As many as 6,048 accidents in road, rail, water and airways have claimed 7,796 lives in 2018, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.
Secretary General of the forum, Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, revealed the statistics in a press conference organized at the capital to unveil the report titled ‘Annual Road Accident Report-2018’.

“Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has found that 7,221 people have died in 5,514 road accidents, 394 people died in railway accidents, 159 accidents in waterways claimed 126 lives and five accidents in airways have killed 55 people,” he said.
The report states that 41.53 percent of the total no of accidents was incidents where people were run over under vehicles involved while 29.72 percent were head-on collisions.
“Reckless driving, risky overtaking, vehicle without fitness, passengers and pedestrians’ carelessness, driving while intoxicated, using cell-phone while driving, random movement of vehicles to the highways from feeder roads are among the main reasons of accidents reported on roads,” said Chowdhury.
Aimed at preventing road accidents Jatri Kalyan Samity also made 12 recommendations which includes– publicity campaigns to create awareness on traffic laws and the Motor Vehicles Ordinance, professional training and moral education for public transport drivers and overhauling the process of issuing fitness certificates and driving licenses.