520 killed in 506 road accidents in July: Jatri Kalyan Samity

Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform has raised alarm over a significant increase in road accidents during July, attributing the surge to hazardous potholes on rain-damaged roads and highways across the country. In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, the association called on government authorities to urgently repair affected roadways and develop rain-resistant construction and maintenance strategies.

According to the association’s Secretary General Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, July saw a total of 506 road accidents reported nationwide, resulting in 520 fatalities and 1,356 injuries. In addition, 34 railway accidents claimed 31 lives and injured 41, while 14 accidents on waterways caused 17 deaths, 14 injuries, and left 5 people missing. Overall, 554 accidents across road, rail, and water transport claimed 568 lives and injured 1,411 people.

Motorcycle accidents accounted for 162 of these incidents, causing 169 deaths and 144 injuries, representing roughly one-third of the total casualties.

Regionally, Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 122 incidents causing 130 deaths and 295 injuries. Barisal Division reported the fewest, with 23 accidents resulting in 23 deaths and 95 injuries.

The report also details the profiles of victims: among the deceased were 120 drivers, 90 pedestrians, 70 women, 56 children, as well as members of law enforcement, students, teachers, and political activists.

Vehicle types involved in accidents included motorcycles (26%), trucks and vans (24%), buses (17%), battery-powered rickshaws and easy bikes (15%), CNG auto-rickshaws (6%), locally manufactured vehicles (7%), and cars or microbuses (5%).

The most common types of accidents were vehicles running over people (48%), head-on collisions (26%), and loss of vehicle control leading to falls off the road (20%).

Accidents occurred mostly on national highways (40%), followed by regional highways (29%) and feeder roads (24%). Urban areas saw fewer accidents, with Dhaka and Chattogram metropolitan areas accounting for under 5% of incidents.

The association stressed the urgent need for better road maintenance, emergency repairs, and innovative solutions to build rain-resilient roads to reduce these preventable tragedies.