Kathmandu, November 15

Police have blamed drivers for a majority of road accidents in the country.

Nepal Police Spokesperson Uttam Raj Subedi claimed that 72 per cent of accidents that took place during Dashain and Tihar festivals were due to negligence of drivers.

A total of 707 road accidents took place across the country during the festivals. Of them, 512 were blamed on negligence of drivers.

As many as 151 people lost their lives while 979 people sustained injuries in these accidents. Police had carried out a study in order to find out the main cause of accidents during the festive season.

Speeding and driving under the influence are other causes of road accidents, added Subedi.

Although traffic police have launched awareness programmes with the aim of reducing road accidents, they have not been effective.

A total of 205 road accidents took place during Tihar alone. Of them, 154 took place due to drivers’ negligence, which is around 75 per cent of the total number of road accidents, said police.

Thirty-nine people died and 230 were injured in different road accidents from November 5 to 10.

Likewise, out of 355 road accidents that took place during Dashain, 242 road accidents (around 68 per cent) were blamed on drivers’ negligence.

A total of 112 people were killed and 749 people sustained injuries in road accidents that took place from October 10 to 22.

Of the 707 road accidents during Dashain and Tihar, 333 took place in Kathmandu valley alone. A total of 15 people lost their lives and 177 were injured in the accidents, according to Nepal Police.