Civil Society leaders call upon Nepal PM to take urgent measures to improve road safety

Kathmandu, 15th September 2024 – Road safety campaigners, civil society leaders, journalists, and concerned global citizens have called upon the government of Nepal to take urgent steps to improve road safety in Nepal in order to save the lives and property of common citizens.

In a joint petition addressed to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, they have urged the Government of Nepal to pass the Road Safety Bill from parliament, endorse the National Road Safety Strategy, and establish the powerful Road Safety Council without further delay.

“In a tragic incident, two passenger buses carrying over 60 passengers were swept by massive debris into the Trishuli river. While nearly 20 bodies have been recovered so far, the rest of the passengers remain missing. We call upon the Government of Nepal to make sure that such incidents do not recur in the future,” they said in the joint petition.

According to Nepal Police, nearly 24,000 Nepalese have lost their lives in road traffic crashes over the past decade, while 72,000 others were seriously injured. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population has recorded that nearly 100,000 survivors of road crashes have been treated in various hospitals and health centres across Nepal in one year.

A report released at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety (2-4 September) by the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (New Delhi) has highlighted the deplorable state of road safety indicators in Nepal. The report, titled ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on Road Safety (2024)’, has revealed that Nepal’s progress in comparison to other countries in the region is the most disappointing when measured against the 12 global road safety performance targets.

According to the report, Nepal has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world, with an estimated death rate of more than 28 per 100,000 population. While neighbouring countries like India have been reducing the number of road traffic deaths, Nepal has seen a 25 percent increase over the past decade.

In its latest report, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 8,500 people are losing their lives in Nepal in road crashes every year. Likewise, a study by the World Bank has estimated that Nepal has been facing an annual loss of nearly 3 percent of the national GDP due to road crashes.

The petitioners have also called upon the Government of Nepal to recruit at least an additional 7,000 traffic police personnel or traffic inspectors across the country, improve the quality of roads, and strictly implement road safety laws, including the mandatory use of motorcycle helmets.

They have also called upon the government to set up vehicle fitness testing centres and introduce motor test certification, form a taskforce to review the national public transport policy, introduce an integrated and scientific transport system based on a safe systems approach, enhance the capacity of Driving Schools, set standards for the quality of bus bodies, establish Autoland, and conduct road network mapping and road safety audits across the country, among other measures.

The petition has also called for the setting up of 24-hour CCTV surveillance on high-risk highways and arterial roads, enforcing laws against drink driving and substance use while driving, establishing vehicle fitness testing centres in all major cities of the country, and devising strategies and protocols to conduct the search, rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation of victims in the aftermath of road crashes.

The petitioners have also called upon Prime Minister Oli to give directives to concerned agencies to introduce star ratings for schools, roads, and vehicles based on road safety performance, and to introduce procedures that prioritise vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, and white cane users. They have also called for the introduction of an international driving permit (IDP), a revision of the Health Insurance Act to cover the treatment of road crash victims, the introduction of unlimited insurance and free legal assistance for road crash victims, and ensuring living wages for transport workers alongside socially appropriate safety measures.

The petitioners have said that the enforcement of strong road safety measures will not only help in the economic progress of the country, but it will also help promote tourism and give a positive image of the country on the world stage, especially in a situation where the reputation of its aviation sector is not much better.

Those signing on the petition include :
Dr. Ambika Adhikari, Urban Planner, Arizona, USA
Dr. Aruna Upreti, Public Health Specialist, Nutrition and Women’s Health Activist
Er. Ashish Gajurel, urban transport expert, Kathmandu
Ms. Babita Basnet, Editor, Ghatana ra Bichar Weekly
Dr. Buland Thapa, Senior Orthopedic Surgeon
Mr. Bhakta Gurung, President, Pravasi Nepali Ekta Manch, UK
Ms. Bhagabati Sedain, Sr Lecturer, Padam Kanya Campus, Kathmandu
Mr. Bhagirath Yogi, Former Producer, BBC Nepali Service, London

Mr. Bishow Parajuli, Former Head of World Food Program, India
Dr. Chakra Raj Pandey, Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon, Kathmandu
Mr. Chandrakishore, Senior Journalist and Author
Dr. Chetraj Pant, President, Nepal Netrajyoti Sangha

Mr. Gajendra Singh Budhathoki, Editor-in-Chief, Taksar Magazine
Mr. Govinda Prasad Bhattarai, Executive Director, NASA Nepal, Kathmandu
Mr. Kulchandra Gautam, Former Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations
Mr. Kanakamani Dixit, Senior Journalist (Publisher, Himal Newspaper)
Er. Krishna Singh Basnet, Former Executive Director, Roads Board
Mr. Naresh Koirala, Nepal Library Foundation, Canada
Dr Lalita Thakali, Urban Transport Expert, Canada
Dr. Nikunj Yogi, Head, Department of Neurosurgery, Neuro Hospital, Bansbari
Mr. Nikhil Upreti, Artist
Prof Padam Simkhada, Associate Dean (International) and Professor of Global Health, University of Huddersfield, UK
Dr. Pusparaj Pant, Road Safety Researcher, Bristol, UK
Er. Prem Lamsal, Senior Highway Engineer, UK
Mr. RP Pant, film director and actor
Dr. Raju Adhikari, Senior Research Scientist, Australia
Dr. Sameer Mani Dixit, Scientist, Artist and Television Presenter
Mr Saroj Dahal, Editor, www.outlinekhabar.com
Dr. Shambhu Acharya, Former Director, World Health Organization, Geneva
Dr. Shyam Thapa, Former Scientist, WHO, Geneva
Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Head, Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College
Dr. Yadav Pandit, Chairman, Jaya Nepal International Foundation