588 killed, 1,124 injured in road accidents in April: RSF

A total of 588 people were killed and 1,124 injured in 593 road accidents across Bangladesh in April, according to a monthly report released by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) on Sunday.

Among the victims were 86 women and 78 children. Motorcycles were involved in 218 of the incidents, resulting in 229 deaths.

The report also recorded seven accidents on waterways, which claimed eight lives and injured four others, while 22 railway accidents resulted in 24 deaths and six injuries.

The RSF compiled the data based on reports from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, and various electronic media outlets.

Division-wise, Dhaka recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 173 incidents leading to 154 deaths. Rangpur had the fewest, with 31 accidents and 32 fatalities.

At the district level, Chattogram reported 35 accidents and 46 deaths. Nilphamari reported several accidents but no fatalities. In the capital, Dhaka, 34 accidents resulted in 19 deaths and 27 injuries.

The report identified several contributing factors, including unfit vehicles, reckless driving, unskilled drivers, the presence of slow-moving vehicles on highways, and a general disregard for traffic laws.

To improve road safety, RSF recommended producing skilled drivers, enforcing traffic laws strictly, removing slow vehicles from highways, and constructing dedicated service roads to separate fast and slow-moving traffic.