The number of accidents on roads and highways is reportedly on the rise on a daily basis.
At least 585 people were killed and 899 people were injured in 593 road accidents in January this year, according to a report by Jatri Kalyan Samity (JKS).
The report was prepared by reviewing news of road, rail and waterway accidents published in national, regional and online newspapers of the country.
It demonstrated that compared to January 2022, road accidents increased by 5.3% in January 2023, but fatalities decreased by 4.6%.
However, the number of injured increased by 10.04%.
According to the report, the identities of 206 injured drivers, 109 pedestrians, 35 transport workers, 53 students, 10 teachers, 13 law enforcement officers, 115 women, 62 children, five journalists, one heroic freedom fighter, two lawyers and three engineers and 14 leaders and activities of different political parties were confirmed.
Meanwhile, among the deceased, the identities of nine law enforcement personnel, six policemen, one BGB member, two Ansar members, 153 drivers, 84 pedestrians, 80 women, 46 children, 46 students, 26 transporters workers, 1 journalist, 9 teachers, 2 engineers, 2 lawyers and 8 leaders and workers of different political parties could be confirmed.
Besides, 46 people were killed and 78 people were injured in 44 railway accidents in January.
Apart from this, 11 people were killed, one person was injured and six people went missing in 13 accidents on waterways.
A total of 642 people were killed and 978 injured in a total of 650 accidents on roads, railways, and waterways accidents in January.
Motorcycles behind most accidents
In January, some 205 people were killed and 114 injured in 214 motorcycle accidents.
A total of 816 vehicles were identified in organized accidents during this period.
Some 27.32% of these accidents are on motorcycles or bikes.
A total of 816 vehicles were identified in accidents during this period, of which 12.5% were buses, 24.75% trucks, pickups, covered vans and lorries, 5.02% cars, jeeps-microbuses, 5.88% CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, 27.32% motorcycles, 14.58% of battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes, and 9.92% Nasiman-Kariman-Mahindra-Tractor and Leguna.
Besides, the report states that 51.60% of the accidents were pedestrian collisions, 22.25% were head-on collisions, 12.47% resulted from loss of control and falling into ditches, 11.97% were due to miscellaneous causes, 0.67% were wheel-rolling incidents, and 1.01% were train-vehicle collisions.
An analysis of the types of accidents showed that of the total number of accidents, 29.51% occurred on national highways, 38.61% on regional highways and 24.45% on feeder roads.
Besides, 5.22% of accidents occurred in Dhaka city, 1.18% in Chittagong city and 1.01% occurred at railway crossings, according to the analysis.
The number of road accidents was highest on January 17. At least 20 people were killed and 31 injured in 35 road accidents on that day.
The lowest number of road accidents was recorded on January 2, with 12 road accidents resulting in 10 deaths and 21 injuries.
The highest death toll in a single day in road accidents was on January 11. Thirty people were killed and 17 injured in 26 road accidents on that day.
The most injured in road accidents was on January 5. At least 16 people were killed and 71 injured in 18 road accidents on that day.
In this regard, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of Jatri Kalyan Samity said he believes that there is no alternative to proper enforcement of road laws to reduce road accidents.
He claimed that traffic laws and regulations for drivers are not being followed, leading to a rise in accidents. Additionally, he said that the number of small vehicles, including motorcycles, has grown at an uncontrolled pace.
Despite the need for a safe and modern public transportation system across the country, road accidents are rising at an alarming rate due to a shift towards using easy bikes, battery-run autorickshaws, and motorcycles as public transportation.
“So I think traffic laws should be properly applied to control gridlock on the roads,” he added.
The year 2022 saw the highest number of road accidents and casualties in the last eight years.
In 6,749 road accidents, some 9,951 people were killed and 12,356 people were injured.
