Motorcycle Accidents Pose Major Risk in Madhesh; Statistics Reveal Alarming Trends

Janakpurdham. Motorcycles appear to be the biggest risk in road accidents in Madhesh. Police data shows that nearly two-thirds of all vehicle accidents are motorcycle accidents.

As of the end of Chaitra in the current fiscal year 2082/83, 5975 out of 8624 vehicle accidents were motorcycle accidents.

According to Kamal Thapa, Senior Superintendent of Police and Information Officer for Madhesh Police, Dhanusha district has seen the highest number of motorcycle accidents among the districts in Madhesh by the end of Chaitra. Dhanusha has a record of 1048 motorcycle accidents. 398 people have died in vehicle accidents, 1409 have been seriously injured, and 8329 have been minorly injured. According to the data, most of the deaths in vehicle accidents are from motorcycle accidents.

In other districts by the end of Chaitra of the current fiscal year, Saptari recorded 294, Siraha 740, Mahottari 568, Sarlahi 994, Rautahat 821, Bara 842, and Parsa 718 motorcycle accidents.

In the last fiscal year 2081/82, 7201 out of 10679 vehicle accidents were motorcycles, and in fiscal year 2080/81, 5926 out of 8529 vehicle accidents were motorcycles, according to the police.

In fiscal year 2079/80, 5745 out of 8376 vehicle accidents were motorcycles. Similarly, in fiscal year 2078/79, 5418 out of 8302 vehicle accidents were motorcycles. In fiscal year 2077/78, 3737 out of 5811 vehicle accidents were motorcycles.

In all these five fiscal years, Dhanusha district has seen the highest number of motorcycle accidents. According to the data, Dhanusha recorded 1187 motorcycle accidents in 2081/82, 1082 in 2080/81, 958 in 2079/80, and 902 in 2078/79.

According to DIG Govinda Thapaliya, Chief of the Provincial Police Office, the main reasons for the increase in motorcycle accidents are speeding, driving by unlicensed youth, and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He stated that motorcycle accidents are more frequent than other vehicles due to underage and unlicensed youth driving at high speeds and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, leading to loss of control.

To reduce vehicle accidents, traffic police have been conducting public awareness programs from time to time. To reduce drug abuse, one of the main causes of accidents, the Provincial Police Office has launched the 'Drug Abuser Search and Rehabilitation Grand Campaign 2083' starting from Nagarain Municipality on Friday, Baishakh 25, with the aim of bringing abusers in all districts of the province into reform and rehabilitation. Home and Information Minister Fakira Mahato was the chief guest.

According to Rajkumar Silwal, Traffic Superintendent of the Highway Security and Traffic Management Office, Pathalaiya, Bara, the main reason for the high number of motorcycle accidents is speeding. He said that accidents are increasing due to speeding by those who want to show off by driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Most of those involved are youth in the age group of 25-30 years.

Motorcycle accidents have occurred in various places within this month of Baishakh. On Baishakh 12, 21-year-old Atul Chaudhary, a resident of Pipra Rural Municipality-7, Mahottari, died in a motorcycle accident on the East-West Highway in Ganeshman Charanath Municipality-4, Dhanusha. According to the police, the accident occurred when a bus with registration number Province 2-03-001 Kha 1011, traveling from Chitwan to Gaighat, collided with a motorcycle with registration number Madhesh Province 02-010 Pa 1237 coming from the opposite direction.

On Baishakh 8, a woman died and three people, including an infant, were injured when a motorcycle hit them in Dhalkebar, Dhanusha. According to Dhanusha Police, 31-year-old Binita Kumari Mahato of Mithila Municipality-6, Dhalkebar, died, while 16-year-old Anushka Kumari Mahato and an eight-month-old baby were injured in the accident.

On Baishakh 16, Ram Chamar of Pokhariya Municipality-3, Basantpur, Parsa, died in a motorcycle accident in front of Dabur Nepal on the Pathalaiya-Birgunj road section. According to the police, the motorcycle with registration number Na 27 Pa 3021, traveling from Birgunj to Narayanghat, went out of control and hit a railing on the roadside, causing the accident.

On Baishakh 25, on the Janakpur-Dhalkebar road section in Sapahi, Lakshmiya Rural Municipality-4, a Scorpio vehicle with registration number Ba Pra 01-01-031 Cha 9063, coming from Dhalkebar to Janakpur, hit a scooter carrying 30-year-old Punamdevi Sah of Sapahi as she was crossing the road, seriously injuring her. She died during treatment at the Provincial Hospital, Janakpurdham.

In these incidents, speeding has been identified as the main cause of motorcycle accidents, and most of the victims are young people. Police data also shows that most people involved in motorcycle accidents are young. Traffic Management Spokesperson Vakil Bahadur Singh stated that many of them do not have licenses.

Abhi Thakur, a local from Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City-23, said that the main reason for the ineffectiveness of motorcycle accident reduction is that the government is focused on revenue collection rather than reduction, the lack of concrete laws, and social practices. According to Thakur, the government allows more and more motorcycles to be sold to collect revenue but distributes licenses in limited numbers. This gives the government an opportunity to collect revenue from both motorcycle sales and fines for not having a license.

According to Sunena Yadav of Jaleshwor Municipality-4, drivers' morale is increasing and accidents are rising because individuals without licenses who cause accidents or violate traffic rules, or those under the influence of drugs or alcohol, are released after paying only a fine, without any concrete action.

According to Surya Bahadur Shahi, Police Inspector at the Traffic Office, Dhanusha, awareness campaigns are ongoing in schools and on roads to reduce motorcycle accidents. He admitted that drivers without licenses, those under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and those speeding are released after paying a fine.

He stated that there is no provision for action other than a fine for drivers without licenses. However, there is a provision for warning the vehicle owner and taking action in case of an accident. Although there is a legal provision to send drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol for fines or to rehabilitation centers, motorcycle accidents appear to be increasing due to minimal enforcement.

To reduce motorcycle accidents, which have become a serious issue, there is a need for license distribution based on the number of motorcycles sold, action against vehicle owners whose drivers are underage or unlicensed, and strict legal action against drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.