568 transport crashes in July claim 644 lives

Staff Reporter  :
In the month of July 2023, a total of 568 accidents resulted in deaths of 644 people and injuries to 1075 others injuries on roads, railways, and waterways across the country.
The road accidents alone killed 576 people and injured 1055 in a number of 505 cases, while, there were 47 railway accidents that led to 48 fatalities and five injuries. Additionally, 16 maritime accidents occurred, resulting in 21 deaths and 15 injuries, with 38 people still missing.

The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association’s accident monitoring cell revealed the information in a press statement on Saturday. The organisation’s Secretary-General, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, mentioned that irregularities and lack of monitoring were responsible for the accidents.

The highest number of road accidents were reported in Dhaka division, with 157 mishaps resulting in 173 fatalities and 271 injuries.

On the other hand, the lowest number of road accidents occurred in Barishal division, with 23 accidents leading to 38 fatalities and 138 injuries.
Among these, motorcycle accidents accounted for 180 incidents, leading to 195 fatalities and 122 injuries, representing 35.64 per cent of the total accidents, 38.61 per cent of the fatalities, and 24.15 per cent of the injuries.

Among the vehicles involved in road accidents were motorcycles account for 25.99 per cent, trucks, pickups, and covered vans for 22.84 per cent, buses for 18.74 per cent, battery-operated rickshaws and easy-bikes for 15.32 per cent, CNG-run auto-rickshaws for 5.74 per cent, and Karimon, Mahindra, Tractors, and Leguna for 4.51 per cent.
Additionally, cars, jeeps, and microbuses make up 6.83 per cent of the vehicles involved in road accidents.

According to Passenger Welfare Association, the notable reasons behind the road accidents in July were unregulated movement of motorcycles and easy availability of easy-bikes on the country’s roads and highways; increase in the number of motorcycles, battery-operated rickshaws, and three-wheeled vehicles; lack of road signs or markings and inadequate street lighting on roads and highways; construction defects on highways, vehicle malfunctions, and improper traffic law enforcement; driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving, and passenger transport in goods-carrying vehicles; incompetent drivers, unfit vehicles, and reckless driving behavior; crossing railway tracks irresponsibly, ignoring safety measures at railway crossings; and additionally, sudden appearance of vehicles on feeder roads and regional roads contributed to the accidents.

Regarding the modes of accidents, the Association found that 54.05 per cent were due to collisions with other vehicles, 26.73 per cent head-on collisions, 13.06 per cent resulted from losing control and falling into ditches, 5.54 per cent occurred due to various reasons, 0.39 per cent were caused by wheel skidding, and 0.19 per cent involved train-vehicle collisions.
In road accidents, a diverse range of individuals have been affected. Among those individuals 10 were members of law enforcement agencies, 154 drivers, 89 pedestrians, 42 transport workers, 36 students, eight teachers, 117 women, 64 children, one journalist, and 10 political party activists.

Unfortunately, the accidents have resulted in fatalities, including 1 member of the armed forces, three police personnel, one navy personnel, one Border Guard Bangladesh member, one fire service employee, 119 drivers of various vehicles, 77 pedestrians, 82 women, 42 children, 29 students, 17 transport workers, seven teachers, and seven political party activists.
The Passenger Welfare Association said that these statistics underline the urgent need for enhanced road safety measures and effective enforcement of traffic laws to safeguard all road users and prevent further loss of lives.

To prevent accidents, the Association Secretary General recommended a number of initiatives including -ban the import and registration of small vehicles like motorcycles and easy-bikes; introduce initiatives to train skilled drivers and provide fitness certification for vehicles using digital methods; separate lanes for slow-moving and fast-moving vehicles; end reckless driving and ensure fair wages and working conditions for drivers; install road signs and markings on the streets; properly enforce road traffic laws and implement them digitally; improve and modernise public transportation, enhance the capabilities of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA); and ensure the construction and maintenance of roads following proper standards and conduct regular road safety audits.