A total of 532 people were killed and 2,221 others injured in 576 road accidents across the country in March, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation.
The report says women accounted for 66 of the fatalities while 98 children lost their lives during the period.
It highlights a continued rise in motorcycle-related deaths, which alone accounted for 204 fatalities in 219 accidents-nearly 38.34 percent of the total deaths recorded.
The findings were compiled based on reports from nine national dailies, 17 online news portals, electronic media outlets, and the organisation’s own monitoring data.
The report identifies motorcycles as the most fatal transport mode in March, followed by pedestrians and passengers of three-wheelers.
Pedestrians accounted for 79 deaths (14.84 percent), while drivers and vehicle assistants made up 66 deaths (12.40 percent). Three-wheeler passengers—including users of CNGs, autorickshaws, and easy-bikes—accounted for 94 deaths (17.66 percent).
Other fatalities included passengers of buses (45), private cars and microbuses (46), trucks and pickups (28), locally made vehicles such as Nosimon and Mahindra (23), and cyclists (13).
Beyond road crashes, 14 waterway accidents were reported in March, resulting in 12 deaths, 27 injuries, and three people missing. Separately, 48 railway-related accidents left 67 people dead and 224 injured.
According to the report, 45.83 percent of accidents occurred on regional roads, 29.68 percent on national highways, 12.15 percent on rural roads, and 10.76 percent in urban areas.
In terms of crash type, 40.10 percent involved loss of vehicle control, followed by head-on collisions (28.81 percent), pedestrian impacts (14.93 percent), rear-end collisions (14.23 percent), and other causes (1.90 percent).
The analysis shows that trucks, covered vans, pickups, tractors and similar heavy vehicles were involved in 24.60 percent of incidents, while motorcycles accounted for 24.20 percent.
Three-wheelers represented 19.84 percent, buses 13.19 percent, private vehicles 7.04 percent, locally made vehicles 6.44 percent, bicycles 1.48 percent, and unidentified vehicles 3.17 percent.
A total of 1,008 vehicles were involved in the recorded accidents.
Most accidents occurred during the morning (23.26 percent) and afternoon (22.92 percent), followed by nighttime (21 percent), evening (9.38 percent), early morning (6.42 percent), and late afternoon hours (17 percent).
Regionally, Dhaka division recorded the highest share of fatalities (25.75 percent), followed by Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Barishal, and Sylhet.
Dhaka division alone reported 126 accidents resulting in 137 deaths, while Sylhet recorded the lowest with 27 accidents and 26 deaths. In Dhaka city, 46 accidents left 28 people dead and 69 injured.
The report notes that average daily road deaths increased from 15.42 in February to 17.16 in March, marking an 11.28 percent rise.
Experts say most crashes are caused by excessive speed leading to loss of vehicle control, urging stronger enforcement of speed regulations and improved driver training.
The Road Safety Foundation identified multiple contributing factors, including defective vehicles, poor road conditions, reckless driving, inadequate driver training, weak enforcement of traffic laws, and poor transport sector governance.
It has recommended restructuring the National Road Safety Council, strengthening BRTA, BRTC, and DTCA, introducing mandatory vehicle safety technologies, removing unfit vehicles from roads, and expanding company-based bus services in Dhaka.
The report also calls for improved driver training, construction of service lanes for slow-moving vehicles, installation of gatekeepers at railway crossings, increased budget allocation for road safety awareness, and integrated transport planning across road, rail, and waterways.
The organisation stressed that sustainable road safety improvements require strong political commitment, institutional reform, and coordinated long-term transport planning.
