The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division Chief DIGP Keshav Adhikari today attributed the accidents in the Kathmandu Valley to the shortcomings in technology available to them and people’s negligence.

Speaking at an event organised by Durbar Marg unit of the MTPD to kick off an awareness campaign ‘Traffic Police in School-to-School,’ DIG Adhikari said they had only 92 CCTV cameras which were not sufficient to monitor the roads as the number of vehicles has been rapidly going up.

He stressed that only law enforcement cannot control the accidents unless people become aware themselves and stick to the traffic norms, citing the data of the past few years. “Road accidents in the Valley have seen a dramatic surge over the past few years and it shows that traffic police’s efforts alone cannot contain the road mishaps,” he explained.

Baikuntha Prasad Aryal, District Education Officer, Kathmandu, underlined the necessities of such campaign for students. He also argued that if the school educates children on traffic rules, the messages will automatically reach their houses and society.

Baburam Pokhrel, chairperson of PABSON, called for a directive to issue driving licences to applicants only to those who are above 18 years of age.

At the event, a documentary on traffic awareness was also screened. The campaign aims to make the students aware about the problem of rising numbers of vehicles in the Capital, traffic rules and consequences of accidents.

source: the himalayan times,1 August 2013