A total of 582 people lost their lives and 819 others were injured in 486 road, rail, and waterway accidents across Bangladesh during November, according to a report released by the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association on Tuesday (17 December).
The report, signed by the organisation’s secretary-general Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, was compiled by the association’s Road Accident Monitoring Cell based on reports published in widely circulated national, regional, and online news outlets.
Of the total, 415 road accidents caused the deaths of 497 individuals while leaving 747 injured. Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road crashes with 106 incidents, resulting in 129 fatalities and 264 injuries. Conversely, Mymensingh Division reported the lowest figures, with 26 accidents leading to 27 deaths and 45 injuries.
Railway accidents were also significant, with 64 incidents claiming 79 lives and injuring 43 others. Meanwhile, seven waterway accidents resulted in six deaths, 29 injuries, and two persons reported missing.
Motorcycles emerged as the most accident-prone vehicles, involved in 167 incidents—constituting 40.24% of total crashes, 38.63% of fatalities, and 14.86% of injuries. These incidents led to 192 deaths and 111 injuries.
Among the victims of road accidents, the report identified five law enforcement personnel, 253 drivers, 116 pedestrians, 118 transport workers, 57 students, 15 teachers, 67 women, 35 children, seven journalists, one doctor, ten political activists, and two freedom fighters. Among the deceased were two army personnel, 167 drivers, 105 pedestrians, 55 women, 27 children, 45 students, 21 transport workers, 13 teachers, one doctor, two journalists, two freedom fighters, and eight political activists.
In total, 588 vehicles were involved in these road crashes, with motorcycles accounting for 30.10%, trucks, pickups, covered vans, and lorries for 22.10%, buses for 16.15%, and battery-operated rickshaws and three-wheelers for 20.58%. Additionally, 3.74% were CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 3.06% included Nasimon, Karimon, Mahindra tractors, and Laguna vehicles, while 4.25% comprised private cars, jeeps, and microbuses.
The analysis of accident types revealed that 50.12% of incidents involved vehicles running over individuals, 21.68% were head-on collisions, and 18.31% occurred due to vehicles losing control and falling into ditches. Miscellaneous causes accounted for 9.16%, while 0.72% resulted from train-vehicle collisions.
In terms of locations, 30.84% of road accidents occurred on national highways, 40.24% on regional highways, and 22.89% on feeder roads. Additionally, 3.86% of crashes occurred in Dhaka Metropolitan area, 1.45% in Chattogram Metropolitan area, and 0.72% at railway crossings.
The findings underscore the continued need for stringent road safety measures to address the alarming number of transport-related fatalities and injuries nationwide.
