463 died, 948 injured in 387 road accidents last month: report

At least 463 people were killed and 948 injured in 387 road accidents across the country in February, said a report published yesterday by non-government organisation Road Safety Foundation. 

Of the deaths, at least 107 people died from 102 motorcycle accidents, the report said.

Of the 387 accidents identified in February, 78 were head-on collisions and 136 pedestrians were run over.

Road Safety Foundation collects data for monthly reports from news published on seven national dailies, four online portals and electronic media, their press release said.

Besides, 44 people were killed in 47 train accidents, while 32 died from seven incidents of waterway accidents in the same month.

The foundation pointed out10 reasons behind the accidents, among which were -- unfit vehicles, reckless driving, drivers' incompetence and their lack of physical or mental capacity, unregulated working hours for drivers, poor traffic management, the inefficiency of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and lack of knowledge about traffic rules among drivers and pedestrians.

To reduce the number of road accidents and deaths, it also made nine recommendations, including taking initiatives to increase number of skilled drivers, constructing road dividers on all highways, fixing salaries and working hours of drivers and barring low-speed vehicles from highways.