‘Accidents on roads, railways, waterways killed 575 in Oct’

A total of 575 people lost their lives in transport accidents across the country in October, a report of Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association said, reports bdnews24.com.
The month saw a total of 534 accidents, which also left 875 others injured.
Half of these accidents involved vehicles ramming pedestrians, while one-fourth were due to collisions, and 15 per cent resulted from vehicles veering out of control.
The association's statement on Saturday highlighted that more than 38 per cent of these incidents occurred on national highways.
The data also revealed an increase in fatalities compared to September, when 547 accidents left 554 dead and 1,038 injured.
Although the number of accidents and injuries declined, fatalities increased, according to Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, the association's secretary general.
He said, "The reduced presence of traffic police on roads after the government transition created an opportunity for more violations. Illegal vehicles on major roads have also contributed to the rising death toll. Even though these vehicles are small, they carry seven to nine passengers at a time."
He suggested reducing the number of motorcycles to bring down fatalities, adding: "There are more than five million motorcycles in Bangladesh, which far exceeds the capacity of our roads.
"Compared to other countries, the number is disproportionately high. Battery-powered rickshaws should be allowed only in rural areas," he said.
Motorcycles accounted for 34 per cent of all fatalities, with 163 deaths recorded.