6,284 killed in road accident last year: Road Safety Foundation

As many as 6,284 people, including 927 women and 734 children, were killed in 5,371 reported road accidents across the country in 2021, reports UNB.

Road Safety Foundation (RSF), an organisation that campaigns for safe roads, on Saturday revealed a new report on accidents on Bangladesh's perilous roads last year.

The report was prepared based on accident news reported by seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media. According to the report, 7,468 people suffered injuries in road accidents during the period.

Last year, motorcycle accidents turned out to be the deadliest ones as those alone caused death to 2,214 people, which is 35.23 per cent of the total deaths.

A total of 2,078 motorbike accidents were reported during the year that account for 36.38 per cent of the total accidents. According to the RSF findings, at least 1,523 pedestrians were killed in road accidents, is 24.23 per cent of the total deaths.

Some 798 drivers and their assistants also lost lives in road crashes (12.69 per cent of the total deaths). Meanwhile, 159 people died, 192 suffered injuries and 47 went missing in 76 waterways accidents during the period, said RSF.

In 123 railways accidents, 147 people were killed and 39 suffered injuries in 2021. According to the RSF report, 82 per cent of the level crossings in the country are unprotected which caused deaths to 47 people in 33 accidents.

The Dhaka division witnessed the highest number of accidents with 1,545 deaths from 1,344 accidents while the Rangpur division recorded the lowest number of accidents with 443 deaths from 398 accidents.

According to the RSF, the number of road crashes increased by 13.47 per cent, while fatalities by 15.70 per cent and injuries by 1.20 per cent in 2021.

The number of motorbike accidents increased by 50.47 per cent and deaths from it increased by 51.33 per cent compared to the previous year.