5,598 Lives Lost on Roads in Nine Months

As of September this year, 5,598 people have been killed and 9,601 injured in road accidents. Among the fatalities, 34.36% involved motorcycles.

The Road Safety Foundation released this information on Sunday (October 20), compiling data from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, electronic media, and their own sources.

The report reveals that 2,041 motorcycle accidents resulted in 1,924 deaths, accounting for 34.36% of the total fatalities. Motorcycle accidents comprised 37.21% of all reported accidents. Additionally, 1,121 pedestrians (20% of the total) and 688 drivers and assistants (12.29%) lost their lives.

During this period, there were also 83 maritime accidents resulting in 124 deaths, 125 injuries, and 19 missing persons. In 243 railway accidents, 227 people were killed, and 223 were injured.

The foundation identified overspeeding as the primary cause in 85% of accidents. It noted that for every 5 km/h increase above 60 km/h, the risk of accidents increases two to four times.

Eleven Causes of Road Accidents Identified:

1. Defective vehicles
2. Reckless driving
3. Driver incompetence or physical/mental health issues
4. Lack of fixed wages or working hours for drivers
5. Slow-moving vehicles on highways
6. Youths driving motorcycles recklessly
7. Public ignorance or disregard for traffic laws
8. Roads and transport systems not being friendly to women, children, or persons with disabilities
9. Weak traffic management
10. Inadequate capacity of BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority)
11. Extortion in public transportation

Twelve Recommendations to Prevent Road Accidents:

1. Increase efforts to train skilled drivers
2. Implement fixed wages and working hours for drivers
3. Strengthen BRTA’s capacity
4. Enforce traffic laws for all, including owners, workers, passengers, and pedestrians
5. Ban slow-moving vehicles on highways and create separate service lanes
6. Gradually install road dividers on highways
7. Make roads and transportation systems more accessible for women, children, and persons with disabilities
8. Eradicate extortion in public transport
9. Improve rail and maritime routes to ease pressure on roads
10. Develop sustainable transport strategies
11. Ensure full implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018
12. Promote life-oriented road safety awareness through media and social platforms