19 died in road accidents every day in March: RSF

On average, 19 people lost their lives every day in road accidents across the country in March, a new report said.
It said at least 589 people were killed and 647 others injured in 458 road accidents last month. Of the deceased, 162 were pedestrians, which was more than 27 per cent of the total deaths.
Road Safety Foundation (RSF) released the report on Monday. The report was prepared based on news items published in seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media.
Some 221 people were killed in 176 motorcycle accidents. The number of deaths by motorbike crashes was more than 37 per cent of the total deaths. Of the dead, 96 were children and 61 were women. Some 179 accidents took place on local roads and 167 on highways.
Unfit vehicles, reckless driving, lack of skills, mental and physical sickness, lack of proper benefits for drivers, slow-moving vehicles on highways, reckless motorbike driving by youths, improper traffic management system and lack of awareness about traffic laws were responsible for such accidents, the report observed.
It suggested raising the number of skilled drivers, strengthening the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and enforcing existing laws properly to prevent road accidents.

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