Road accidents killed three students on average per day in the country in the past five years and a half, revealed a Road Safety Foundation report published on Saturday.
According to the report, at least 5,619 students were killed in road crashes in between January 2019 and June this year.
During the same period, road crashes claimed a total of 34,478 lives out of which 16.29 per cent were students.
Among the deceased students, 53 per cent comprised between 18 and 25 years and 47 per cent aged between 5 and 17 years.
The percentage of deaths of students in road crashes is alarming, the report said.
Meanwhile during the same period, 833 students were killed under train wheels while crossing the tracks.
The report was prepared based on other reports published in a diversity of media outlets, said a press release issued by the foundation.聽
RSF on Saturday held a press conference at its office in the capital where they revealed the report.
Almost half of the students, 49.52 per cent, were killed in motorcycle-related road crashes followed by after being hit or crushed by vehicles (27.3 per cent), as passengers of vehicles (12.83 per cent), as bicycle riders (8.84 per cent) and by tangling scarves on vehicle wheels (1.49 per cent).
A total of 693 students were killed in 2019, 719 in 2020, 1,006 in 2021, 1,437 in 2022, 1,153 in 2023 and 611 in 2024 (till June).
The report showed that among the vehicles involved in road crashes the highest percentage 鈥� 37.86 per cent 鈥� involved motorcycles followed by 23.66 per cent involved three-wheeler vehicles, 21.3 per cent involved goods-laden vehicles, 9.46 per cent involved buses and 7.69 per cent involved bicycles and paddle rickshaws.
The students aged between 13 to 25 years were killed mainly by motorcyclists and riders mainly on regional and national highways.
The highest percentage-29.38 per cent-of road crashes took place on regional highways followed by 26.44 per cent on urban roads, 23.82 per cent on rural roads and 20.3 per cent on national highways.
Faulty road designs, unfit vehicles, lack of knowledge on using roads and road safety campaigns, reckless motorcycle driving and corrupt political culture were the reasons behind these fatal crashes, the report found.
The foundation said that there was no long-term sustainable plan for establishing order in the road transport sector.
A vested interest group is the main obstacle in implementing the Road Transport Act 2018, RSF also observed and urged the authorities to implement the law and people to follow the law.