Some 383 people were killed and 694 injured in 314 road accidents across the country in October this year.
Of the total death toll, highest 34.46 per cent or 132 people died in 119 accidents involving motorcycles, which is also the highest or 37.89 per cent of the total mishaps, according to a report prepared by Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
It said both the number of accidents and death tolls increased by 15 and 26 per cent respectively in the last month compared to that in September, when 273 accidents killed 304 people.
In October, 97 pedestrians and 42 transport workers, including drivers and helpers, died in road crashes.
The RSF also said that 11 people died and six were injured in five waterway accidents in October, when 22 fishermen went missing in the Bay of Bengal after a boat capsized.
Some 13 Railway accidents killed 17 people, the report added.
The foundation compiled the data from seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media.
The RSF identified unfit vehicles, reckless driving, poor skill, mental and physical sickness, inadequate benefits for drivers, movements of slower vehicles on the highways, reckless bike rides, especially by youths, improper traffic management system and lack of awareness about traffic laws as the key reasons for road accidents.
The rights body also suggested enhancing drivers' skills, strengthening the capability of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and enforcement of the existing laws to help check the road accidents.
saif.febd@gmail.com