Prioritise Road Safety

It is a matter of concern that vehicular accidents have become a common phenomenon in Nepal despite some efforts being made to address this problem. The nation has witnessed a startling increase in the number of road accidents resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries annually. In 2021/22 alone, as many as 2,883 persons lost their lives while a total of 7,282 others were severely injured in well over 24,525 vehicular accidents recorded nationwide. According to the Nepal Police Mirror 2022 that was unveiled on October 17, more than 25,720 persons were wounded in the accidents. The report indicates that carelessness on the part of drivers (21,675) was the main factor leading to mishaps followed by passengers’ inattention (1,031), bad condition of roads (1,014) and mechanical malfunction (635), among others. Over-speeding and overloading of passengers are also responsible for frequent road accidents. It is remarkable that two-wheelers have topped the list of accidents. During the last fiscal year, altogether 19,974 two-wheeler riders, 5,975 four-wheelers, 2,786 buses and 2,476 trucks met with mishaps. This speaks volumes about the nation’s weak road safety scenario.