Nepal sees an average of 75 road accidents every day, with about seven people losing their lives, according to a recent report from Nepal Police.
In the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January), there were 2,276 accidents, leading to 197 deaths and 3,417 injuries, with 646 of them being serious. A total of 3,374 vehicles were involved in these accidents.
Motorcycles were the most common vehicles involved, with 2,076 accidents, making up about 70% of the total. Cars came next with 13%, and buses were involved in almost 6% of the crashes.
The report showed that most accidents happen between 6 PM and midnight, with nighttime crashes making up over 39% of the total. Another 37% of accidents happen between 12 PM and 6 PM.
The main cause of these accidents is speeding, which was responsible for more than half (1,160) of the crashes. Drink-driving was the second biggest cause, despite ongoing efforts by the traffic police to reduce it. There were 247 accidents caused by drunk drivers in Poush. People caught driving under the influence face fines, driving classes, and the possibility of losing their license after five offenses.
Other causes of accidents include jaywalking (135 accidents) and breaking traffic rules (117 accidents).
In the sixth month of the fiscal year 2024-25, traffic police collected Rs 94.6 million in fines from 118,168 people who broke traffic rules.
The growing number of vehicles on Nepal’s roads is also contributing to the increase in accidents. Last year, 2,369 people died in road accidents, with many more getting injured.
Over the last ten years, more than 24,000 people have died in accidents, and 50,000 others have been injured. Since 2014, Nepal has had 260,000 accidents, ranging from minor to serious.
The report highlights the need for stricter traffic law enforcement and better safety measures to reduce the number of accidents on the roads.
