At least 481 people were killed and 664 injured in road accidents across Bangladesh in August, according to the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
Of the victims, 61 were women and 58 were children. Motorcycle crashes were the deadliest, with 183 accidents causing 176 deaths.
The RSF compiled the report from newspapers, online portals, electronic media, and its own sources.
National highways saw 163 crashes, regional roads 217, rural roads 62, and city roads 71.
Heavy vehicles were involved in 28.57 per cent of the accidents, motorcycles in 25.90 per cent, buses in 13.75 per cent, and three‑wheelers in 14.95 per cent.
Motorcycle riders accounted for 176 deaths, three‑wheeler passengers 78, heavy‑vehicle occupants 51, and bus passengers 37.
Twenty‑one people died in locally made vehicles such as Nasimon, Bhatbhati and Mahindra, while five rickshaw and bicycle riders were killed.
Seven waterway accidents left six people dead and nine injured, while 34 railway accidents killed 27 and injured 23.
Dhaka Division recorded the highest toll, with 172 crashes and 144 deaths. Barishal Division had the lowest, with 15 crashes and 14 deaths. Bogura District reported 37 deaths, the highest among districts.
In Dhaka city, 48 crashes killed 23 people and injured 54.
The victims included 61 students, 27 political activists, 24 businesspeople, 21 sales representatives, 19 NGO workers, 13-day labourers, 12 bank and insurance staff, 11 teachers, seven garment workers, four journalists, four mosque imams or khadams, three doctors, three air force members, three mechanics, two army personnel, two engineers, and one police officer.
The daily death toll rose to 15.51 in August from 13.41 in July, a 15.65 per cent increase.
RSF blamed speeding, reckless driving, pedestrian negligence, faulty vehicles and roads, unskilled drivers, weak traffic management, and extortion in the transport sector.
It recommended restructuring the National Road Safety Council, bringing BRTA, BRTC and DTCA under its supervision, enforcing vehicle safety technologies, removing expired vehicles, introducing company‑based bus services in Dhaka, expanding BRTC services, improving driver training and welfare, and designing safer roads with service lanes.
Other proposals included appointing gatekeepers at railway crossings, allocating funds for road safety awareness, enhancing expertise among officials, and creating a unified transport ministry to integrate road, rail and waterways.
