TDS Desk:

Motorcycle accidents in the country have significantly increased over the past five years, with a 9.04% rise in accidents and a 4.90% increase in fatalities, resulting in the tragic loss of 11,864 lives between 2020 and 2024.

In 2024 alone, there were 2,761 accidents involving motorcycles, resulting in 2,609 deaths and 1,832 injuries. Of the fatalities, 1,963 individuals, representing 75.23%, were aged between 14 and 45.

This information was revealed in the annual road accident report published by the Road Safety Foundation on Wednesday.

The report highlighted that 23% of motorcycle accidents in 2024 occurred due to head-on collisions with other vehicles, while 38.17% were caused by losing control of the motorcycle. Additionally, 37% accidents were due to heavy vehicles hitting motorcycles, and 1.73% occurred for other reasons.

Motorcycle drivers were solely responsible for 36.65% of the accidents, while 47.66% were attributed to the drivers of buses and heavy goods vehicles. Drivers of private cars and microbuses caused 3.22% of accidents, three-wheeler drivers caused 4.45%, cyclists and rickshaw drivers caused 1.52%, and pedestrians were responsible for 4.74%. Other factors accounted for the remaining 1.73%.

The data also showed that 29.66% of motorcycle accidents took place on national highways, 39.65% on regional roads, 17.42% on rural roads, and 13.25% on urban roads.

According to the Road Safety Foundation, motorcycles make up 71% of all motorised vehicles in the country.

A significant portion of motorcyclists are teenagers and young adults who often lack knowledge of traffic laws or choose to ignore them. Their reckless behaviour leads to accidents that harm both themselves and others.

A substantial number of these accidents involve collisions with buses and heavy goods vehicles, whose drivers are often unfit and poorly trained. As a result, even skilled motorcyclists fall victim to such incidents.

Saidur Rahman, chief executive of the Road Safety Foundation, said that motorcycles are 30 times riskier than four-wheeled vehicles.

He noted that due to poor public transport infrastructure, traffic congestion, and affordability, people are increasingly relying on motorcycles, which has contributed to the rise in accidents.

He also emphasised that many motorcyclists do not use high-quality helmets, even though such helmets can reduce the risk of death by 48%.

Comparing accident statistics over the years, it has been found found that in 2021, motorcycle accidents rose by 13.43% from 2020, with fatalities increasing by 15.70% and injuries by 1.20%.

In 2022, accidents grew by 27.14% from the previous year, fatalities increased by 22.74%, and injuries surged by 68.92%.

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of accidents rose by 1.2%, but fatalities decreased by 15.41%, and injuries declined by 9.57%.

However, in 2024, accidents increased slightly by 0.23%, while fatalities rose by 11.8% and injuries by 5.36%.

In the same year, 5,613 individuals aged 18 to 65, representing 76.95% of victims, lost their lives in road accidents.

The financial loss from road accidents in 2024 was estimated at around Tk21,886 crore.

The report analysed the country’s road network, noting that national and regional highways cover 22,476.28 kilometres, while rural roads span nearly 270,000 kilometres.

Alongside an increase in the number of vehicles, the speed of vehicles has also risen, contributing to 85% of road accidents.

The country lacks both manpower and technological resources to enforce speed control. According to the report, every 5-kilometre increase in speed above 60 km/h raises the risk of accidents by 2 to 4 times.

Reckless speeding has made the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway particularly prone to accidents.

Last year, at least 49 families were completely wiped out due to collisions between heavy vehicles and lightweight transport, such as auto-rickshaws.

The report stressed the need to design safer roads for smaller and slower vehicles to prevent such tragedies.