At least 438 people were killed and 561 injured in 472 road accidents across Bangladesh in June, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) on Sunday.
The victims included 44 women and 56 children, the organisation said in a press release.
Motorcycle accidents accounted for the highest number of fatalities, with 145 crashes claiming 134 lives, representing 30.59 percent of the total deaths.
Among the deceased were 91 pedestrians and 57 drivers and transport assistants.
The RSF said the report was prepared using information from nine national newspapers, 17 national and regional online news portals, various electronic media outlets and the organisation's own records.
Vehicle-wise data showed that motorcyclists and pillion riders suffered the highest number of fatalities, followed by passengers of three-wheelers, trucks, covered vans and pickup vehicles, buses, locally made vehicles, and rickshaws and bicycles.
According to the report, 151 crashes (32 percent) occurred on national highways, while 194 accidents (41.10 percent) took place on regional roads. Another 64 crashes (13.55 percent) occurred on rural roads and 57 (12.07 percent) on urban roads.
Loss of vehicle control was identified as the leading cause of road crashes, followed by head-on collisions, pedestrians being struck by vehicles and rear-end collisions.
In Dhaka alone, 32 road accidents left 24 people dead and 49 injured during the month.
The report also recorded nine waterway accidents, which claimed seven lives and injured four people, while 21 railway accidents killed 18 people and injured seven others.
Among those killed in road accidents were 58 students, as well as police personnel, teachers, journalists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, businesspeople, NGO workers, bank and insurance employees, sales representatives, political activists, garment workers, construction workers and religious leaders.
The RSF attributed the high number of road crashes to defective vehicles and roads, speeding, reckless and unskilled driving, long working hours and poor wages for drivers, the movement of slow-moving vehicles on highways, unsafe motorcycle riding by young people, weak enforcement of traffic laws, poor traffic management, institutional shortcomings at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and extortion in the public transport sector.
The organisation recommended reconstituting the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and bringing the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) under its authority.
It said a safer road transport system could be achieved through updated policies, improved infrastructure, wider use of technology and greater public awareness, backed by strong political commitment.