A total of 502 people lost their lives and 964 were injured in 504 road accidents across Bangladesh in September, according to a report released by the Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association (BPWA).
The report, signed by BPWA General Secretary Md. Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, highlights that motorcycle accidents were particularly deadly, with 199 fatalities and 188 injuries recorded in 191 incidents.
Region-wise, the highest number of accidents occurred in the Dhaka division, where 126 incidents resulted in 122 deaths and 216 injuries. The lowest number of accidents was reported in Barishal division, with 22 incidents leading to 27 deaths and 47 injuries.
The BPWA report also analyzed the types of vehicles involved in 772 documented accidents last month. Motorcycles accounted for 29.01%, trucks, pickups, covered vans, and lorries 22.02%, buses 16.58%, battery-operated rickshaws and e-bikes 12.17%, CNG-run auto-rickshaws 7.38%, small trucks and tractors 7.25%, and cars, SUVs, and microbuses 5.56%.
Regarding the nature of accidents, 48.8% were due to vehicle collisions, 28.57% were head-on collisions, 17.85% occurred when vehicles lost control and fell into ditches, 3.76% due to miscellaneous causes, 0.39% from clothing (scarf) entanglements, and 0.59% involved train-vehicle collisions.
In terms of location, 45.03% of accidents occurred on national highways, 24% on regional highways, 25.39% on feeder roads, 3.96% within Dhaka city, 0.99% within Chattogram city, and 0.59% at railway crossings.
The BPWA warned that the current interim government’s plan to register battery-operated rickshaws could potentially double road accidents if the registration system is flawed.
