At least 428 people were killed and 791 injured in 451 road accidents across Bangladesh in August, according to a monthly report released by the Road Safety Foundation on Monday.
Among the deceased were 68 women and 34 children. The report, compiled using data from nine national newspapers, seven online news portals, various electronic media, and the foundation’s own field sources, paints a grim picture of road safety across the country.
Motorcycles were involved in 144 accidents, claiming 132 lives – accounting for 30.84 per cent of total fatalities. The overall motorcycle accident rate stood at 31.92 per cent. In addition, 83 pedestrians (19.39%) and 52 drivers and vehicle assistants (12.14%) were among the deceased.
Beyond roadways, 19 waterway accidents resulted in 23 deaths, 17 injuries, and 9 people missing, while 37 railway accidents claimed 31 lives and injured 11 others.
The report shows that a total of 662 vehicles were involved in road crashes during the month. Among those 153 were motorcycles, 127 were three-wheelers (including CNG-run auto-rickshaws and electric vehicles), 92 buses, 87 trucks
Dhaka Division saw the highest number of incidents with 119 accidents and 117 deaths while Barishal Division recorded the lowest, with 18 accidents and 16 deaths.
At the district level, Dhaka district had the highest casualties with 36 accidents and 32 deaths while Chapainawabganj reported the lowest – 6 accidents and 1 death.
In Dhaka city, 37 road crashes left 15 dead and 46 injured.
The foundation has identified several systemic and behavioral causes of the continued road safety crisis, which includes faulty and unfit vehicles, poor road infrastructure, reckless speeding, untrained or physically/mentally unfit drivers, absence of fixed wages and working hours for drivers, operation of slow-moving vehicles on highways, risky motorcycle riding, especially by youth, public unawareness and disregard for traffic laws, weak enforcement and monitoring, institutional inefficiency within BRTA and widespread extortion in the public transport sector.
To address the crisis, the foundation issued the following recommendations like enhancing driver training and licensing systems, ensuring fair wages and regulated working hours for drivers, strengthening the capacity of BRTA, strictly enforcing traffic laws for all road users, curbing extortion in public transport, improving rail and water transport to reduce pressure on roads, and enforcing the Road Transport Act, 2018, without exceptions
The report concludes that most crashes result from loss of vehicle control due to excessive speed. It urges the use of technology for surveillance, improved training and motivation for drivers, and nationwide awareness campaigns through both traditional and social media.
It also highlights the plight of drivers, many of whom operate without contracts, fixed wages, or regulated hours – leading to physical and mental exhaustion. These conditions, the foundation warns, contribute directly to reckless behavior on the roads.
