- Nineteen people were killed when a passenger bus coming from Pokhara to Kathmandu fell 200 meters off the road at Bhainsigaunda in Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-5 of Dhading on Monday morning. There were 44 people on board the bus, including the driver. The bus (number Ga2Kh 1421) lost control and crashed at 1:30 am, according to police.

- On 12th January, a Purba Araniko Yatayat bus (B.P. 001-05 Kha 9975) heading from Kathmandu to Okhaldhunga via Sirise-Dhande in Ramechhap fell into the Tamakoshi River near Benighat Bridge in Manthali Municipality-6 in Ramechhap, killing 12 people. 20 people, including the driver, were rescued. It is not yet known how many passengers were on the bus, which is believed to have crashed due to high speed.

- On 22nd January, a bus carrying a bride fell into an accident in Baitadi, killing 13. The bus, which was returning from Bhauni in Purchaudi Municipality-7 in the district to Sunkuda in Bajhang, fell 200 meters off the road at Badgaun Ghumti. It is believed that the bus (Sup.P. 02-001 Kha 1119) of Pawandoot Yatayat crashed due to a burst pressure pipe due to excessive load. 

These are the latest major accidents. Unhealthy competition among drivers, poor road conditions, lack of proper inspection of vehicles traveling long distances, and driver negligence are the causes of road accidents. According to the police, 19,262 people have lost their lives in 168,623 road accidents in the past 8 years. Of these, 46,475 were seriously injured and 179,399 were slightly injured. 

Till Magh of this fiscal year, 1,545 people have died in 19,305 accidents. 4,871 were seriously injured and 25,357 were slightly injured. Most road accidents are caused by driver negligence, says SSP Nawaraj Adhikari, head of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Office. 

‘High speed and drunk driving are the main causes of accidents,’ he says. ‘On the other hand, the roads that have been built are not safety-friendly. Accidents also increase when both drivers and passengers are in a hurry. There have been cases where drivers have lost control of their vehicles while driving at high speed due to haste.’ 

Even though it is said that two drivers should be kept in vehicles operating at night, accidents have not been reduced as they have not been fully implemented. ‘The vehicle fitness test to check vehicles has not been implemented properly,’ says SSP Adhikari. ‘If there is a vehicle going to Jhapa, Dhangadhi or Baitadi, it should first undergo a vehicle fitness test. If these things are not implemented, the risk of accidents is increasing.’ 

He said that there is a risk of accidents even without street lights on highways and it is difficult to rescue the injured immediately. ‘The education and awareness given to drivers driving long and short distances is not enough,’ said the Adhikari, ‘which needs to be made mandatory now.’ 

As roads are getting better, drivers are driving at high speed on long routes, which has increased the number of accidents, says road safety expert Dr. Bhavgati Sedhai. "It is important to see how the driver is, how many hours they have been driving long-distance vehicles," she said. "Many accidents are due to fatigue, and some accidents are due to road conditions." She said that it is wrong to say that the vehicle was not in good condition only after the accident. 

She said that all agencies should be vigilant to prevent accidents as the upcoming elections have increased the number of commuters. "A limited number of traffic police have been deployed on roads and highways," she said. "It is necessary to increase the number of traffic police in areas where there is a risk of accidents. It is not seen that users are following road safety rules, which has led to a significant increase in accidents."

Section 104 of the Vehicle and Transport Management Act 2049 states that at least two drivers must be mandatorily deployed in public passenger vehicles operating long-distance transport services, and the manager or vehicle owner operating the transport service must take turns driving the vehicle every 6 hours. But this is not being implemented. The monitoring body does not seem to be interested in this. Most of the suggestions are that long-distance vehicles should be sent to their destinations only after checking their condition.

Krishnaraj Pantha, head of the Infrastructure Construction and Transport Division of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, says that despite the existence of a ‘Vehicle Fitness Test Center’, it is not effective. ‘The Vehicle Fitness Test Center in Tekuma is somewhat effective, others are not so effective,’ he said. ‘There is no facility for proper inspection by machines, there is not enough manpower, it is necessary to make it effective.’ He says that for this, there is no alternative but to move forward in coordination with the private sector rather than government agencies. 

There are ‘Vehicle Fitness Test Centers’ in Itahari, Hetauda, ​​Butwal and Attariya outside the valley. ‘This will check whether the vehicle is running well or not,’ he said. ‘It should be made effective across the country by adding machines used to check vehicles.’ 

On 28 Ashad 081, only 19 bodies were found when two passenger buses were swept away by a landslide with loose soil from the road at Simaltal in Bharatpur 29 along the Narayangadh-Muglin road. There were 62 passengers on the two buses. Three passengers were found safe. Another 40 went missing in the Trishuli River. Immediately on 31 Ashad, a six-member task force was formed to study the incident under the coordination of Chhabi Rijal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

Saroj Sitaula, Senior Vice President of the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs, says that the report on accident reduction submitted by the task force formed after the Simaltal accident should be implemented. ‘The suggestions given are not implemented, it is customary for government agencies to get angry only when an incident occurs,’ he said, ‘Government agencies have ignored public transport.’ 

He says that potholes on the highway also cause accidents, so it is necessary to manage them. "Drivers should drive carefully," he said, "Passengers should travel by buying tickets, and unhealthy competition among drivers also causes accidents." He suggested that the government should introduce investment-friendly, labor-friendly, and passenger- and consumer-friendly policies to reduce unhealthy competition. 

The task force formed after the Simaltal accident had suggested that it be implemented through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to reduce accidents. According to which, it was said to formulate a new Road Safety Act, establish a National Road Safety Council, formulate a national road safety policy, and prepare various standards, codes, and procedures related to road safety.

The suggestions include preparing standards according to road classification, making 'crash-proofing' mandatory on risky roads, making risk assessment of main highways and making risk information public, and installing street lights and CCTV cameras at risky and important places on highways. The suggestion to arrange certification to ensure the quality of vehicle repair workshops has been only partially implemented. 

Keshav Kumar Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, says that some of the suggestions are in the implementation phase. ‘The National Security Policy, National Road Safety Act and regulations are ready, but there is no parliament,’ he said, ‘There is also an act that needs to be introduced in parliament, but there is no progress on it, an act is needed to establish a National Road Safety Council, and once the act is implemented, there will be no problem in implementing it.’ 

He said that 70 kilometers of old roads in Koshi and Sudurpaschim provinces have been ‘crash-wrapped’. ‘We have been crash-wrapping many places on new roads,’ he said, ‘We will gradually implement the suggestions.’ But he says that there are fewer places to conduct ‘vehicle fitness tests’. ‘There is also a shortage of manpower for this,’ he said, ‘We are preparing to bring the private sector forward in making vehicle fitness tests, and the government will regulate them.’

Home Spokesperson Anand Kafle said that a task force has been formed under the coordination of Joint Secretary Rishi Ram Tiwari to study the Dhading accident. "The elections are approaching, and it has been decided to make the issue of checking passengers and vehicles going to their destinations more effective," he said. "Work is underway to make the role of the regulatory body more effective and to coordinate the treatment and management of the injured in the Dhading accident." According to Rama Acharya Subedi, information officer of the ministry, the Tiwari task force will have to submit its report within seven days. The task force includes the SSP of Nepal Police, the SSP of the Armed Police Force, the Senior Divisional Engineer of the Road Department, and the Deputy Secretary of the Home Department. Foreigners also among those who lost their lives in the accident in Dhading.

A bus coming from Pokhara to Kathmandu fell off the road at Chinadhara near Charaundi, Benighat Rorang-5, Dhading at around 1:15 am on Monday, killing 19 people, including three foreigners. 25 were injured in the accident. The vehicle of the Prithvi Bus Committee had left the Tourist Bus Park in Pokhara for Kathmandu at 7 pm on Sunday.

According to local Sudip Gauli, residents of Gorkha Ghyalchowk across the river had informed the police after hearing a loud noise and screams at night. Locals and security personnel immediately reached the spot.

After the incident, the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Traffic Police, local residents and rafting entrepreneurs were deployed for rescue. The injured were sent to Kathmandu for further treatment after receiving primary treatment in Malekhu and Gajuri. Of those sent to Kathmandu, 14 are undergoing treatment at the Trauma Center and 10 are undergoing treatment at the National Hospital Kalanki.

Krishnaraj Manandhar, who was trapped inside the bus, was rescued after about five hours, said DSP Sunil Giri of the Highway Disaster Management Adamghat Base. He was pulled out by cutting the metal part of the bus. According to Prakash Dahal, Information Officer of the District Police Office, Dhading, all 19 people who lost their lives have been identified.