Nearly 100 children among 532 killed in March road crashes in Bangladesh: RSF

At least 98 children were killed in road crashes across
Bangladesh in March, underscoring the growing toll of unsafe roads on the
country's most vulnerable.
A total of 532 people died, and
2,221 were injured in 576 road accidents in the month, according to a report by
the Road Safety Foundation compiled from national dailies, online portals and
electronic media.
Children accounted for nearly one
in five of the fatalities, while 66 women were also among the dead.
Motorbike accidents emerged as the single biggest killer, claiming 204 lives —
over 38% of the total deaths.
Pedestrians, often among the most
exposed road users, made up another 79 victims, or nearly 15%.
The report also highlighted that 66
drivers and their assistants were killed.
Besides, 12 people died, and 27
were injured in 14 waterway accidents, while 67 people were killed and 224 were
injured in 48 railway-related accidents during the same period.
Most accidents occurred on regional roads, which accounted for nearly 46% of
crashes, followed by national highways at around 30%.
A significant number of accidents
were linked to vehicles losing control, responsible for over 40% of accidents,
said the report.
Dhaka division recorded the highest
number of fatalities with 137 deaths from 126 accidents, while the capital
alone saw 28 deaths in 46 crashes.
The report noted a rise in daily
fatalities, with an average of 17.16 deaths per day in March, up from 15.42 in
February — an increase of more than 11%.
Excessive speed, reckless driving,
unfit vehicles and poor road conditions were identified as major causes behind
the crashes.
The organisation stressed the need
for stricter enforcement, technology-based monitoring and better driver
training to curb the rising death toll.
















