ROAD SAFETY CONCERNS MOUNT: 417 killed, 682 injured in Sept road crashes nationwide

Staff Reporter :

At least 417 people, including 49 students, were killed and 682 others injured in 446 road accidents across Bangladesh in September, while 143 people lost their lives by motorcycle accident and Dhaka division recorded the highest number of fatalities in this month. According to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) on Saturday.
Among them, 143 people lost their lives in 151 motorcycle accidents, making motorcycles responsible for 33.87 per cent of accidents and 34.29 per cent of fatalities. The RSF prepared the report based on data collected from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, and several electronic media outlets.
The deceased also included 112 pedestrians and 56 drivers or their assistants.
In addition, 17 waterways accidents claimed 21 lives, while 27 people were killed and 13 others injured in 29 train-related accidents.
Of the total road crashes, 214 occurred on national highways, 135 on regional roads, 42 on rural roads, and 60 on city roads.
Regionally, Dhaka division saw the highest number of accidents (28.69 per cent), followed by Chattogram (22 per cent), Rajshahi (18.83 per cent), Rangpur (8.87 per cent), Khulna (6.72 per cent), Mymensingh (5.38 per cent), Barishal (3.58 per cent), and Sylhet (3.35 per cent). Barishal recorded the lowest number of fatalities, with 14 deaths last month.
The breakdown of fatalities by vehicle type showed that 35 bus passengers, 23 on board trucks, covered vans, pickups and tractors, eight passengers of private cars, 69 passengers of three-wheelers, 16 passengers of local vehicles like Nosimon, Votvoti, Tomtom, Mahindra, and 11 passengers of bicycles and rickshaws were killed in September.
In Dhaka division alone, 124 people were killed in 128 accidents, accounting for 29.73 per cent of the total fatalities.
In the capital, 42 road accidents claimed 18 lives and 33 people were injured injured. By contrast, Barishal division recorded the lowest figure, with 14 deaths in 16 accidents.
Chattogram district topped the list for individual districts, with 45 deaths in 52 accidents, while Magura district reported the lowest with only one death in eight accidents.
The reasons include – faulty vehicles; reckless driving; desperate mentality, incompetence and illness of drivers; unsettled wages and working hours; prevalence of low-speed traffic on highways; reckless motorcycling by the youth; the tendency of flouting traffic rules, poor management of traffic; lack of efficiency of the BRTA; and extortion in the sector.
Meanwhile, Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) recommendations for prevention to curb the rising tide of accidents.
The PWAB proposed the following measures:
Urgent repair of rain-damaged roads and highways.
Installation of streetlights on national and regional highways for safe nighttime travel.
Initiatives to train skilled drivers and implement digital vehicle fitness certification.
Construction of service lanes and footpaths on major highways.
Eradication of road extortion and regulation of drivers’ salaries and working hours.
Provision of pedestrian crossings, road signs, and markings.
Enforcement of traffic laws using digital technology aligned with global standards.
Development of a modern, high-quality bus network and enhanced capacity of regulatory bodies.
Ensuring quality road construction and regular safety audits.
Scrapping of expired public transport and long-unfit vehicles.
Exemption of VAT and income tax for drivers undergoing training.
Regulation of motorcycle and battery-powered rickshaw imports and registration.
Earlier in August this year, 428 people were killed and 791 injured in 451 road accidents nationwide.
At least 8,543 people were killed and 12,608 injured in 6,359 road crashes across the country in 2024, the organisation reported.
The RSF urged the authorities to take urgent and effective measures to ensure road safety and discipline across the country.