Kathmandu, Jan 5: Existing structure of roads, humanitarian and technical faultiness and low consciousness among the drivers and pedestrians have made the road security a challenging issue in the country.
In an average, five to seven persons are losing life in road accidents due to lack of effective road security system. The number accounts for nearly 2,000 in a year.
At a programme here today, the stakeholders said that excessive number of vehicles, carelessness in driving; carrying more passengers, poor condition of roads, negligence of pedestrians, road encroachment, rapid urbanization and population growth, among others are the major causes of increasing road accidents in the country.
During the seminar organized by Nepal Integrated Research and Development Foundation (NIRAD) and Road Board, the experts suggested the maintenance of roads, system for safe driving and effective implementation of traffic symbols are some of the tools to reduce the road related accidents.
On the occasion, Minister for Physical Planning and Transportation Chhabiraj Panta said that civil society, government and stakeholders should join hands together to minimize the road accidents through effective implementation of laws and policies.
Minister Panta said that the government is working to constitute the road security council and make timely changes in acts, laws and policies to systematize the works of road safety.
Also speaking at the programme, Secretary at the Ministry Tulsi Prasad Sitaula said that road accidents were increasing due to road encroachment and trend of taking risk while driving.
“Nearly half of the accidents take place due to carelessness of drivers. Risk of serious accidents has risen as rural road expansion is very high, But, the accidents can be reduced from road safety,” Sitaula claimed.
Former vice chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr Jagdish Chandra Pokhrel, Chairperson of NIRAD and Engineer Kishor Kumr Jha, Executive Director of Road Board Nepal Rameshnath Bastola and others expressed their opinions in a bid to reduce the road accidents in the country. RSS
