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| Kathmandu Friday March 22, 2002 Chaitra 09, 2058. |
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Highway accidents
Last month, a night bus which was on its way
from the capital to Dhankuta plunged into the Trishuli river at Chandi Bhanjyang, Chitwan
killing 41 passengers instantly. The bus fell some 100 feet after crashing against the
fence of a bailey bridge. A week later, another passenger bus skidded off the Prithvi
Highway at Charaudi and fell 100 meters, claiming the lives of 12 passengers. Sixty-five
passengers were in that ill-fated night bus en route to Kathmandu from Siraha. There have
been all together six such bus accidents in February alone on this country’s main
highways, and the toll has exceeded more than one hundred lives. This clearly indicates
that more people die in bus accidents in this country than through many of the commonplace
diseases. Why do such a disproportionate number of people die in bus accidents? Do such
accidents occur due to the fault of the drivers or poor roads or inadequate vehicle
maintenance? The answer is all of these and more. The government has obviously not taken
the problem seriously. It has not even set up a commission to identify ways to stem the
fatalities on the transport arteries of the country.
All night buses plying between the capital
and other towns and cities carry passengers well in excess of capacity. Lack of strict
enforcement of safety regulations has never been a matter of concern. The main highways
are encroached upon by people who run their businesses alongside. Secondly, driving under
the influence is not uncommon, and even worse, driver fatigue on long routes is rampant.
Ill trained traffic policemen have done a poor job of implementing traffic rules. The
other culpable factors are poor maintenance of roads and failure to check vehicles
regularly for roadworthiness against the driving conditions of this country. Many of the
accidents are caused by brake failure at sharp bends. At many of these bends, the
department of roads has failed to install proper warning devices, traffic signals,
parapets, etc. In addition, every Tom, Dick and Harry can get a driving license without
undergoing proper trials. Nepal has meanwhile become a dumping ground for Indian made
second-handed vehicles since the restoration of democracy. Such vehicles are prone to
technical snags on long hauls.
A survey on road accidents conducted a few years ago stated
that Nepal has recorded the highest number of road accidents in South Asia. This was a
result of poor traffic laws and road maintenance, besides other technical factors.
Unfortunately, not a single parliamentarian has raised his or her voice over the alarming
frequency of highway accidents. Had successive governments taken such a high rate of road
fatalities seriously and introduced measures to prevent them, the picture would certainly
be far less gloomy today. The government cannot take the matter lightly anymore. It must
formulate stringent laws that will at least minimize the current rate of accidents so that
people can travel long distance overland with some assurance of arriving at their
destinations safe and sound. |
