Bhutan’s growing vehicle population claims nearly 100 lives and leaves 600 injured each year.

Bhutan, a developing nation, is grappling with the consequences of its burgeoning vehicle population. As of June 30, 2022, the country recorded a total of 122,865 registered motor vehicles.

Shockingly, this has resulted in nearly 100 deaths and over 600 injuries each year.

Road safety has become a global concern, with an estimated 1.3 million lives lost and over 50 million people injured in road accidents worldwide annually.

An official from the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority said, “To ensure safety on road and road users, the authority would like to request the support and collaboration from all the road users in complying with the traffic rules and regulations”

 Recognizing the severity of the issue, Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) has implemented several measures to promote road safety. However, despite these efforts, Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA) remain alarmingly high.

To address the rising number of accidents, the BCTA conducted a survey to identify innovative, effective, and evidence-based interventions and strategies. The findings revealed that unlicensed driving, drunk driving, and mobile phone usage while driving were prevalent risky behaviors contributing to the accidents. These behaviors were classified as major offenses under the Road Safety and Transport Regulations. Descriptive analysis was conducted to study the trends of violations and MVA.

The report also provides feasible countermeasures to prevent fatalities and serious injuries resulting from road crashes.

Currently, approximately one car is owned by every six Bhutanese individuals, with a total of 171,227 driving license holders as of June 2022. The surge in vehicles and license holders has led to externalities such as congestion, pollution, and increased vehicle crashes, making road safety a pressing concern.

As of June 2022, the road crash fatality rate stood at 5.8 persons per 10,000 vehicles. Although there has been a gradual decrease in road crash fatalities, even a single death on the road remains a major concern for Bhutan due to its small population, according to the report.

Analyzing the trend of motor vehicle accidents in the past five years (2017-2021), data from the Royal Bhutan Police Traffic revealed that 862 accidents were reported in 2017, marking an 18.7% increase from the previous year’s 726 MVAs. The number of MVAs further escalated in 2018 to 1,360, representing a staggering 57.8% increase.

In 2019, the number of MVAs rose by 8.1%, reaching a total of 1,471. However, the outbreak of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns-imposed restrictions on vehicle movement, resulting in a reduction of MVAs.

In 2020, there was a significant decrease in accidents, with only 810 recorded, reflecting a 45% drop compared to the previous year. The trend continued in 2021, with 745 accidents, representing an 8% decrease.

For the last five years, the August month saw the highest cumulative number of MVA with 491 MVA.

Region-wise analysis identified Thimphu as the region with the highest number of motor vehicle accidents over the past five years, recording 3,012 MVAs. However, there has been a decline in accidents in the Thimphu region.

Samdrup Jongkhar registered the lowest number of MVAs with 194 incidents, maintaining a consistent trend.

Similarly, the Mongar region also reported a consistent trend in motor vehicle accidents. Phuntsholing and Gelephu regions experienced a slight rise in accidents, indicating an increasing trend.

The report emphasized that the concentration of registered vehicles in the Thimphu region could explain the higher number of accidents there. However, it was surprising to note that despite having the fewest registered vehicles, the Mongar region still reported a higher number of accidents compared to the Samdrup Jongkhar region. This suggests that the movement of vehicles within each region contributes to the occurrence of MVA.

In terms of casualties, in 2017, there were 104 deaths resulting from motor vehicle accidents, with 81 men and 23 women losing their lives. Additionally, 457 individuals sustained injuries, with 344 men and 113 women affected. Although there was a 21% increase in casualties from the previous year, the number of deaths decreased slightly by 0.95%.

However, in 2018 casualties surged by 69.5%, with 135 fatalities, 111 men, and 24 women, along with 807 injuries, 594 men and 213 women.

In 2019, there were 188 deaths, 146 men, and 42 women, along with 815 injuries, 585 men and 230 women. The number of casualties caused by MVA increased by 6.5% compared to the previous year.

The year 2020 witnessed a significant reduction in accidents, resulting in a 46.3% decrease in casualties, with 90 deaths and 449 injuries.In 2021, casualties decreased by an additional 9.3%.

The report highlights that male casualties outnumber female casualties, with 469 men and 119 women losing their lives in the past five years. Furthermore, 2,147 men and 799 women suffered injuries during the same period. In total, over the past five years, there were 3,534 casualties caused by MVA, including 588 fatalities and 2,946 injuries.

On the outset, parking rule violation was the top most violation in the last decade with a total number of 36,203 violators across the country. Followed by violation related to unlicensed driving with 20,450, drink driving with 17,550, using cell phones with 16,409, carrying more passengers than the legal seating capacity with 11,307, speeding with 10,879 offences, violation of rules on load limit, and entry restriction with 6148 and 4706 and the least was unsafe reversing with 143 offences.

 The violation of parking regulations has emerged as the highest recorded offense in Bhutan, demanding immediate attention to address its implications. Despite being considered a minor offense, the violation contributes to road congestion, increased travel time, and greenhouse gas emissions. Insufficient parking spaces and inconsistent enforcement of regulations are among the key factors leading to such violations.

The report mentioned, to tackle this issue, innovative solutions such as vertical expansion of parking facilities and promoting reliable public transportation systems are necessary.

Trends indicate an increase in violations of unlicensed driving and drink driving offenses, highlighting the need for urgent intervention. While there was a decrease in mobile phone use while driving and speeding violations over the past decade, sustained efforts are required to maintain this progress.

In conclusion, the report said strengthening legislation, enhancing fines and penalties, and implementing evidence-based interventions are necessary to curb violations and ensure safer roads for all users.

Check Also

DHI to follow up on the momentum created by Bhutan Innovation Forum

Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), the main organizer of the Bhutan Innovation Forum (BIF), reflected …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *