At least 66 people die from road traffic injuries every day, making it the leading cause of injury-related deaths across all age groups in the country, reveals a government survey.

Besides, more than 30 lakh people suffer non-fatal injuries in road crashes each year, and 38,028 of them are left permanently disabled, underscoring the severity of the issue that demands immediate intervention by the authorities.

The annual number of road crash fatalities (24,233) furnished by the survey is four times higher than the official figure of around 5,500 but lower than the World Health Organisation's estimate of over 31,000.

Carried out between May 2023 and February 2024, the cross-sectional national survey came up with the findings after analysing data from 4.43 lakh participants.

Following traffic injuries, suicide, drowning, and falls were identified as the next three leading causes of injury-related mortality, it said.

Titled "Prevalence and Risk Factors for Mortality and Morbidity in Relation to National Health Injury Survey of Bangladesh 2022-23", the survey was commissioned by the Non-Communicable Disease Control of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

It was conducted by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) with technical support from the WHO and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Voicing concerns over worsening road safety, experts and campaigners said that the operation of a large number of unfit vehicles; a shortage of skilled drivers; a sharp rise in small and slow-moving vehicles; and poor enforcement of traffic laws have plunged the road transport sector into disarray.

They noted that influential transport associations often perpetuate this dysfunction for their own benefits, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people every year and leaving many disabled.

While data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and police put the annual death toll between 5,000 and 6,000, non-governmental organisations estimate the figure to be between 6,000 and 10,000.

However, the WHO's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 said 31,578 people died in road crashes in Bangladesh in 2021.

LITTLE DROP IN FATALITY

Every year, 98,422 people die from all types of injuries -- an average of 268 deaths per day -- accounting for 10.91 percent of all deaths across age groups, according to the latest survey.

A similar survey in 2016 showed that 1,08,358 people died from injuries annually. This means injury-related fatalities declined 9.17 percent over the past decade.

According to the latest survey, around 16.5 million children and adults suffer injuries annually -- 45,408 per day -- and of them, 138,000 are left permanently disabled.

In comparison, the 2016 survey reported over 20 million injury cases per year, with 241,395 resulting in permanent disability.

Salim Mahmud Chowdury, the principal investigator of the latest survey, said that though the annual figure has dropped slightly, injuries remain one of the leading public health concerns in terms of mortality and disability.

"The issue is not on the government's priority list," he told this newspaper on October 5.

He noted that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be possible unless the government prioritises injury prevention and takes appropriate steps to reduce preventable deaths and injuries.

RISE IN CAUSALITIES ON ROADS

The mortality rate from road crashes has risen while it has declined in all other categories.

At least 23,116 people died in road crashes in 2016, making it the second leading cause of injury-related deaths. According to the latest survey, the number has risen by 3.24 percent to 24,233, making road crashes the leading cause of such deaths.

However, non-fatal injuries in road crashes declined to 30.3 lakh from 34.2 lakh in 2016.

About the rise in fatalities, Salim Mahmud said economic development spurred construction of new roads and the rise in number vehicles, but no effective mechanism has been put in place to curb road crashes.

OTHER ISSUES

According to the latest survey, suicide is the second leading cause of death, accounting for 20,505 fatalities annually, followed by 18,268 from drowning and 14,167 from falls.

More than 13.57 lakh people with various types of injuries are admitted to health facilities each year.

The survey made eight recommendations to reduce these avoidable deaths, injuries and disabilities. They include development and implementation of an injury prevention strategy; formation of a national committee for necessary intervention; and capacity building for onsite injury prevention.