At least 98 children were killed in road crashes across Bangladesh in March, underscoring the growing toll of unsafe roads on the country’s most vulnerable.

A total of 532 people died and 2,221 were injured in 576 road accidents in the month, according to a report by the Road Safety Foundation compiled from national dailies, online portals and electronic media.

Children accounted for nearly one in five of the fatalities while 66 women were also among the dead.

Motorbike accidents emerged as the single biggest killer, claiming 204 lives — over 38 percent of the total deaths.

Pedestrians often among the most exposed road users, made up another 79 victims, or nearly 15 percent.

The report also highlighted that 66 drivers and their assistants were killed.

Besides, 12 people died and 27 were injured in 14 waterway accidents while 67 people were killed and 224 injured in 48 railway-related accidents during the same period.

Most accidents occurred on regional roads which accounted for nearly 46 percent of crashes, followed by national highways at around 30 percent.

A significant number of accidents were linked to vehicles losing control, responsible for over 40 percent of accidents, said the report.

Dhaka division recorded the highest number of fatalities with 137 deaths from 126 accidents while the capital alone saw 28 deaths in 46 crashes.

The report noted a rise in daily fatalities, with an average of 17.16 deaths per day in March, up from 15.42 in February — an increase of more than 11 percent.

Excessive speed, reckless driving, unfit vehicles and poor road conditions were identified as major causes behind the crashes.

The organisation stressed the need for stricter enforcement, technology-based monitoring and better driver training to curb the rising death toll.