68 percent of those killed in road accidents are motorcyclists
KATHMANDU, June 28: It was an unforgettable day for the Ramesh Itani couple from Matatirtha, which lies on the western outskirts of Kathmandu. Ramesh was dressed in party attire along with his wife Menuka on Monday morning. He was driving the motorcycle on that fateful day while his wife Menuka was pillion riding. They left their home at around 9 am. They reached Satungal about 15 minutes later. It was there that the motorcycle the couple was riding was hit by a passenger bus from behind.
While Menuka sustained serious injuries in the accident, Ramesh got some minor scratches. Menuka, who fell on the road along with the motorcycle, was crushed by the tyre of the bus. She died while being rushed to Bir Hospital. The Itani couple was on their way to attend a relative's wedding in Banasthali. Ramesh migrated from Dhading to Kathmandu a few years ago. Only the Itani couple used to live in their home as both of their sons have gone to the USA. The police have arrested the bus driver.
Similarly, on Sunday, four people were injured when two motorcycles collided in Dhungedhara near Banasthali in Kathmandu. Asmita Karki, 27, who was sitting on the back seat of one of the motorcycles, was seriously injured. She is being treated at Grande Hospital.
These are just representative cases only. Every day, small road accidents happen all over the country. According to the recently published Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2022, motorcycle passengers are the most likely to die in road accidents. According to the survey, there are 14 deaths per 100,000 people in Nepal due to road accidents in a year. As per this calculation, 4,060 people die in road accidents in a year. According to the 2078 census, the population of Nepal is now 29164 578 and 68 percent of those killed in road accidents are motorcyclists. Based on this, two thousand seven hundred and sixty people die in motorcycle accidents every year.
When will it end?
According to the data of Nepal Police, 5,960 road accidents occurred in fiscal year 2022/23. Similarly, 2859 died due to accidents in 2021/22, 3899 in 2020/21 and 1284 in 2019/20.
According to the NDHS, 2022, more men and boys die in road accidents than women and girls. In the survey, it has been shown that the death of men and children in road accidents is 11 per one hundred thousand and the death of women and girls is three per one hundred thousand. According to the survey, motorcycle accidents occur more in urban areas than in rural areas and more in plains than in mountainous areas. According to Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, Senior Superintendent of Police of the Valley Traffic Police Office, when there are two people riding in a motorcycle accident, the person sitting behind is likely to be injured more.
Accidents due to non-observance of traffic rules
The causes of motorcycle accidents include overspeeding, violation of traffic rules, random overtaking etc. SSP Bhatta said, “The main reason for the high number of accidents involving two-wheelers is not following the traffic rules.” According to former secretary general of Nepal Automobile Association and road safety expert Ashish Gajurel, two-wheelers are prone to accidents compared to four-wheelers. Two-wheelers account for 80 percent of the total accidents while four-wheelers only make up 20 percent of the accidents.
The public transport service in Nepal is not good and the condition of roads is also poor. However, motorcycles and scooters are easily accessible to the poor and middle class, so many people use them.
Gajurel says that because the number of motorcycle riders is more than that of four-wheelers, the number of accidents and deaths is obviously more.
According to Gajurel, many people are compelled to use motorcycles and scooters while others prefer this mode of transportation because the public transport service in the country is not fast and well organized. The condition of roads in Nepal is also not that good. According to statistics, there are 100,000 km of roads in Nepal out of which only 25 thousand kilometers of roads are safe. Only the roads built under the supervision of the Department of Roads meet the engineering standards. Around 75,000 kilometers of roads have been built by local bodies. Roads built by local bodies are not safe as they do not meet engineering standards. Gajurel, a road safety expert, says that this is why there are more traffic accidents.
According to Gajurel, the number of accidents is increasing in Nepal due to non-compliance with traffic rules, granting permission for old vehicles to ply on the roads, lack of strict action against those who violate the rules, violation of rules by the pedestrians, and lack of safe road infrastructure among others. "Both big and small vehicles do not follow lane discipline," he said.
What can be the solution?
As a single party is not solely responsible for road accidents, Gajurel says that proper attention must be given for three-party management for road safety. He suggested that the government should check and improve the safety standards of new and old roads, while drivers and pedestrians who use roads should follow the traffic rules. He said that a road safety council should be established mainly to monitor the daily road safety situation. “The Road Safety Council should be the only body that makes the law and implements it strictly. Now the road safety authority is divided among many agencies and it has become problematic,” he said.
SSP Bhatta of the Valley Traffic Police Office says that if the driver does not drive the vehicle at high speed and if pedestrians and drivers follow the traffic rules, accidents will not happen. “A disciplined road user should be someone who avoids driving at high speed and refrains from overtaking indiscriminately. Such responsible behavior can significantly decrease the occurrence of accidents," he said.
