Road crashes kill 463 in June

At least 463 people were killed and 1,323 others injured in 532 road accidents across Bangladesh in June, according to the Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association.

During the same month, 53 railway accidents killed 45 people and injured eight, while five waterway accidents left five people dead and five others injured.

Altogether, 590 road, rail and waterway accidents claimed 513 lives and injured 1,336 people in June. The association released the figures on Tuesday in a statement signed by its Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury.

According to the report, 172 motorcycle accidents killed 173 people and injured 132. Motorcycle crashes accounted for 32.33% of all road accidents, 37.36% of road deaths and 9.97% of injuries.

Chattogram division recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 128 crashes killing 126 people and injuring 373.

Mymensingh division recorded the fewest, with 25 accidents leaving 26 people dead and 35 injured.
The association’s accident monitoring cell compiled the data by reviewing reports published in the media. It said the actual number of casualties could be significantly higher because many accidents were not reported.

Among the identified victims were 22 law enforcement personnel, 116 drivers, 82 pedestrians, 29 transport workers, 87 students, 10 teachers, 52 women, 55 children, one journalist, one engineer and 10 political party leaders and activists.

Those killed included two police personnel, one army member, one engineer, 111 drivers of different vehicles, 71 pedestrians, 45 women, 47 children, 60 students, 11 transport workers, 10 teachers and nine political leaders and activists.

The report identified 795 vehicles involved in the accidents.

Motorcycles made up 26.79% of the vehicles, while trucks, pickups, covered vans and lorries accounted for 25.28%. Buses represented 17.35%, and battery-powered rickshaws and easy-bikes accounted for 14.96%.

CNG-run auto-rickshaws made up 5.28%, while nosimon, korimon, mahindra, tractors and legunas accounted for 4.15%. Cars, jeeps and microbuses represented the remaining 6.16%.

Head-on collisions accounted for 43.23% of the accidents, while 27.63% involved vehicles hitting or running over people.

Another 20.67% occurred after drivers lost control and vehicles fell into roadside ditches. Other causes accounted for 7.14%, while train-vehicle collisions represented 1.12%.

The report also recorded one incident involving a scarf or veil becoming entangled in a vehicle wheel, accounting for 0.18% of the total.

National highways saw 44.73% of all road accidents, followed by regional highways with 28.38% and feeder roads with 20.67%.

Dhaka metropolitan area accounted for 4.13% of the accidents, Chattogram metropolitan area for 0.93% and railway crossings for 1.12%.