Child deaths in road accidents rise 17%: SCRF

The number of children killed in road crashes in Bangladesh has increased by 16.6% in the second quarter (April-June) of this year compared to the first three months, according to a media organisation report released on Friday.

The death of women in road accidents decreased by 8.53% during the same period compared to the fatalities in the first quarter of the year, according to a report by Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF).

On the other hand, the rate of motorcycle accidents increased by 5.12%, but the fatality rate decreased by 12.08%.  

In total, the rate of killed and injured during the April-June period declined by 4.71 and 20.06% respectively compared to the previous three months, the report said. 

The SCRF published this information after six months of monitoring and reviewing data on road accidents from January to June.

The organisation said that the report has been prepared based on the information published in 12 Bengali national dailies, five English national dailies, nine online news portals and news agencies and six regional dailies.

According to the report, at least 2,898 people were killed and 4,720 injured in 2,781 road crashes across the country in the first half of the year. 

Of those, 1,484 people were killed and 2,485 injured in 1,302 accidents in the first three months. In the following three months, 1,414 people were killed and 2,235 injured in 1,479 accidents respectively. 

The review shows that the rate of killed and injured in the last three months has decreased by 4.71 and 20.06% respectively compared to the previous three months.

The report said, 404 women and 455 children lost their lives in six months. It could be seen that the mortality rate of women and children is 13.94 and 15.7% respectively. Among them, 211 women were killed on the roads in the first three months and 193 women in the next three months. As a result, the female mortality rate has decreased by 8.53%. 

During the same period, 210 children lost their lives in the first three months, but 245 children were killed in the next three months. The review shows that the infant mortality rate has increased by 16.66%. 

On the other hand, 1,088 people were killed in 1,079 motorcycle accidents in six months, which is 38.79 and 37.54% of total accidents and fatalities respectively.

Among those, 579 people were killed in 527 accidents in the first three months and 509 people were killed in 552 accidents in the next three months, the report said.

The review shows that while the motorcycle accident rate increased by 5.12% in the last three months compared to the first three months, the fatality rate decreased by 12.08%.

According to the SCRF report, 377 pedestrians were killed in road accidents in six months; which is 23.36 % of total accidents. Of these, 370 people were killed from January to March and 307 people were killed in the three months from April to June. The review shows that the pedestrian fatality rate decreased by 17.02 % over a three-month period.

Sixteen causes of accidents

SCRF identified 16 causes of road crashes in the monitoring. Those are - 1. Unfit vehicles. 2. Unskilled and physically unfit drivers. 3. Reckless driving. 4. Overtaking in violation of prevailing laws and regulations. 5. Drivers and helpers' mental exhaustion due to not having appointment letters, non-fixed weekend leave and working hours. 6. Dilapidated roads at different places. 7. Significant number of risky turning points on national highways and inter-district roads. 8. A large number of motorcycles are used commercially on long-distance roads. 9. Slow-speeded three-wheelers on highways. 10. Motorcycle riding by youth and minors. 11. Lack of capacity of BRTA and the irregularities and corruption of many officials and employees concerned. 12. Poor traffic management. 13. Lack of awareness and knowledge of traffic laws among the general public. 14. Tendency of drivers and pedestrians to disobey traffic laws. 15. Laxity of authorities concerned in enforcing existing laws and 16. Extortion from vehicles at terminals and several roads, including highways.