It is a somber reality that road accidents have become a common occurrence in our country, often with terrible loss of lives as well as crippling injuries. On Tuesday morning, the country woke up to a shocking piece of news about the death of nine individuals in the Baglung bus accident. As many as 28 others have sustained injuries after the ill-fated bus en route from East Rukum to Kathmandu met with an accident at Jaulepani, Nisikhola Rural Municipality-6, along the mid-hill highway. This is just a case in point. Every day, there are news of deaths due to road accidents across the country. The reasons for all these accidents are attributed to mechanical failures causing the vehicles to swerve off the road. The ever-increasing number of accidents serves as distressing reminders of the urgent need for proactive measures to address this issue. While it is important for riders to take necessary precautions, it is equally crucial for the concerned government authorities to take decisive actions to minimize the rate of accidents. It is high time for the formulation of new legislation that mandates the formation of specialized bodies to oversee road safety standards. Given the fact that fatalities from road accidents, despite outnumbering many times the deaths in air accidents, receive little or no attention from the government authorities, it is high time the government declared road accidents a national crisis and take serious measures to address them.
When will it end?
The statistics presented by the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2022 acutely depict how severe the situation of road accidents and associated deaths is. According to the survey, on average, 14 people die of road accidents per every hundred thousand people in Nepal each year– this gives around four thousand deaths. Additionally, statistics from the Nepal Police show that in just one fiscal year of 2022/23, there were 5960 road accidents with a large number of people dying from them. It may be recalled that many more accidents go unreported. The poor state of the road safety standards makes it worse. According to reports, only 25,000 kilometers of the total 100,000 kilometers of roads in Nepal have appropriate road safety standards. This implies that most of the roads are below standard in terms of security and therefore a death trap for all road users. To tackle this crisis, the government should focus on drafting and implementing a comprehensive road safety act. The new legislation should establish a centralized organization such as the Road Safety Council that would be responsible for monitoring and supervising everyday road safety issues. As of now, the matter related to road safety is divided among quite a number of agencies creating inefficiency and lack of coordinated action. Such a body should be endowed with the power to enact and enforce laws on road safety, simplifying the adjudicatory process and guaranteeing the appropriateness of road conditions.
Furthermore, the government needs to address improvements of safety standards for both new and old roads. It is thus advisable to make regular inspections and assessments in order to identify as well address the safety shortfalls. The roads built by local bodies must also meet the engineering standards for road construction. Currently, only the roads constructed under the supervision of the Department for Roads meet these standards. In order for road users to be safe, all roads irrespective of the agency that built them should adhere to required engineering standards. In addition to this, it is also important that drivers and pedestrians are made aware of the need for observing traffic rules. Major causes of accidents are overspeeding, traffic rules violation, and reckless overtaking. The government must spend money on elaborate road safety advertisements to inform people of the need for responsible behavior when driving and using roads. Balancing lane discipline and speed will help prevent many accidents. This educational initiative should be reinforced by the harsh implementation of traffic laws to deter offenders. The rising number of those who have died on our roads should be a continual reminder of the urgency and importance associated with this issue. We can't afford to wait any longer. The clock is ticking, and with every passing second, more lives are at risk. We need action now. We need the government to stand up, to declare this crisis for what it is: a national tragedy.
