At least 428 people were killed and 791 others were injured in 451 road crashes across Bangladesh in August, according to a report published by the Road Safety Foundation issued on Monday.
At least 132 people (30.84 per cent of total deaths) were killed in 144 (31.92 per cent) road accidents involving motorcycles.
Additionally, 31 people were killed and 11 others were injured in 37 railway accidents in August.
In 19 waterways accidents, 23 people were killed, 17 injured, and nine remained missing during that month.
The foundation issued a press release with a summary of their monthly report, which was based on media reports.
Of the fatalities, 34 were children, 52 were transport workers, including the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accidents, and 57 were students.
Of the fatalities, the highest, 30.84 per cent, were motorcycle riders and their pillions followed by 22.66 per cent three-wheeler (CNG-run auto-rickshaws, auto vans and human haulers known as leguna) passengers and drivers, 19.39 were pedestrians, 7.71 per cent locally made Nasimon, Karimon, Bhotbhoti, Tomtom and Mahindra passengers and drivers, 7 per cent were bus drivers and passengers, 6.3 per cent were drivers and illegal passengers of trucks, covered vans, pickup trucks and trolley trucks 4.9 per cent were passengers and drivers of cars, microbuses and ambulances, and 1.16 per cent bicycle riders.
Division-wise, 119, the highest number of road crashes, occurred in Dhaka division killing 117 people. Only in the capital, in 37 road accidents 15 were killed.
In Barishal division, the lowest number of road accidents, 18, happened, killing 16 people.
Regarding the nature of the accidents, the highest, 45.89 per cent, were caused when vehicles crushed onto other things after losing control. Next comes 19.95 per cent by head-on collisions; 18.84 per cent by vehicles running over pedestrians; 13.74 per cent by vehicles ramming into other vehicles from behind, and 1.55 per cent for other reasons.
According to the report, the highest, 47.45 per cent road crashes took place on national highways, followed by 29.93 per cent on regional highways, 13.3 per cent on urban settings, and 9.31 per cent on rural roads.
The highest percentage of road accidents, 29.71 per cent occurred in the morning, 25.27 per cent about noon, 24.61 per cent at night, 7.53 per cent in the evening, 7.09 per cent at the afternoon, and 5.76 per cent at the dawn.
The tally by the Road Safety Foundation, however, differs somewhat from that by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh.
According to the Passenger Welfare Association report issued on September 3, at least 502 people were killed and 1,232 others were injured in 497 road crashes across Bangladesh in August.
The foundation mainly blamed unfit vehicles, dilapidated roads, reckless driving and unchecked movement of slow moving vehicles on highways for the crashes.