The government is going to observe the National Road Safety Day today amid frequent fatal road crashes across the country.

At least 1.05 lakh people were killed and 1.49 lakh more were injured in road crashes in the last 11 years, said a report published by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh on Monday.

Between January 1, 2014 and September 30 this year, a total of 37,553 people were killed, which is 39.65 per cent of the total accident victims, and 46,167 more were injured in 20,124 motorcycle related accidents or 22.83 per cent of the total accidents, it also said.

Blaming the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government’s severe corruption, mismanagement, extortion and disorder for the situation, the association demanded formation of a road sector reform commission to eliminate all irregularities.

Against this backdrop, this year the day will be observed with the slogan ‘Student-people’s promise: safe road for all’.

Marking the occasion, the government will hold a discussion at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital today.

On the eve of the day, the PWAB published the report based on different media reports at a discussion held at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity.

The report read that in last 11 years, 1,05,338 people were killed and 1,49,847 were injured in 60,980 road crashes, said a press release issued by the association.

As many accidents went underreported the actual statistics could be higher, report said. 

Among the victims, the highest 22,260 people were transport workers, including drivers, followed by 17,150 pedestrians, 8,801 students, 3,416 political leaders and activists,1,593 teachers, 559 journalists, 514 law enforcement agency members, 430 physicians, 361 lawyers, 330 engineers, 294 freedom fighters and 55 artists.

A total of 8,067 children became road crash victims in the 11 years.

Of the crashes, the highest 22.83 per cent crashes were caused by motorcycles followed by 10.26 per cent by CNG-run auto rickshaws while 23.32 per cent crashes were jointly caused by trucks, covered vans, pickup vans and lorries, 17.36 per cent jointly by buses and minibuses, 9.32 per cent jointly by battery-run rickshaws, easy bikes and auto vans, another 9.32 per cent jointly by nasimons, karimons, and bhatbahtis and 6.33 per cent jointly by cars, microbuses and jeeps.

The highest percentage, 37.59 per cent, of road crashes took place on regional highways followed by 31.76 per cent on national highways and 22.54 per cent on feeder roads.

The association secretary general Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury at the discussion said that during the Awami League rule some corrupt people became owners of huge money through irregularities and extortion in the sector.