As the news report of the unfortunate accident suggests, the jeep could not accelerate up the slope causing it to veer off. That clearly suggests that the vehicle was not in proper condition – also evident from a surviving passenger’s account that the jeep had broken down at least three times before the fatal accident – and that it was overcrowded. Among other reasons, the condition of the vehicles and overcrowding are two major causes that lead to accidents of our public vehicles causing loss of precious lives and valuable property. This accident is a wake-up call to the government to take a note of these problems and do something if it does not want more of its innocent citizens to lose their lives for nothing.
The other major reason for road accidents in the remote parts of our country, especially during the festival season, is drunk driving. It is not at all uncommon to see drunk drivers behind wheels in the interiors of Nepal. Along with checking the condition of the vehicles and making sure that they do not ferry people besides the stipulated limit, this is something that the government has to clamp down on. But, at the same time, it is also true that the problem of overcrowding at least cannot be addressed without the authorities taking initiatives to increase the number of vehicles to connect the remote parts of the country. Of course, it goes without saying that if we are to look at long-term solutions to reduce such senseless loss of lives and property, the condition of our roads, which are either too narrow or perennially in bad shape, also have to be improved. This is equally, if not more, important.
Accidents, besides leading to meaningless deaths, put the lives of many other people in jeopardy. In a country where the concept of life insurance is alien, the death of the only earning member of the family often wrecks havoc in the lives of his/her dependents. If we add up the number of people killed in road accidents in different parts of our country each year, we will then probably realize that this is a humungous problem that requires immediate attention. Human life is are precious. Let us preserve it.
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