A total of 622 people were killed and 1,652 injured in 613 road accidents across Bangladesh in May, according to the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA).
In a press release issued on Saturday (13 June), the organization said Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of road accidents during the month. The division saw 180 accidents, resulting in 185 deaths and 558 injuries.
According to data compiled from reports published in national media, 42 railway accidents claimed 34 lives and injured 29 people in May. Meanwhile, 21 waterway accidents left 15 people dead, 15 injured, and seven missing.
Overall, 676 accidents across road, rail, and water transport resulted in 671 deaths and 1,696 injuries during the month.
Motorcycle accidents accounted for a significant share of casualties. A total of 221 motorcycle crashes killed 231 people and injured 219 others. These incidents represented 36.05 percent of all reported accidents and 37.13 percent of total fatalities.
Among the country's divisions, Dhaka recorded the highest number of road accidents, while Mymensingh recorded the lowest, with 27 accidents that left 38 people dead and 67 injured.
The BPWA said its Accident Monitoring Cell collected the information through media monitoring and noted that the actual number of casualties could be higher because some incidents may not have been reported.
Among those killed or injured in road accidents were drivers, pedestrians, transport workers, students, women, children, law enforcement personnel, teachers, healthcare professionals, journalists, and political activists.
The association identified 975 vehicles involved in road accidents during May. Motorcycles accounted for the largest share at 28.69 percent, followed by trucks, pickups, covered vans, and lorries at 23.10 percent. Buses represented 14.45 percent, while battery-powered rickshaws and easy bikes accounted for 12.97 percent.
Analysis of accident causes showed that 42.08 percent resulted from head-on collisions, while 32.30 percent involved vehicles being crushed or pushed. Another 18.92 percent occurred after vehicles lost control and fell into roadside ditches.
The report found that 44.69 percent of accidents occurred on national highways, 30.66 percent on regional highways, and 18.10 percent on feeder roads. Accidents within Dhaka metropolitan areas accounted for 5.22 percent of the total.
The BPWA identified several key factors behind the rise in road accidents, including the unrestricted movement of motorcycles and battery-powered vehicles on highways, inadequate road signs and lighting, lack of medians, poor road conditions, traffic law violations, unfit vehicles, driver fatigue, reckless driving, and unsafe passenger transport practices.
To reduce accidents, the association recommended improving road management through technology, strengthening driver training and licensing systems, ensuring proper road maintenance, increasing road safety audits, enhancing BRTA's regulatory capacity, reforming transport sector governance, and improving pedestrian safety infrastructure nationwide.
