Symbolic PhotoA total of 423 people were killed and 674 others injured in 442 road accidents across the country in September, averaging 14 fatalities per day, according to a report published by the Road Safety Foundation on Sunday (October 4).
The victims included 73 women and 61 children. Motorcycle accidents accounted for 32.86 per cent of total deaths, claiming 139 lives across 154 incidents. Pedestrians formed the second-largest group of casualties, with 106 deaths representing 25.5 per cent of total fatalities.
Regional roads recorded the highest proportion of crashes at 40.27 per cent, followed by national highways at 32.8 per cent. Loss of vehicle control caused 38 per cent of all incidents, while pedestrian run-overs made up 24.66 per cent.
Dhaka Division suffered the highest number of casualties, recording 134 deaths in 132 accidents—representing 31.67 per cent of total fatalities nationwide. Capital city Dhaka recorded 21 deaths across 52 crashes, while Gazipur logged the highest individual district toll with 38 fatalities.
The organization also reported 16 deaths from 11 waterways accidents and 19 fatalities from 23 railway track incidents during the same month.
The foundation urged structural reforms at BRTA, strict speed-enforcement technology, and the development of dedicated service lanes for low-speed vehicles to mitigate traffic casualties.
FP/A
