During the last Eid-ul-Fitr holiday, daily on an average nearly five students were killed in road crashes, a report of the Road Safety Foundation revealed on Wednesday.
At least 74 students of schools, madrassahs, colleges and universities were killed in 15 days in April 4鈥�18, said a press release issued by the foundation.
The foundation鈥檚 report also showed that based on the International Road Assessment Program the estimated financial cost of damages to the human resources in road crashes during the period was around Tk 1,330.5 crore.聽
The foundation also suggests another 30 per cent should be added to this estimation as many road crashes go unreported.
The report was published at a time when the students of the Chittagong University of
Engineering and Technology waged protests in Raujan upazila in Chattogram for the third consecutive day on Wednesday at the death of their two fellows in a road crash on April 22.
The Road Safety Foundation report echoes two similar reports revealed recently by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and Passenger
Welfare Association of Bangladesh that found the number of road crashes and deaths increased during this Eid.
At least 367 people were killed and over 1,500 others injured in 358 road crashes in 15 days, the foundation鈥檚 Wednesday report showed.
Comparing with the journeys during Eid-ul-Fitr in 2023, the number of road crashes in the country increased by 39.2 per cent and deaths by 20.19 per cent this year.聽
During last year鈥檚 Eid holiday, daily on an average 20.35 people were killed in road crashes, while this year during the same period daily on an average 24.46 people were killed.
Moreover, during this Eid, 19 people were killed and 17 were injured in 14 railways accidents and seven were killed and eight were injured in three waterways accidents, the report also found.
The report was launched at a press conference at the foundation office in the capital. The report is based on reports published and broadcasted in different news media.
About the injured, the report explained that different media outlets reported about 493 people sustained injuries in road crashes, while the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation admitted 454 people in three days with injuries during the Eid.聽
Overall, the number of injured in road crashes would be over 1,500 in 15 days, it said.
The foundation report also showed that in 183 or 51.11 per cent incidents motorcycle was involved, in which 156 or 42.5 per cent people were killed this year.
Among the motorcycle related crashes, 51.36 per cent took place as a result of losing control, 25.13 took place when other vehicles hit motorcycles and 23.49 per cent crashes happened due to head-on collision with other vehicles.聽
Compared with 2023, during this Eid the number of motorcycle related crashes increased by 38.95 per cent and deaths by 9.47 per cent.
During this Eid, in 11 motorcycle crashes three youths per incident were killed.
In the 15 days period, among the fatal victims 68 or 18.52 per cent were pedestrians and 41 or 11.17 per cent were transport workers, while 74 were children.
All members of five families were killed in the same period.聽
The Road Safety Foundation said that 85 per cent crashes took place due to overspeeding.
On the Dhaka-Mawa expressway, in nine crashes 13 were killed and 22 were injured for overspeeding during this Eid.
The foundation recommended full implementation of the Road Transport Act 2018 to check the situation.
