Buses, trucks, motorcycles account for 70pc of accidents
Road crash deaths rise by 8pc: Report
8,543 killed in land, water accidents in
2019, says passenger welfare assoc
STAFF REPORTER, Dhaka
At least 8,543 people were killed and 14,318 injured in 6,201 different accidents on land, water and highways across the country last year, according to a report prepared by Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association (BPWA). The report disclosed yesterday noted that, compared to 2018, there was an 8.07 per cent increase in deaths caused by road accidents last year. The report included 7,855 deaths in road accidents. A further 469 people were killed and 706 injured in 482 train accidents, 219 were killed, 375 others went missing and 282 others injured in 203 accidents on waterways, while 55 people were killed and 32 injured in five accidents in airways, the report added.
The BPWAs general secretary, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, read out the written statement to journalists about the alarming rise in the number of deaths caused by road accidents. The figures were placed at a press conference at the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) office in the capitals Segunbagicha yesterday.
Chowdhury also highlighted the reasons and recommended measures to bring the menace under
control. The report was prepared by monitoring news reports on road crashes published in regional, national and online newspapers, he said. The number of road accidents in 2019 was almost the same as in the previous year. But the number of casualties increased by 8.07 per cent compared to 2018. Among the victims in last years road accidents, there were 989 drivers of different vehicles, 844 were transport workers and 809 were students.
Last year, 18.99 per cent of the accident victims were buses, 29.81 per cent were trucks and covered vans, 21.4 per cent were motorcycles, 9.35 per cent were CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 5.22 per cent were cars and microbuses, 8.04 per cent were battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes and 7.32 per cent were Nasimon, Korimon and Mahendra tractors.
In addition, the total percentage of people or vehicles rammed by vehicles amounted to 56.35 per cent, 18.36 per cent were face-to-face collisions, 18.07 per cent of the victims fell in shafts, 5.91 per cent were because of miscellaneous reasons and 0.97 per cent were train-vehicle collisions.
Chowdhury claimed that following strict surveillance on the movement of motorcycles, the accident rate decreased by 4.26 per cent last year. He also noted that no case was made in 80 per cent of the road accidents. Also, only one per cent was convicted.
Highest and lowest figures: The highest number of road accidents occurred on June 15, 2019. On that day, 27 were killed and 121 injured in 31 road accidents. Again, the lowest number of road accidents was witnessed on July 14. Two persons were killed in a couple of road accidents that day. The highest number of deaths in a single day was on June 5. On that day, 36 people were killed and 93 injured in 22 road accidents. The highest number of causalities were on August 15, leaving 30 people dead and 221 injured in 21 road accidents.
Causes and recommendations: Reckless driving, overtaking, constructional error in roads, unfit vehicles, careless attitudes of pedestrians, unskilled drivers, use of mobiles and headphones while driving vehicles, driving after using drugs, sudden appearance of vehicles on the highway and rail crossings from the feeder roads, dearth of and grabbing of footpaths, overloading of vehicles and increase in the number of small vehicles were given as the various reasons, said Chowdhury.
Chowdhury also recommended some measures to decrease road accidents. The recommendations to combat the menace in the report included the use of digital systems and installation of closed-circuit cameras, implementation of the new Road Transport Act, 2018, conducting regular road safety audits and campaigns, freeing footpaths from illegal occupants, establishing and drawing road signs and traffic symbols, arranging professional training and ethical education for drivers, removing unfit vehicles from the roads, making separate lanes on highways, repairing roads, preventing three-wheelers from using the highways and constructing overpasses and underpasses on the national and regional highways for pedestrians.
He also added that the authorities should create a fund to treat and rehabilitate injured victims, take measures to run new and quality modes of transport, establish an academy for training the traffic police and other personnel, make the use of public transport mandatory for ministers, lawmakers, secretaries and deputy commissioners of districts and government officials once every month and also prevent extortion on highways.
The Driver Training Centers chairman, Nurun Nabi Shimu, and the director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Abdul Haque, were also present at the press briefing.
