35,384 killed in road, railway, waterway accidents since 2019

In the last five and a half years, road, railway, and waterway accidents in Bangladesh have caused human resource losses worth Tk 878.84 billion, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

From 2019 to June 2024, a total of 32,733 accidents were reported across the country, resulting in 35,384 deaths and 53,196 injuries. Among the fatalities, 5,103 were women (14.42 per cent), and 4,785 were children (13.52 per cent).

Motorcycle accidents accounted for a significant portion of the fatalities, with 11,593 deaths from 11,669 accidents, representing 32.76 per cent of the total. The motorcycle accident rate stood at 35.64 per cent. Additionally, 8,358 pedestrians were killed, making up 23.62 per cent of the total fatalities. Drivers and their assistants made up 14.86 per cent of the deaths, with 5,261 individuals losing their lives.

During this period, 587 waterway accidents claimed 1,021 lives, injured 582, and left 369 missing. Meanwhile, 1,403 people were killed and 1,269 injured in 1,228 railway accidents.

The RSF report, based on data from nine national newspapers, seven online news portals, electronic media, and its own sources, highlighted the significant toll accidents have taken on the country.

Accident statistics by road type revealed that 36.48 per cent of accidents occurred on national highways, 35.73 per cent on regional roads, 15.46 per cent on rural roads, and 12.14 per cent on urban roads.

Among the victims, 11,593 (32.76 per cent) were motorcyclists, 1,915 (5.41 per cent) were bus passengers, 2,511 (7.09 per cent) were passengers in goods carrying vehicles (trucks, pickups), and 1,544 (4.36 per cent) were passengers in private vehicles (cars, microbuses).

The report also revealed that the Dhaka division saw the highest number of accidents, with 24.96 per cent of incidents, while the Sylhet division recorded the lowest at 6.29 per cent.

These alarming figures highlight the urgent need for stronger road safety measures and stricter enforcement to reduce the high death toll on Bangladesh’s roads.