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A total of 438 people died and 561 were injured in 472 road accidents across Bangladesh during June, a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) revealed. The foundation compiled its findings from national newspapers, online portals, electronic media, and its own data.

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Motorcyclists and pillion riders accounted for the highest number of fatalities, followed by passengers of three-wheelers, trucks, covered vans and pickup vehicles, buses, locally made vehicles, and rickshaws and bicycles.

Motorcycle accidents proved particularly deadly, with 145 crashes resulting in 134 fatalities, representing 30.59% of the month's total road deaths. The report also highlighted that regional roads were the site of the most accidents, with 194 incidents (41.10%), followed by national highways (32%). In the capital, Dhaka, 32 road accidents claimed 24 lives and injured 49 people.

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Loss of control over vehicle was identified as the leading cause of crashes, followed by head-on collisions, pedestrian knockdowns, and rear-end collisions.

The RSF identified several contributing factors to the high accident rate. These include defective vehicles and roads, speeding, reckless driving, a lack of skilled drivers, and the long working hours and poor wages of transport workers. Additionally, the report pointed to issues like slow-moving vehicles on highways, poor adherence to traffic laws, ineffective traffic management, and systemic shortcomings within the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).

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defective vehicles and roads, speeding and reckless driving, unskilled drivers, long working hours and poor wages for drivers, movement of slow-moving vehicles on highways, poor compliance with traffic laws, weak traffic management, institutional shortcomings at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and extortion in the public transport sector were reasons behind the road crashes.

To address these persistent problems, the RSF recommended reconstituting the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and placing key transport authorities, including the BRTA, BRTC, and DTCA, under its purview. The foundation stressed the need for a safer road transport system, achievable through updated policies, improved infrastructure and technology, increased public awareness, and a strong commitment from authorities.

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ensuring a safer road transport system through updated policies, improved infrastructure and technology, greater public awareness, and strong political commitment.