‘Road accidents claimed 475 lives in November’
Staff Reporter :
At least 475 people were killed and 605 others were injured in 566 road accidents across the country in November this year.
A press release of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) disclosed the information on Tuesday.
Besides, 23 people were killed and 25 others injured in 31 railway accidents while five people were killed in six waterway accidents, it said.
The report was published after analysing reports of road accidents published in the country’s national and regional dailies and online media during the period, according to the press release.
Dhaka division witnessed the highest 183 road accidents with 115 fatalities and 138 injuries while Sylhet division witnessed the lowest 22 road accidents with 16 deaths.
Of them, 173 people died and 85 others were injured in some 147 motorbike accidents across the country last month which is 25.97% of the total accidents and 30.56 % of the total fatalities.
Among those killed in road accidents in November, four were members of law enforcement agencies, 106 were drivers, 45 pedestrians, 13 transport workers, 36 students, three teachers, 51 women, 32 children, two journalists, one freedom fighter, one lawyer, two engineers, two physicians and seven activists of different political parties.
Among those vehicles involved in the accidents were 34.62% buses, 27.44% pick-up vans, covered vans and lorries, 5.32% private cars, jeeps and microbuses, 6.52% CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 20.79% motorbikes, 14.58% battery-run human haulers and 5.56% three-wheeler vehicles, said the report.
Of the accidents, 42.57% occurred on national highways, 19.74% on regional roads and 21.55% on roads. Besides, 13.04% accidents occurred in Dhaka city, 2.6%5 in Chittagong city and 0.35% on rail tracks, it added.
The association blamed reckless driving, plying of motorbike, three-wheelers on highways, lack of street lights, road marking or road sign, development of cracks and holes on highways during rainy season, movement of unfit vehicles, violation of traffic rules, unskilled drivers and helpers, collecting tolls and poor traffic management for the accidents and deaths.
