5,598 Lives Lost on Roads in Nine Months

Rtv News

20 Oct 2024, 18:45

Photo: Collected

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.

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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:

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

Twelve Recommendations to Prevent Road Accidents:

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

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