Road crashes leave 513 dead and 598 injured last month: Report

Some 513 people were killed and 598 others injured in road accidents across the country in March this year.

During the month, a total of 409 road crashes took place where the number of accidents involving motorcycles was the highest, according to a report published by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

Among the dead, 78 were women and 63 children.

Some 147 people died in as many as 138 motorcycle crashes in last month, which is 28.65 per cent of the total deaths, said the report, released on Monday.

The highest number of accidents occurred in Dhaka division with the number of deaths also being the highest. A total of 136 people died in 119 accidents in Dhaka division alone during the last month, the report showed.

The lowest number of road crashes and fatalities were reported in Rangpur division - 20 occurrences and 18 deaths.

Of the total 409 accidents reported in March, 172 accidents occurred on highways, 116 on regional roads, 73 on rural roads and 36 on urban roads.

Besides, 19 were killed in 15 incidents on railway tracks while two others died from two incidents of waterways in the same month.

The RSF prepared the report based on news items of seven national dailies, five online news portals, and electronic media. Some 668 vehicles were responsible for the road accidents that took place in March.

It attributed the road crashes to unfit vehicles, rash driving, lack of skill, mental and physical sickness, inadequate benefits for drivers, slow movement of vehicles on the highways, reckless bike ride by youths, improper traffic management system, and lack of awareness about traffic laws.

The RSF has also recommended increasing skilled drivers, strengthening the capability of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and enforcement of the existing laws to check road accidents in the country.

Earlier in February, some 517 people were killed in 406 accidents.

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