KATHMANDU: An estimated 20,362 people have died in road accidents in the last ten years in the country, according to statistics maintained by the Nepal Police Headquarters.

The number of deaths has been increasing alarmingly. During the period, thousands of people sustained injuries.

Unbelievably, the number of road casualties in a decade has outnumbered the deaths that occurred during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.

According to the record, around 20,362 people lost their lives in road accidents in the last one decade while around 17,000 people were killed during the Maoist insurgency.

In the last 10 years, there were a total of 94,322 accidents in the country. In the last one year from April 14, 2018, to April 13, 2019, a total of 2, 564 people lost their lives in road accidents, police headquarter confirmed.

Former DIG Keshav Adhikari says, “Road accidents have been increasing at an alarming rate. The number of injured is also going up, posing a serious challenge.”

Road accidents becoming a deathtrap

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road accidents have been the 10th biggest cause of people’s death globally.

Road accidents are the fourth cause of deaths in Nepal, the Nepal Health Research Council said. Diarrhea, malaria and other infectious diseases are responsible for the greatest cause of deaths in Nepal, accounting for 42 percent of the deaths, cardiac-related ailments being the second which accounts for 25 percent of deaths. Similarly, cancer is the second cause of death accounting for 11 percent while road accidents have become the fourth cause accounting for 7 percent.

Dr. Baburam Marasini of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said road accidents have been taking a heavy toll on the Nepali people in recent times.

Nepalis top the chart of road casualties globally

The number of deaths in Nepal due to road accidents is greater compared to the number of casualties that occur in developed countries.

According to the Nepal Police HQ record, around 11 Nepalis lose their lives in accidents from 10,000 vehicles annually. While in the developed countries, only one to 2 people die in road accidents from the same number of vehicles.

Statistics show that four to six people die in road accidents every day in Nepal.

Causes of road accidents

Drivers’ recklessness has been the major cause behind road accidents in Nepal. Other causes include over speeding, drunk driving, flouting traffic rules and poor condition of vehicles and roads.

Measures to reduce road accidents ineffective

In March 2010, the United Nations General Assembly resolution proclaimed a Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 with a goal of stabilizing and reducing the forecasted level of road traffic fatalities around the world.

Nepal has also launched an action plan for road safety (2013-2020) in line with the United Nations resolution, hoping to reduce the number of road casualties by 50 percent. However, the number of accidents is increasing in an unprecedented manner since the launch of the action plan for road safety, according to the statistics.

Former DIG Adhikari says, “The government has to launch awareness programs and people should follow traffic rules strictly to reduce the road mishaps.”

He said that the government has to investigate the causes of road accidents and seek measures to reduce such incidents.

Causes of road accidents

Driver’s recklessness: 43.7 percent

Pedestrian’s recklessness: 9.5 percent

Overtake: 9.8 percent

Over speed: 18.7 percent

Drunk driving: 6.2 percent

Technical glitches of vehicles: 6.1

Excessive load: 5.2 percent

Stray cattle: 0.4 percent

Others: 0.4 percent

(Source: Nepal Police HQ)

Statistics of road accidents in the last 10 years

Fiscal Year                          No of Casualties                            No of Accidents

2066/067                             1, 734                                               7438

2067/068                             1689                                                 8803

2068/069                             1837                                                 8892

2069/070                             1816                                                 8484

2070/071                             1787                                                  8406

2071/072                             2004                                                 9145

2072/073                             2006                                                 10093

2073/074                             2384                                                 10178

2074/075                             2541                                                  10965

2075/076                             2564                                                 11918 (until April 13)

Total                                  20,362                                            94,322