DHAKA: Some 8,589 people were killed and 17,524 others injured in 5,928 road accidents in the country between January 1 and December 31 of 2014.

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association) general secretary M Mojammel Haque Chowdhury disclosed the statistics in a press briefing at a shopping complex in city Thursday noon.

Mojammel Haque said they prepared the report after monitoring and scrutinizing the reports on road accidents in national dailies, online news portals, television channels and five local newspapers.

He further said of the 17,523 injured passengers, 1,623 lost their limbs forever. Most of the victims’ families came down to the poverty level as they were the only earning member of the family.

Of the deceased, 1,256  were students, 156 teachers, 68 journalists, 63 physicians, 90 lawyers, 63 engineers, 215 law enforcing agency personnel (Police, RAB, BGB and Ansar members), 991 political activists, 142 civil servants, 2,222 women and 1,469 children.

Meanwhile, 1,266 buses, 1,413 trucks and covered vans, 1781 human haulers, 390 private cars, jeeps, and microbuses, 1,231 auto-rickshaws, 1,468 motorcycles and 1,173 battery-run auto-rickshaws fallen prey to accidents, he added.

He also said 53 percent of the accidents took place on highways, 26 percent in cities and 21 percent on village roads. Sixty percent of the passers-by died in cities due to illegal occupying of footpaths, lack of bus-bay.

The report identified occupying footpaths illegally, overtaking, rash driving, driving with helpers, faulty construction of roads and bridges, faulty vehicles, violation of traffic rules and carelessness of passers-by as the reasons of accident.

He also said that around 2,300 cases were filed in these connections.

Other leaders of the organisation also were present in the press briefing.

BDST: 1811 HRS, APR 02, 2015