At least 360 students were killed and 109 others injured in 320 road accidents across Bangladesh between January and June this year, according to Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association (Jatri Kalyan Samity).
Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Saturday to mark the 15th anniversary of Mirsarai tragedy.
He said raising awareness among students could help build safer roads and a more disciplined nation.
He said in the absence of regular safety awareness programmes involving students, teachers and guardians to prevent a repeat of the Mirsarai tragedy, the country continues to lose a large number of students to road accidents every year, with many suffering injuries and some left permanently disabled.
Referring to the association's month-wise data, Mozammel said January saw 57 road accidents that killed 57 students and injured 22 others, while February recorded 39 accidents claiming 47 student lives and leaving 11 injured.
March was the deadliest month with 59 accidents killing 67 students, though only one injury was reported that month. April recorded 51 accidents with 56 students killed and 25 injured, followed by May, which saw the highest monthly accident count at 61, killing 73 students and injuring 23. In June, 53 accidents left 60 students dead and 27 injured.
Recalling the 2011 tragedy, Mozammel said a mini-truck carrying students from several schools in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram lost control and plunged into a ditch on July 11 that year, killing 45 people, including students, in what remains the deadliest single road accident in the country's history.
He alleged that no awareness programme on student road safety has been undertaken by the government since then, and that no meaningful awareness has developed among students and guardians either, resulting in continued loss of young lives on the roads every year.
To prevent further deaths, the Jatri Kalyan Samity placed a five-point recommendation.
These include incorporating road safety awareness content into school textbooks, and organising at least one hour-long awareness session every month in common rooms with all students, involving experts on road safety.
The association also called for zebra crossings to be drawn at every road-crossing point on national and regional highways, particularly near educational institutions, along with proper signboards marking school zones.
It further recommended deploying vest-clad “road safety guards” with red flags to stop traffic and help students cross highways safely near schools located along national and regional roads, and urged every educational institution to form a road safety committee comprising both students and teachers.