Road accidents in January claim 486 lives: Jatri Kalyan Samity

As many as 486 people died and 1,054 others were injured in 521 road accidents across the country in January, according to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.

Additionally, 42 people were killed and 21 others injured in 44 railway accidents while six deaths, 13 injured, 2 missing were reported in 7 waterway accidents, it said in a report.

Altogether, there were 572 accidents on road, rail, and waterways, resulting in 534 deaths and 4,462 injuries. 

Of these, 164 motorcycle accidents accounted for 170 deaths and 173 injuries, representing 31.47% of all accidents, 34.90% of all deaths, and 16.41% of all injuries. 

The most road accidents occurred in the Dhaka division with 123 accidents, 117 deaths, and 270 injuries, while the least occurred in the Barisal division with 33 accidents, 23 deaths, and 125 injuries. 

The report released today (25 February), signed by the organisation's Secretary General Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, was compiled by monitoring news of road, rail, and waterway accidents published in national, regional, and online newspapers.

Among the victims of road accidents whose identities could be verified, there were 3 policemen, 1 army member, 1 air force member, 1 doctor, 1 lawyer, 3 freedom fighters, 1 engineer, 96 various transport drivers, 69 pedestrians, 47 women, 38 children, 29 students, 12 transport workers, 6 teachers, and 9 political party members were killed.

The report identified 727 vehicles involved in accidents during this time, showing that 25.17% were motorcycles, 26% were trucks/pickups/covered vans/lorries, 11.55% were buses, 15.81% were battery-powered rickshaws and e-bikes, 4.81% were CNG-powered autorickshaws, and 10.59% were Nosimon-Karimon-Mahindra-tractors and Lagunas, with 6.05% being cars/jeeps/microbuses involved in accidents.

Of all the accidents, 51.63% were caused by being run over, 22.45% by head-on collisions, 14.58% by losing control and falling into ditches, and 10.36% by various other reasons, with 0.57% involving scarves getting caught in wheels, and 0.34% being collisions with tram vehicles.

The analysis of accident types showed that 33.97% of all accidents occurred on national highways, 17.08% on regional highways, and 41.48% on feeder roads.