Pillion rider Tom Adhikari, a bachelor’s level student of Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus, died when a bus hit the motorcycle they were riding on in Anamnagar while Santosh Paudel became critically injured that Saturday on 1st August 2009. The bus driver involved in the accident was arrested from Jawalakhel. Investigation into the incident is underway and may unearth the reason of accident by that time young Tom had to leave the world having no scope to say good bye to anybody just twenty four hours before the Friendship Day.

We may reckon the first week of August as a black week of road accidents. In a week twenty people were killed and five injured in road accidents.

Almost no day passed by without casualties being reported in the country. Every hour, forty people under the age of 25 die in road accidents around the globe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the second leading cause of death for 5 to 29-year olds. As motorization rates continue to rise globally, leading to higher vehicle densities, road traffic accidents also have increased.

Worldwide, road accidents kill an estimated 1.2 million people and injure or disable up to 50 million people every year. This startling fact was revealed recently in the Global Status Report on Road Safety released by the World Health Organization. The survey was conducted in 2008 in 178 countries, covering 98% of the population. It states over 90% of accident deaths occur in low and middle income countries. These countries only have 48% of the world’s vehicles. And 50% of people who die in road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists and motorbike users. The estimated cost of accidents to governments worldwide is 518 billion dollars.

In Nepal a study two years back revealed that road accident cost calculation for a single year alone showed at least NRs. 764 million which is a significant loss to the nation’s resources (0.4% of GDP). Bad roads, bad driving and bad policing make the country’s roads a virtual death trap. But families and friends bear the brunt.

The first motorized vehicle entered Kathmandu Valley in 1942. At present, more than 8,05,614 (2065-66) motorized vehicles are registered in the country, motorbikes numbering 5,73,020 (71.12%) and more than 3,30,598 motorbikes droning in Bagmati zone alone. A study (2065-66) for the percentage of road accidents in urban areas and vulnerable vehicle type showed the highest percentage to be 53% for motorcycles followed by 38% for light vehicles- car, jeep, van.

The growth rate for motorized vehicles in the past 5 years ranges from 9 to 14.6 % with an average of about 13.29 percent per year. Besides motorized vehicles, there are also considerable number of non-motorized vehicles plying on the road such as cycle, tricycle (ricksaw), oxen carts etc. There is no specific record for numbers of non-motorized vehicles which are the main cause of road accidents due to the lack of proper safety features.

The country’s total road length was 17,982 km up to November of 2008. According to the DoTM, by the end of 2006-07 the ratio per km vehicle was 35 but invariably it is on the higher side as the increase in the length of road in the last five year has been very negligible.

In the last three years, the average rate of accident has increased by 37.28%. It is difficult to be accurate about the number of road accident as many accidents, including ones where people are injured, are not reported to the police. Understandably, only those accidents with high injury or property damage or with disputes are reported and recorded in the police office. But accurate numbers are important, to understand the human issues and the scope of the problem. The numbers can be understood and categorized

in many different ways:

for example by the type of vehicle or type of injury or the age group of the victims or survivors.

The result of traffic lawlessness are foreseeable and preventable and hence not strictly “accidents” at all. “Human factors” - such as non-adherence to traffic rules and aggressive, reckless, negligent or inconsiderate driver behaviour - are the major contributing factors, playing a causal role in 70-80% of all accidents. Simply by abiding by traffic rules and precautions which we teach in class rooms can save oneself and others against road accidents.

Let us undertand our fault in driving and its fatality lest we escape the reality :Overspeeding: A 5% rise in average speed increases crashes by 10% and deaths by 20%. Drunken Driving: Avoid driving while drinking-it will reduce deaths by 20%. Safety Gear: Often, people don’t wear helmets or seat belts. Helmets can reduce the risk of death by 40% and severe injury by 70%. Seat belts achieve 40% less fatality among front seat drivers. Drowsy Drivers: Overworked, sleepy drivers are causing a great number of fatal accidents because sleep is not negotiable.

Unless drastic measures coupled with road friendly driving practice of individuals are taken to counter the upward trend, the number of deaths from road crashes will continue to rise.

(Dr. Ghosh is CEO, National Insurance Company Limited)