MP Karki Calls for National Trauma Policy amid Rising Road Fatalities

Kathmandu. Toshima Karki, a Member of Parliament from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has depicted road accidents as a national crisis and stated that a National Trauma Policy is necessary. Speaking at Thursday's House of Representatives meeting, she commented that while the human loss caused by road accidents in Nepal is extremely severe, it has not fallen under the state's priority.

According to her, an average of eight people lose their lives daily in road accidents in Nepal. "Many Nepalis who leave home in the morning cannot return home in the evening. Someone's father does not return, someone's son or daughter is gone, and someone's mother's lap is left empty," she said.

Citing data from police headquarters, MP Karki stated that around three thousand Nepalis lose their lives annually due to road accidents. Mentioning that 24,095 people died in the last 10 years alone, she claimed that the actual number could be even higher. "Since many accidents in remote districts do not even make it into the records, the actual statistics could be even more horrifying," she said.

She stated that 70 percent of those who lose their lives in road accidents belong to the 15 to 49 age group of youth. "These are the productive force of the country and the main support of their families. When one earning member is lost, the family falls into a cycle of poverty, and the nation's production capacity also weakens," she said.

MP Karki pointed out the need for the government to be serious about road safety, an effective treatment system, and the formulation of a National Trauma Policy.