‘Road crashes kill 7,855 people in 2019’
At least 7,855 people were killed and 13,330 others injured in 5,516 road accidents across the country in 2019, a passengers' welfare body said today.
“The death toll from road crashes in the last year increased 8.07 per cent than that of 2018,” Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity said in its annual report.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the samity, unveiled the Annual Road Accident Report-2019 at a press conference held at the auditorium of Crime Reporters’ Association of Bangladesh in Dhaka this morning.
The report was prepared through monitoring the daily reports on accidents published by national, regional newspapers and online portals in the last year.
Reckless driving, risky overtaking, dilapidated road shapes, unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers, using mobile or headphone by the drivers while running vehicle, drinking liquor, grabbing footpath and lack of awareness among road users have been shown as the main reason in the report behind the road crashes, he said.
At least 7,221 people were killed and 15,466 others injured in 5,514 road crashes across the country in 2018, according to the platform.
Besides, at least 469 people were killed and 706 others injured in 482 incidents on railway tracks in 2019, the report said.
On waterways, at least 219 died, 282 injured and 375 went missing in 203 incidents, the report added.
Meanwhile, Nirapad Sarak Chai (Nischa) in its annual report stated that at least 5,227 people were killed while 6,953 injured in 4,702 road accidents across the country in 2019.
Nischa Chairman Ilias Kanchan revealed the information at a press conference at Dhaka’s Jatiya Press Club on January 4.
Besides, at least 198 people were killed and 347 injured in 162 rail-related accidents in 2019, the report said.
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