and 14 occurred due to other reasons.
The report said 659 vehicles were involved in the road crashes. Trucks, covered vans, pickups, tractors, trolleys, lorries, tank lorries and city corporation garbage trucks together accounted for 25.94% of the vehicles involved, while motorcycles accounted for 23.21%, three-wheelers 17%, passenger buses 12.74%, microbuses, private cars and jeeps 5.91%, locally made vehicles 6.52%, rickshaws and bicycles 3.18% and unidentified vehicles 5.46%.
In terms of road-crash deaths by vehicle type, 113 motorcycle riders and passengers were killed, followed by 61 three-wheeler passengers, 51 truck-covered van-pickup-lorry-trolley-tractor passengers, 30 bus passengers, 24 private car and microbus passengers, 13 rickshaw and bicycle riders and 10 passengers of locally made vehicles.
