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A total of 402 people died and 1,294 were injured in 394 road accidents across Bangladesh during the 15-day Eid-ul-Azha travel period, according to a report by the Jatri Kalyan Samity. The organization's Secretary General, Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, presented the findings, noting a rise in accidents, deaths, and injuries compared to the previous Eid.

The report, covering accidents from May 21 to June 4, also documented 23 deaths and 30 injuries in 31 railway accidents, and 13 deaths and 16 injuries in 17 waterway accidents. In total, 438 people were killed and 1,340 injured in 442 road, rail, and waterway accidents during this period.

Motorcycle accidents were the most frequent cause of fatalities, with 153 crashes resulting in 159 deaths and 180 injuries, representing 38.83% of all road accidents. The victims included drivers, transport workers, pedestrians, women, children, students, and professionals from various fields.

Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury stated that the government's 10-to-12-day Eid-focused monitoring is insufficient to prevent casualties. He urged for the implementation of short, medium, and long-term strategies, along with a significant overhaul of the public transport system. The organization attributed the high accident rate to factors such as the prevalence of motorcycles and battery-run vehicles on highways, inadequate road signs, poor lighting, road defects, unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers, speeding, overloading, and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Jatri Kalyan Samity also proposed solutions including a modern bus network, technology-driven traffic management, improved driver training, dedicated service lanes and footpaths on highways, enhanced road maintenance, regular safety audits, strengthening the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and ending monopolies in the transport sector.

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The government's 10 to 12 days of Eid-focused monitoring would not be sufficient to save lives or reduce suffering during such a large-scale movement of people.