Nepali roads in the eyes of the US

Mohan Mainali / August 17, 2016

Photo: Mohan Mainali

The US Embassy in Kathmandu tells the following to its citizens, who wish to visit Nepal, about the road conditions here.

“In general, roads in Nepal are in poor condition and lack basic safety features, resulting in significant numbers of accidents and fatalities.  Deaths from motorcycle accidents have risen dramatically in recent years,

“…Long-distance buses often drive recklessly, and bus accidents involving multiple fatalities are not uncommon.

“Traffic is poorly regulated… Many drivers are neither properly licensed nor trained, vehicles are poorly maintained, and public vehicles are often overloaded.  Sidewalks are nonexistent in many areas, and drivers generally do not yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in marked crosswalks. Pedestrians account for a considerable portion of traffic fatalities in Nepal.”

After reading this, a US national who has yet to visit Nepal would think that travelling in a vehicle or on foot in Nepal means putting one’s life in danger.

It is up to they themselves how far this would deter US nationals from travelling to Nepal, and should they visit Nepal, how afraid would they be to travel in a motor vehicle or take a journey on foot. But we are not afraid. We have been travelling in such dangerous roads both in vehicles and on foot.

Source: Nepal Police

This material is copyrighted but may be used for any purpose by giving due credit to southasiacheck.org.

Comments