Kathmandu, March 24: A 50-year-old journalist Pawan Lal Shrestha died in a road accident at Indrayani in Sankhu, Shankharapur Municipality of Kathmandu on the evening of March 8, 2023. On the Sankhu-Jorpati road section, a tipper truck No. Ba 5 Kh 2414 going to Bramakhel from Sankhu hit a motorcycle No. Ba 94 P 4498 driven by journalist Shrestha. Shrestha, editor-in-chief of Lavanya weekly published from Sankhu, died on the spot.
On the same day, 22-year-old Hari Khadka of Sankhu was also killed in a collision with the same tipper. Khadka died when he hit the motorcycle bearing number Ba 82 P 8357. A tipper hit two vehicles at the same time, killing both of them. 20-year-old Punam Shrestha was seriously injured in the accident.
Similarly, 55-year-old Narendramuni Bajracharya died in a tanker collision at Chamati, Kathmandu Metropolitan City-15 Swayambhu on February 28, 2023. He died when the tanker numbered 7512 of Province 3-01-003 hit the scooter numbered Ba 81 P 1786.
The incidents mentioned above are representative incidents only. Recently, hundreds of people have been losing their lives every year due to road accidents in Kathmandu Valley. Even though driving the vehicle properly, people have to lose life prematurely due to another vehicle.
According to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, 127 people have died in 6,803 vehicle accidents in Kathmandu Valley so far this fiscal year 2022/23. Similarly, 154 people were seriously injured and 5,127 people were lightly injured.
According to the statistics of the last three years, 484 people have lost their lives due to vehicle accidents in Kathmandu Valley. In the year 2077-78 BS, 166 people died in 9,545 vehicle accidents, 229 people were seriously injured and 7,095 people were slightly injured.
In the year 2078-79 BS, 191 people died in 10,733 vehicle accidents, 257 were seriously injured and 8,281 were slightly injured. The situation of vehicle accidents in Kathmandu Valley is alarming. Motorcyclists and pedestrians are more likely to die in vehicle accidents in Kathmandu Valley.
Spokesperson of Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, Senior Superintendent of Police Rajendra Prasad Bhatta says that the traffic police has taken forward various programs to reduce the number of vehicle accidents in the valley. “To reduce the number of accidents, we have been regularly monitoring the alcohol test, the rule that vehicles cannot be driven at a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour to control the speed, checking the condition of vehicles, whether there are two drivers in long-distance vehicles.” Spokesperson Bhatta says that there are more accidents due to narrow roads and many vehicles.
From the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, 1,700 traffic police are operating under the leadership of the Deputy Inspector General of Police for traffic management within the Kathmandu Valley. Former Superintendent of Police Jagatman Shrestha, who worked at the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office for a long time, says that more than 90 percent of accidents are caused by human factors.
“Many accidents happen because of drivers, pedestrians and passengers,” he says. Currently, there are more than 4 million vehicles in operation across the country. Among them, around 1.8 million to 2.0 million vehicles are in Kathmandu Valley.
