Road accidents drop but fatalities increasing

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, July 22: The country has made measurable progress in reducing the number of road traffic accidents through stricter enforcement of traffic rules and intensified policing. 

Yet, a troubling trend has emerged: while accidents are declining, fatalities are increasing, exposing critical weaknesses in the country's emergency rescue and trauma response systems.

Traffic police have stepped up surveillance, expanded awareness campaigns and intensified action against motorists violating road safety regulations. 

Thousands of drivers are fined every day, while hundreds are required to attend road safety classes. Authorities are also preparing to increase penalties for traffic offences.

Despite these efforts, officials acknowledge that the country's inability to provide rapid rescue and emergency medical care is costing more lives after accidents occur.

Data from the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office covering the past four fiscal years reveal a steady decline in road accidents, but it discloses an opposite trend in fatalities.

Across Nepal, 10,675 road accidents were recorded in fiscal year 2022/23, resulting in 187 deaths, 8,300 minor injuries and 261 serious injuries. In 2023/24, accidents dropped to 8,881, with 177 fatalities, while 8,014 people sustained minor injuries and 290 were seriously injured.

The downward trend in accidents continued in 2024/25, when 7,169 accidents were reported. However, the number of fatalities rose to 190, alongside 7,631 minor injuries and 278 serious injuries.

During the fiscal year 2025/26, only 5,345 accidents were recorded, but the death toll climbed further to 201. The accidents left 6,040 people injured, including 223 seriously injured.

The figures suggest that while preventive measures are reducing collisions, the likelihood of dying after an accident remains alarmingly high. A 7.34 per cent increase in the mortality rate is a matter of serious concern, said Naresh Raj Subedi, Spokesperson for the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office.

Measures to curb fatalities 

To curb accidents, traffic police have intensified inspections of passenger and freight vehicles, targeting overloaded buses, drink-driving, speeding, technically unfit vehicles and other traffic violations.

Up to mid-July, 2026, authorities had taken action against 43,936 motorists, collecting Rs. 34.8 million in fines.

Up to mid-June, 68,477 drivers faced penalties, generating more than Rs. 50 million in revenue, while 68,544 motorists were penalised up to mid-May.

According to Subedi, increased monitoring through checkpoints, public awareness programmes and CCTV surveillance has significantly contributed to reducing road accidents.

"Special campaigns have helped reduce the number of accidents and increased compliance with traffic regulations. However, fatalities have not fallen proportionately because we still lack adequate rescue equipment and rapid emergency response after accidents occur," Subedi said.

He stressed that improving rescue capabilities and ensuring timely medical treatment are essential to reducing preventable deaths.

SP Subedi added that the primary causes of road accidents in the Valley and outskirts continue to be excessive speed, reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, mobile phone use while driving, and driving under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances.

Reports gather dust

Former Deputy Inspector General of Police Jagatman Shrestha, who previously led the Traffic Police Office, believes one of the country's biggest shortcomings is its failure to implement recommendations made after major accidents.

"Every serious accident is followed by an investigation committee, and numerous studies have identified the causes. Those reports are discussed repeatedly, but implementation remains extremely weak," he said.

According to Shrestha, around 80 per cent of road accidents are attributed to driver negligence. However, Nepal still lacks an effective system to promote disciplined driving behaviour.

Shrestha identified several structural problems contributing to road fatalities, including the absence of a clear national transport policy, inadequate road safety infrastructure such as traffic signs, lane markings and safety barriers, limited CCTV coverage on highways, weak vehicle inspection systems, outdated vehicle import policies, failure to improve accident-prone 'black spots', shortcomings in the driving licence system, and insufficient rescue equipment.

Despite the rapid annual increase in vehicle numbers, road infrastructure has failed to keep pace, while scientific transport planning remains inadequate.

"We still do not have proper vehicle fitness centres to determine whether vehicles on the road are mechanically safe," former DIG Shrestha claimed. 

Rescue remains a major challenge

The recent bus tragedy in western Nepal has once again highlighted the country's limited capacity to conduct timely rescue operations following major road accidents.

A passenger vehicle travelling from Surkhet to Kalikot plunged around 400 metres into the Karnali River near Sangetada in Dailekh district on Wednesday. Even after 72 hours, rescue teams had been unable to recover the vehicle or confirm the exact number of passengers on board.

Divers from the Armed Police Force were deployed repeatedly, but strong river currents, rising water levels, poor visibility and extremely difficult terrain severely hampered search efforts.

According to Deputy Inspector General Jayaraj Sapkota of the Karnali Province Police Office, rescue teams worked for several hours on the day of the accident before resuming operations the following morning.

"The water level is high, the current is extremely strong and visibility is almost zero because of muddy water. There is no direct access to the accident site, forcing rescuers to approach it from Achham district," he said. Recently, some bodies were recovered some 100 kilometres far away from the accident site. 

The incident has reinforced long-standing concerns that, despite progress in reducing road accidents, Nepal's limited emergency response capacity continues to turn survivable crashes into fatal tragedies.