417 lives lost on roads in Sept in Bangladesh: RSF

Among them, 18 people were killed and 33 others injured in 42 road accidents in the capital, according to a report of Road Safety Foundation released on Sunay .

The Road Safety Foundation prepared the report based on the reports of nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media.

Among the deceased, 143 people died in motorbike accidents alone which is 33.85% of the total fatalities.

The deceased also included 112 pedestrians, 56 drivers and their assistants.

Besides, 17 waterways accidents claimed at least 21 lives with six injuries.

Twenty seven people were killed and 13 others injured in 29 accidents involving trains across Bangladesh last month.

Of the total accidents, 214 accidents occurred on the national highways, 135 on regional roads, 42 on rural roads and 60 on city roads, said the report.

According to the report, 28.69% accidents occurred in Dhaka division, 18.83 % in Rajshahi, 22% in Chattogram, 6.72% in Khulna, 3.58% in Barishal, 3.35 % in Sylhet, 8.87% in Rangpur and 5.38% in Mymensingh division.

Fourteen people were killed in Barishal division, the lowest compared to other divisions, said the report.

The RSF pointed out several major reasons behind the rise in the number of road accidents.

The reasons include - faulty vehicles; reckless driving; desperate mentality, incompetence and illness of drivers; unsettled wages and working hours; prevalence of low-speed traffic on highways; reckless motorcycling by the youth; the tendency of flouting traffic rules, poor management of traffic; lack of efficiency of the BRTA; and extortion in the sector, reports UNB. 

The RSF urged the authorities concerned to take necessary initiative to ensure road safety.