Road accidents claim 532 lives in March: Road Safety Foundation

At least 532 people were killed and 2,221 injured in 576 road accidents across Bangladesh in March, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation.

The report, released on Saturday (April 11), said 66 of the deaths were women and 98 were children.

During the same period, 14 waterway accidents left 12 dead, 27 injured and three missing. Meanwhile, 48 railway accidents claimed 67 lives and injured 224 others.

The report was compiled using data from nine national dailies, 17 online news portals, electronic media, and the foundation’s own sources.

Motorcycle riders and passengers accounted for the highest fatalities at 204. Other victims included 45 bus passengers, 28 occupants of trucks, pickups and tractors, 46 from private cars and microbuses, 94 passengers of three-wheelers, 23 from locally-made vehicles, and 13 cyclists.

By location, 171 accidents occurred on national highways, 264 on regional roads, 70 on rural roads, 62 on urban roads, and nine elsewhere. Of the incidents, 166 were head-on collisions, 231 caused by loss of control, 86 involved pedestrians, and 82 were rear-end crashes.

A total of 1,008 vehicles were involved, including 244 motorcycles, 200 three-wheelers, 133 buses and 120 trucks.

Dhaka division recorded the highest toll with 137 deaths in 126 accidents, while Sylhet division saw the lowest with 26 deaths in 27 accidents. In the capital Dhaka, 46 accidents left 28 dead and 69 injured.

The report noted a rise in daily fatalities to 17.16 in March, up from 15.42 in February—an increase of 11.28 percent.

It attributed most accidents to speeding and loss of control, urging stricter technological monitoring and improved driver training. Faulty vehicles and roads, reckless driving, and lack of driver fitness and skills were also cited as key causes.