Bangladesh sees 404 road deaths in April, students among worst affected: RSF

Road crashes have claimed 404 lives across Bangladesh in April, with students emerging as one of the worst-affected groups, according to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

The report released on Wednesday said students were the most affected group, with 49 deaths.

They were from different educational institutions.

The report is based on data from nine national newspapers, 17 online news portals, electronic media and the organisation’s own monitoring.

It said a total of 463 road accidents occurred in April, leaving 404 people dead and 709 injured.

Among the dead, 53 were women and 48 children.

Motorcycle crashes accounted for a significant share of the deaths again.

According to the report, 113 people were killed in 142 motorcycle accidents, representing 27.97 percent of total fatalities.

Pedestrians made up another major portion, with 102 deaths, or 25.24 percent of the total.

Drivers and assistants accounted for 46 deaths, or 11.38 percent.

Other fatalities included 30 bus passengers, 51 occupants of goods vehicles, 24 car and microbus passengers, 61 passengers of three-wheelers, 10 users of locally made vehicles such as “Bhotbhoti” and “Tomtom”, and 13 riders of rickshaws and bicycles.

The report also broke down deaths by profession and social groups.

Alongside students, the dead included one police personnel, two members of the Border Guard Bangladesh, six teachers, three journalists, one doctor, two engineers, two lawyers, 11 banking and insurance employees, 14 NGO workers, 19 political activists, 22 local traders, 17 medicine and goods delivery representatives, three Imams, five garment workers, 12 rice harvesting labourers, three construction workers and three people with disabilities.

Road safety advocates have long linked rising casualties to systemic failures in enforcement and infrastructure.

The foundation recalled the 2018 student protests that erupted after two school students were killed in a bus crash in Dhaka’s Kurmitola, which had sparked nationwide demands for safer roads.

However, it noted that despite the movement, road discipline has not significantly improved.

It further pointed to the growing presence of battery-run rickshaws, which it said has worsened overall traffic safety conditions.

Beyond road crashes, the report said seven river accidents were recorded in April, killing four people and injuring 11.

Separately, 34 rail accidents left 26 people dead and 17 injured.