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The Financial Express

562 killed, 549 injured in road accidents in May

| Updated: June 04, 2021 00:19:22


- Picture used for illustrative purpose - Picture used for illustrative purpose

Some 562 people were killed and 549 others injured in road accidents across the country in May this year.

During the month, a total of 441 road crashes took place and the number of accidents involving motorcycles was the highest, according to a report published by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

Among the dead, 83 were women and 66 children.

Some 217 people died in as many as 228 motorcycle crashes in the last month, which is 26.15 per cent of the total deaths, said the report released on Thursday.

The highest number of accidents occurred in Dhaka division with the number of deaths also being the highest.

A total of 144 people died in 115 accidents in Dhaka division alone during the last month, the report showed.

The lowest number of road crashes and fatalities were reported in Mymensingh division -- 26 accidents and 27 deaths.

Of the total 441 accidents reported in May, 179 accidents occurred on highways, 158 on regional roads, 63 on rural roads, 35 on urban roads and 6 in others.

Besides, four were killed and one was injured in five incidents on railway tracks while 34 others died and 16 others sustained injuries from eight incidents in waterways in the same month.

The RSF report is based on news content of seven national dailies, five online news portals, and electronic media. Some 767 vehicles were responsible for the road accidents that took place in May.

It attributed the road crashes to unfit vehicles, rash driving, lack of skill, mental and physical sickness, inadequate benefits for drivers, slow movement of vehicles on the highways, reckless bike ride by youths, improper traffic management system, and lack of awareness about traffic laws.

The RSF also recommended increasing skilled drivers, strengthening the capability of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and enforcement of the existing laws to check road accidents in the country.

Earlier in April, some 452 people were killed in 397 accidents.

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