622 killed in 613 road accidents in May: PWAB

A total of 622 people were killed and 1,652 injured in 613 road accidents across the country in May, according to a press release issued by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) on Saturday, June 13 .

Additionally, 42 rail accidents claimed 34 lives and injured 29, while 21 waterway accidents left 15 dead, 15 injured, and seven missing.

Combined, 671 people were killed and 1,696 injured in 676 accidents across road, rail and waterways .

The organisation's data shows that 221 motorcycle accidents killed 231 people and injured 219, accounting for 36.05 per cent of total accidents, 37.13 per cent of fatalities, and 13.25 per cent of injuries .

The highest number of road accidents occurred in Dhaka division, where 180 accidents killed 185 people and injured 558. The lowest number was reported in Mymensingh division, with 27 accidents killing 38 and injuring 67 .

To prevent accidents, the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh made 11 recommendations: formulating short, medium and long-term plans for Eid journeys, establishing a modern bus network modelled on developed countries, introducing technology-based traffic control management, ensuring proper training and licensing for drivers, constructing footpaths and service lanes on national highways, stopping extortion on roads through structural reforms, ensuring driver wages and working hours, constructing footpaths and pedestrian crossings, installing road signs and markings, ensuring quality road construction and repair, conducting regular road safety audits, modernising fitness certification procedures, scrapping expired public transport, strengthening BRTA's capacity, establishing a traffic training academy, and ending the monopoly of bus owners' associations and workers' federations in the transport sector.