Dhaka: At least 416 people, including 54 women and 55 children, were killed in 350 road accidents reported across Bangladesh in January – up almost a full quarter over the reported number of fatalities in December, 2016.

Some 1012 individuals escaped with injuries from the January accidents. The figures were reported by the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR), an advocacy group, in their monthly report on Thursday.

At least 332 lives were lost to go with 654 injured from 281 road accidents last December, according to the NCPSRR – which means both fatalities as well as the incidence of road accidents increased by a quarter.

The NCPSRR’s monthly reports are prepared compiling reports of accidents from 20 national dailies, 10 regional newspapers, and eight online news portals and news agencies, that are then carefully vetted to avoid duplication.

Ashis Kumar Dey, general secretary of the NCPSRR, identified four reasons in particular for the increase in road accidents.

These are: sudden increase of three-wheelers and locally made mechanized vehicles on roads and highways, driving vehicles speedily amid fog during the ongoing winter season without fog lights, increase of unskilled motorcycle drivers in rural and regional roads for carrying passengers commercially, and lack of awareness with regard to road safety rules among pedestrians and small vehicle drivers.