Eid travel deaths surges 8.95 per cent nationwide, says passenger welfare body

Bangla Press Desk:    Across Bangladesh, this year’s 15-day Eid travel period has seen an acute road safety crisis, with 394 lives lost and 1,288 injured in 377 accidents, marking an 8.95 per cent rise from last year, according to the Passenger Welfare Association.

The surge has sent shockwaves through the nation, as motorcycles, buses and battery-run rickshaws claim victims on highways, regional roads, railways and waterways alike, exposing deep cracks in traffic management and public safety.

The data was presented by the organisation’s Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday morning.

According to the briefing, during the same period last year, 315 road accidents killed 322 people and injured 826. That means fatalities rose by 8.26 per cent, while injuries surged by 21.5 per cent.

Breaking down the figures, Mozammel said 346 road accidents left 351 people dead and 1,046 injured.

Railways reported 23 accidents, resulting in 35 fatalities and 223 injuries.

On waterways, eight accidents killed as many people, injured 19, and left three missing.

The report was compiled by the association’s road accident monitoring cell through analysis of media reports.

The organisation said, “When compared with casualties in the ongoing Iran–Israel war over the past 15 days, road accident casualties in Bangladesh are far higher.”

Motorcycles remained the deadliest factor. During Eid travel:

125 motorcycle accidents killed 135 and injured 114

Accounting for 36.12 per cent of total accidents

38.46 per cent of deaths and nearly 10.89 per cent of injuries

Vehicle involvement analysis showed:

27.16 per cent motorcycles

17.73 per cent trucks and covered vans

16.22 per cent buses

15.28 per cent battery-run rickshaws

8.49 per cent cars and microbuses

7.73 per cent nasimon-karimon

7.35 per cent CNG-run autorickshaws

Accident patterns revealed:

35.83 per cent head-on collisions

32.36 per cent vehicles running over pedestrians

22.25 per cent vehicles losing control and plunging into ditches

0.57 per cent train-vehicle collisions

0.57 per cent scarf entanglements in wheels

8.38 per cent causes unknown

About 43.6 per cent of accidents occurred on national highways, with the rest on regional roads, rail and waterways.

Mozammel said, “No representatives of passengers or civil society were included in Eid management meetings.”

He added, “Due to the influence of bus owners’ associations and workers’ federations, fare chaos, accidents and transport disorder increased compared with the past two Eids. Government monitoring was effectively controlled by transport owners.”

The group identified key causes, including unregulated movement of motorcycles and battery-run vehicles, lack of road signs, lighting and dividers, unsafe rail crossings, unfit vehicles, reckless driving and driver fatigue.

It urged measures such as increased use of technology, smart fare systems, halting imports of risky vehicles, improved highway lighting, skilled driver training, digital fitness certification, and service lanes on major highways.

BP/SP