Skip to main content

Nepal safety issues

The authorities in Nepal are establishing a road safety plan that is intended to reduce the country’s annual injury and fatality rates. Nepal’s Traffic Police Directorate recently announced figures showing that of the 8,503 accidents recorded in the 2010-2011 financial year, 4,914 occurred within the Kathmandu Valley. The police also said that factors causing accidents included the poor state of gravel and surfaced roads and inadequate traffic signs. Potholes are a major problem on Nepal’s road system accor
April 27, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Nepal is investing in roads and hopes to boost safety. Picture: Nick Goodwin
The authorities in Nepal are establishing a road safety plan that is intended to reduce the country’s annual injury and fatality rates.

Nepal’s Traffic Police Directorate recently announced figures showing that of the 8,503 accidents recorded in the 2010-2011 financial year, 4,914 occurred within the Kathmandu Valley. The police also said that factors causing accidents included the poor state of gravel and surfaced roads and inadequate traffic signs. Potholes are a major problem on Nepal’s road system according to the police, as well as reducing traffic flow and increasing congestion.

Officials at Nepal’s 2437 Ministry of Physical Planning and Works said that poor road conditions are the result of government policy as well as the long tender process for repairing and improvement of potholes. However, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works says that there has been progress in maintaining 7000m2 of potholed roads within the Kathmandu Valley and some 5000m2 elsewhere in the country. But because of the focus on reducing potholes, improved signage has moved down the priority list.

Due to the increase in road accidents along the six lane Kathmandu-Bhaktapur road section, one of the local hospitals nearby has carried out a programme focussing on how drivers follow road rules.

Meanwhile the authorities in urban Kathmandhu have been removing roadside advertising hoardings that proliferate in the city. These cause driver distraction and have been attributed as factors in many accidents. In addition, Nepal’s Home Ministry has opted to tackle safety problems arising from vehicles being overloaded with passengers. This has been identified as a major factor in high injury and fatality rates in specific accidents as well as being a factor in causing individual incidents.

Related Content

  • Russia seeks outside investment in road building
    November 6, 2012
    The Russian road building industry is on the verge of big changes as it bids to improve quality and speed of construction says Eugene Gerden The Russian road building industry is on the verge of big changes as the national government considers creating conditions to attract foreign companies to build roads in the country. According to a recent order of President Vladimir Putin, due to poor quality and high cost of road construction, there is a need for the development of a mechanism to attract foreign compa
  • Road safety plan proposed for Belgium
    August 27, 2014
    In Belgium a programme of safety measures is being proposed in a bid to tackle the country’s high road crash rate. Belgium’s annual fatality rate is significantly higher than that of its neighbours, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Research has revealed that the risk of being involved in a fatal crash in Belgium is near to double that of neighbouring Netherlands for example. Political parties agree that drivers should be checked periodically for alcohol or drug use as well as whether they wear seatbelts
  • Chinese Government taking steps to reduce vehicle exhaust pollution
    November 15, 2013
    As a modern bustling megacity, Beijing is undergoing a fast growth rate and the country’s economic development has seen vehicle numbers increase rapidly, both in its capital and in other major cities. However, the recent pollution problems that hit several of China’s major cities, including capital Beijing, have underscored the need to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions in the country. The Chinese Government has recognised the need to address the problems of air pollution and congestion and Beijing in particu
  • Drugged driver risks in the UK
    April 13, 2023
    Drugged drivers pose risks to others in the UK