578 accidents resulted in 597 fatalities, 919 injuries in April
Staff Reporter :
At least 578 accidents took place across the country on roads, railways and waterways, resulting in 597 fatalities and 919 injuries in April, Bangladesh Jatri Kolyan Samity (BJKS) said on Thursday.
Separately, a total of 526 road accidents resulted in 552 dead and 852 injuries, while railways witnessed 42 accidents which claimed 34 lives and injured 67 individuals. Furthermore, on waterways, 10 accidents caused 11 deaths and left 16 people missing.
During this time, motorcycle accidents accounted for 215 incidents, claiming 231 lives and injuring 171 individuals, revealed by the Accident Monitoring Cell of the BJSK, highlight the alarming situation of accidents by the motorcyclists.
BJKS Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury in the statement said that the report has been prepared based on the news reports published in different national, regional and online portals.
He said that the factors responsible for the accidents were uncontrolled motorcycle movement, increased use of three-wheeler vehicles, lack of road signs and lights, violations of traffic laws, incompetent drivers, unfit vehicles, and overloading.
Among the deceased, there were four police personnel, one Ansar member, one member of the Air Force, two BGB members, 144 drivers from various modes of transportation, 78 pedestrians, 47 women, 43 children, 30 students, 22 transport workers, four teachers, three doctors, one journalist, two lawyers, one engineer, and five members associated with different political parties.
The individuals affected by road accidents, there were 163 drivers, 90 pedestrians, 37 transport workers, 32 students, four teachers, 25 law enforcement personnel, 73 women, 63 children, one journalist, nine doctors, one freedom fighter, three lawyers, one engineer, and eight members associated with various political parties, BJSK said.
The Samity has also identified 740 vehicles involved in road accidents. The analysis reveals that 30.54 percent were motorcycles, 23.24 percent were trucks, pickups, and covered vans, 15.13 percent were buses, 13.64 percent were battery-operated rickshaws and easy bikes, 5.81 percent were CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 6.75 percent were non-registered vehicles such as Nasimon, Karimon, Mahindra, tractors, and Leguna, and 4.86 percent were cars, jeeps, and microbuses, which were responsible for the majority of the accidents on the roads.
Out of the total accidents, 48.66 percent occurred due to vehicle overturning, 22.62 percent were head-on collisions, 16.34 percent resulted from losing control and falling into ditches, 11.78 percent were caused by various reasons, 0.19 percent involved tire blowouts, and 0.38 percent were incidents of train-vehicle collisions.
Analyzing the types of accidents, it was observed that, 28.51 percent of the accidents occurred on national highways, 34.22 percent on regional highways, and 30.98 percent on feeder roads.
Additionally, 5.70 percent of the total accidents in the country took place in Dhaka City, 0.19 percent in Chattogram City, and 0.38 percent at railway crossings.
About the causes of the accidents, BJSK further said that the absence of warning signs on national, regional, and feeder roads leads to accidents. Additionally, defects in road construction and vehicle malfunctions also contribute to accidents.
