Bike accidents account for one-third road deaths

Motorcycle accidents claimed more than one-third of the total road accident fatalities last month (September).
At least 476 people were killed and 794 others injured in 407 road accidents across the country during the month. Of them, 169 or 35.5 per cent were killed in 182 motorcycle accidents.
Of the total deceased, 62 were women and 77 were children, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) on Monday.
The RSF prepared the report based on the news published in nine national newspapers, seven online news portals and electronic media.
At least 103 pedestrians, 62 students, 14 teachers, and 63 drivers and their helpers were killed in the accidents.
At least 23 people were killed and 37 others injured in 29 road accidents only in Dhaka.
Besides, 78 were also killed and three went missing in nine accidents in the waterways during the month while 19 died and six injured in 21 train accidents.
The average daily death was 15.87 in September, lower than that of 16.74 per cent in the previous month (August, 2022) when 519 people killed and 961 injured in 458 road accidents.
The RSF said that 3.93 per cent accidents took place during early morning while 26.53 per cent in the morning, 21.62 per cent during noon, 17.19 per cent in the afternoon, 7.37 per cent in the evening and 23.34 per cent at night.
It also mentioned that the breakneck speed of vehicles, desperate mentality and physical and mental illness of the drivers, having no specific amount of salary and duty hours for the drivers, movement of slow speeding vehicles on the highways, risky motorcycle driving by the youths and tendency of not following traffic rules among most of the people are among the prime reasons for road accidents.
The RSF recommended creating more skilled drivers, fixing working hours and salary for the drivers, gearing up the capacity of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and enforcing traffic laws strictly, stopping movement of slowly moving vehicles and building separate lanes for them.
Other suggestions included gradually building road dividers on highways and stopping illegal toll collection from mass transports like buses and trucks, bringing reforms to railways and waterways and expanding their networks, drafting and implementing a sustainable plan of action on road transport and implementing Road Transport Act-2018.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com