438 killed in 472 road crashes across coumtry in June, highest in Dhaka

A total of 438 people were killed and 561 others injured in 472 road accidents across the country in June, with Dhaka division recording the highest number of fatalities, according to a monthly report released by the Road Safety Foundation.

The report, published on Sunday (July 5), said the victims included 44 women and 56 children, while motorcycle crashes alone claimed 134 lives, accounting for nearly 31 percent of all road deaths during the month.

The findings were compiled from reports published by nine national newspapers, 17 national and regional online news portals, electronic media outlets and the foundation's own database.

According to the report, 145 motorcycle accidents occurred in June, representing 30.72 percent of all road crashes. Meanwhile, 91 pedestrians were killed, accounting for 20.77 percent of the total death toll. Another 57 drivers and transport workers also lost their lives.

Vehicle-wise analysis showed that after motorcycle riders and passengers, three-wheeler occupants suffered the highest fatalities, with 112 deaths. The report also recorded 37 deaths involving trucks, covered vans, pickups and tractors, 27 bus passenger deaths, and 14 fatalities among passengers of private cars, microbuses and ambulances.

In terms of location, 151 accidents occurred on national highways, 194 on regional roads, 64 on rural roads, and 57 on urban streets, making regional roads the deadliest category during the month.

The report found that loss of vehicle control was the leading cause of crashes, accounting for 206 accidents, or about 44 percent of the total. Other major causes included 109 head-on collisions, 97 pedestrian knockdowns, and 53 rear-end collisions.

Among the country's divisions, Dhaka recorded the highest casualties, with 116 accidents leaving 118 people dead. Within the capital, 32 road crashes claimed 24 lives and injured 49 others. Mymensingh division recorded the lowest number of accidents, with 19 crashes resulting in 16 deaths.

Beyond road transport, the foundation reported nine waterway accidents, which killed seven people and injured four, while 21 railway accidents claimed 18 lives and left seven others injured during the same period.

The Road Safety Foundation attributed the high number of crashes to defective vehicles and roads, reckless speeding, unskilled and physically unfit drivers, excessive working hours, inadequate wages, slow-moving vehicles on highways, reckless motorcycle riding by young people, weak traffic enforcement, institutional shortcomings at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and extortion in the public transport sector.

To reduce road fatalities, the organisation put forward 12 recommendations, including strengthening the National Road Safety Council, reforming the BRTA and other transport agencies, removing unfit vehicles from roads, expanding professional driver training, mandating modern vehicle safety technologies and improving highway infrastructure.