At least 416 people were killed and 629 others injured in 458 road accidents across Bangladesh in July, according to a report released today by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF).

Those killed included 57 women and 48 children, the report said.

Motorcycle crashes claimed 138 lives in 159 accidents, accounting for around one-third of all road deaths recorded during the month. One hundred and six pedestrians were killed, while 51 drivers and their assistants also lost their lives.

Dhaka division recorded the highest number of road crashes and deaths, with 133 accidents killing 125 people. Barishal division recorded the lowest toll, with 24 deaths in 28 crashes.

In Dhaka city, 34 road crashes left 18 people dead and 47 others injured.

According to the report, 169 crashes occurred on national highways, 155 on regional roads, 61 on rural roads and 66 on city roads. It said 164 crashes occurred after drivers lost control of their vehicles.

The RSF attributed the crashes to unfit vehicles, poor road conditions, speeding, reckless and unskilled driving, excessive working hours for drivers, weak traffic management and reckless motorcycle riding.

Apart from road crashes, nine people were killed and 11 injured in 13 waterway accidents in July, while 24 people were killed and 18 injured in 29 railway accidents, the report said.

The RSF recommended removing unfit vehicles from the roads, making modern vehicle safety technology mandatory, introducing route-rationalised company-based bus services in Dhaka and constructing service roads for slow-moving vehicles along highways.