Road accidents claim 299 lives during Eid journey

As many as 299 lives were lost and 544 people were injured in 277 road accidents across the country in 15 days during Eid-ul-Azha travels, according to a report of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform, reports UNB.

During this period 25 people were killed in 25 railway accidents and 16 people in 10 waterways accidents across the country, it said.

The report was published on Saturday after analysing accident reports published in the country's national and regional dailies and online media from 22 June to 6 July.

 
According to the findings of Jatri Kalyan Samity, road accidents came down by 15.16 per cent while the number of deaths also decreased by 33.11 per cent compared to the last year during Eid holidays, due to the good condition of roads.

Among the deaths, 93 people were killed in 88 road accidents involving truck, pickup and covered van, 94 killed in 91 motorbike accidents, which is 31.76 and 32.85 per cent of the total accidents, the report said.

Among the vehicles involved in the accidents were 22.37 per cent motorbikes, 23.05 per cent truck-pick-up-covered van-lorry, 17.57 per cent battery-run easy bikes or human haulers, 15.75 per cent buses, 10.27 per cent car, microbuses and jeeps, 5.57 per cent three-wheelers and 4.56 per cent CNG-run auto-rickshaws.
 

Of the accidents, 36.46 per cent occurred on national highways, 29.24 on regional roads and 29.60 per cent on roads. Besides, 1.8 per cent of accidents occurred in Dhaka city.

The association blamed reckless driving, dangerous overtaking and movement of unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers and helpers, plying of slow-moving three-wheelers and human-haulers on highways and violation of traffic rules for the accidents and deaths.