As many as 394 people were dead in 398 road accidents across the country in September this year, according to data compiled by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
Among the casualties, 48 were women and 53 were children.
Road Safety Foundation, a non-government organization, prepared the report based on information from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, and electronic media, according to a press release.
Among the casualties of road accidents across the country, 151 (38.32 per cent) were motorcyclists; 16 (4.06 per cent) were bus passengers; 15 (3.80 per cent) were riders of trucks, covered vans, and pickups; and 68 (17.25 per cent) were riders of three-wheelers like CNG, easy bikes, and autorickshaws.
According to the Road Safety Foundation's analysis, 139 (34.92 per cent) accidents occurred on national highways, 183 (45.97 per cent) on regional roads, 49 (12.31 per cent) on rural roads, 22 (5.52 per cent) on urban roads, and 5 (1.25 per cent) in other places.
The report reveals that in September, the Dhaka division saw the highest number of accidents, with 121 reported accidents resulting in 116 fatalities. Sylhet division recorded the lowest number of accidents, with just 20 incidents, while Mymensingh division had the lowest number of fatalities, totalling 23.
At least 17 people were dead and 21 were injured in 23 accidents in the capital city Dhaka, Road Safety Foundation data shows.
The organization identified several factors contributing to the high number of casualties on the country's roads, including, reckless driving, slow-moving vehicles on highways, absence of fixed pay and working hours for drivers, inadequate traffic management, limited capacity of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and prevalence of extortion within the public transport sector.
According to the Road Safety Foundation, 378 lives were lost in 403 road accidents across the country in August.
