Kathmandu. The Nepal Police recently released an infographic on the seven days of road accidents that depicts the horrific and grim picture of road safety in Nepal. According to police statistics, dozens of people are killed and hundreds are mutilated in road accidents every day in different parts of the country.
In the last seven days, 39 people lost their lives and 783 were injured in road accidents.TAG_OPEN_p_94 Likewise, 11 people lost their lives in a single day in Humla, Dhanusha, Kavre and Dolakha districts on Friday.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung took the oath of office for the second time in the last four days from June 9 to 25, killing 25 people in road accidents.TAG_OPEN_p_93 Of the 39 deaths in a week, more than 60 per cent have died in the last four days.
According to Nepal Police, 783 people were injured in road accidents that took place in different places of the country from June 7 to June 10.TAG_OPEN_p_92 Of those, 395 or 50 per cent were injured in the last four days.
Most Dangerous Highway in Asia:
According to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Asian Transport Observatory, the rate of road accidents and human losses in Nepal is the highest and most worrisome in South Asia and the entire Asian region.TAG_OPEN_span_69 The rate of death due to road accidents in Nepal is about 28.5 per 100,000 population. The WHO estimates 2. This number is almost TAG_CLOSE_span_67 double the Asia-Pacific average (15.2) and South Asia’s average (16.1).
While other Asian countries have been reducing road accidents, the death rate in Nepal increased by 13% between 2010 and 2021.TAG_OPEN_span_65 Thus, technically and statistically, Nepal’s highways can be considered one of the most dangerous and dangerous roads in Asia.TAG_OPEN_span_64
Accidents in Nepal are caused by a multifaceted cause:
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Driver’s Negligence:{ About 70 to 90 percent of accidents are caused by the driver’s negligence. } include speeding, jumping, drunk driving, and fatigue of drivers driving under the influence of the same driver over long distances.
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Poor condition of roads: Many highways in Nepal are full of potholes, narrow and sharp turns. There is an extreme lack of necessary dividers, signage and night lights on the streets.
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Mechanical Faults:{ Older vehicles, weak brakes, overloading, and lack of regular checking and maintenance can cause vehicles to spiral out of control.
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Geographical Challenge: Nepal’s mountainous terrain is challenging in itself. Landslides during the rainy season, dense fog and fog in the winter cause low visibility, which increases the number of accidents.
The reason behind the high number of deaths due to accidents in Nepal as compared to other South Asian countries is as follows:
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lax law enforcement: Nepal has not implemented a strict national strategy on road safety and vehicle safety standards. The lack of safety fences on highways also causes vehicles to fall directly off cliffs.TAG_OPEN_span_49
- Hilly geography and cliffs: Most highways in Nepal are built on hilly and steep terrain. Vehicles lose control of the road, plunging 300 meters or 1 kilometer downhill into a ditch, reducing the chances of surviving an accident and killing many people on the spot.
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Lack of immediate rescue:{} Nepal’s highways are not accessible immediately as compared to other countries. } Due to the delay in reaching the hospital, even the injured who are supposed to recover with normal treatment are compelled to die on the way.
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Mix of Nature of Vehicles: Nepal’s roads are compelled to ply on the same narrow lane, making two-wheelers and pedestrians most at risk There are.
Nepal Police’s statistics for the last seven days show that it is time for the government to act faster by declaring road safety a ‘national emergency’.TAG_OPEN_p_80 The Home Minister should pay attention to addressing such sensitive and serious problems rather than sweeping the ministry with a broom or raising a table in the park.
Recent accidents have made it clear that merely widening the road is not enough to stop road accidents.TAG_OPEN_p_79 Unless there is full compliance with traffic rules, safe infrastructure, and the development of an immediate rescue system, this genocide on Nepalese roads will not stop. Though he had taken the initiative to give instructions to the contractors while travelling on the Narayangadh-Butwal road section when he was the Home Minister for the first time, except for the road infrastructure, the remaining two issues are under the responsibility of Home Minister Sudan Gurung’s ministry.
