Ministry of Finance and The World Bank singed Road Safety Support Project (RSSP) Grant Agreement. The project is highly relevant and timely as there is a clear need for improving safety of Nepal’s roads.

According to a press release issued by The World Bank, approximately 14,000 road accidents occur in Nepal every year that cause over 1,800 deaths and approximately 4,000 major injuries. This is equivalent to roughly 5 deaths and 11 major injuries per day.

Estimate suggests that road accidents in Nepal cost the economy between 0.4% and 0.8% of the GDP. Nepal’s fatality rate of 17 per 10,000 registered vehicles which is one of the highest in both Asia and the world. Also hilly and mountainous terrain that constitute the major part of the country poses extremely challenging conditions for road safety in Nepal.

The project supports the implementation of the national Road Safety Action Planthat was prepared in2013 with World Bank’s support. This plan is founded on five pillars that aligns with the UN Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.

The objective of the project is to strengthen government’s capacity for improving road safety as well as to reduce the risk of roadway departure crashes in the hilly and mountainous terrains in the mid and far-western regions.

Our support to strengthening government’s road safety related capacity will include the establishment of the Road Safety Council and making it operational and helping the government in the drafting and promulgation of road safety related acts, rules and regulations.

The project will also finance a pilot road safety initiatives in Pokhara and on a section of Siddartha Highway near Pokhara.

“I would like to thank DFID for funding this operation through the Global Road Safety Facility Trust Fund of the World Bank,” said Akuya Kamata, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal. “Thank to officials from Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MOPIT), Department of Roads (DOR), DOR’s Divisional Offices, Department of Transport Management (DOTM) and Ministry of Finance for their tireless effort during the preparation of the project.”