Accidents edge up slightly, but fatalities decline 15% in 2023

UNB, Dhaka :

A total of 8,505 people were killed and 10,999 others injured in 6929 road, rail and waterways accidents across the country in 2023, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passengers’ welfare platform, on Sunday.

It means fatalities declined significantly year-on-year, almost 15 percent, from the 9,951 witnessed in 2022, even though accidents inched up slightly, by 2.7%, from the 6,749 in 2022.

Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, general secretary of the platform, presented their new report at a press conference in the capital.

The total deaths include 512 people killed in 520 railway accidents and also 91 deaths from 148 accidents on waterways.

The report claims that the number of registered motorbikes and human haulers have increased almost 5-fold since JKS started its work in the sector. It also blamed unauthorised vehicles, including three-wheelers and easy bikes, plying on highways and regional roads for the increased number of accidents and deaths on those roads.

The report claims that 34.86% of the road accidents – not counting waterways and rail – occurred on national highways, followed by 28.5% on regional roads.

Reckless driving, risky overtaking, dilapidated roads, unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers, using mobile phones or headphones and drugs while driving and lack of awareness, occupation of pavements, violation of traffic rules among road users were cited as main reasons behind road crashes.