37% increase in fatalities in June compared to May: Road Safety Foundation

Highlights: TBS

In June, the country witnessed 726 road accidents, resulting in 644 deaths and at least 1,082 injuries, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation.

Among the deceased, 87 were women and 114 were children. 

The Road Safety Foundation compiled this report based on information from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, various electronic media, and its own data.

Vehicles involved in accidents: The statistics reveal that motorcycle riders and passengers accounted for 227 deaths (35.24%).

• Bus passengers - 29 (4.50%)
• Truck-pickup-van-tractor-trolley passengers - 51 (7.91%)
• Private car-microbus-ambulance-jeep passengers - 38 (5.90%)
• Three-wheeler passengers (e.g., easy bike, CNG, auto-rickshaw, auto-van, tempo, leguna) - 128 (19.87%)
• Locally-made vehicle passengers (e.g., Nosimon, Korimon, Bhutbhuti, Alomshadhu, Mahindra) - 26 (4.03%)
• Bicycle-pedal rickshaw riders - 17 (2.63%)

Types of roads: The report from the Road Safety Foundation indicates that 

• 256 accidents (35.26%) occurred on national highways
• 278 (38.29%) on regional roads
• 79 (10.88%) on rural roads
• 107 (14.73%) on urban roads
• 6 (0.82%) in other locations

Types of accidents:

• 163 (22.45%) were head-on collisions
• 314 (43.25%) resulted from losing control
• 134 (18.45%) involved pedestrians being hit
• 91 (12.53%) involved vehicles being struck from behind
• 24 (3.30%) occurred due to other reasons

Types of vehicles:

• Trucks, covered vans, pickups, tractors, trolleys, lorries, drum trucks, cargo trucks, and tank lorries (27.28%)
• Microbuses, private cars, ambulances, and jeeps (5.66%)
• Passenger buses (13%)
• Motorcycles (24.67%)
• Three-wheelers (16.47%)
• Locally-made vehicles (8%)
• Bicycles and pedal rickshaws (2.09%)
• Unidentified vehicles (2.78%).

Timing of accidents: Analysing the timing, accidents occurred during the 

• Early morning (8.53%) 
• Morning (23.82%)
• Afternoon (21.48%)
• Evening (17.07%)
• Dusk (8.40%)
• Night (20.66%)

Division-wise accident statistics: Division-wise statistics show 

• 23.69% of accidents and 24.06% of deaths in Dhaka
• 13.49% of accidents and 14.59% of deaths in Rajshahi
• 18.45% of accidents and 18% of deaths in Chattogram 
• 10.05% of accidents and 9.62% of deaths in Khulna
• 7.16% of accidents and 7.14% of deaths in Barishal
• 6.19% of accidents and 5.90% of deaths in Sylhet 
• 13.36% of accidents and 13.81% of deaths in Rangpur 
• 7.57% of accidents and 6.83% of deaths in Mymensingh

Recommendations:

• Increase initiatives to train skilled drivers.
• Determine drivers' salaries and working hours.
• Enhance BRTA's capacity.
• Ensure strict enforcement of traffic laws for transport owners, workers, passengers, and pedestrians.
• Ban slow-moving vehicles on highways and create separate service roads for them.
• Gradually construct road dividers on all highways.
• Stop extortion in public transport.
• Revamp rail and waterways to reduce pressure on roads.
• Develop and implement a sustainable transport strategy.
• Implement the "Road Transport Act-2018".