Kathmandu, Nepal - 6 October 2026: Nepal has taken a significant step toward strengthening road safety governance with the registration of the Road Safety Bill, 2083 in the Federal Parliament, as the country continues to face a serious and persistent road-crash crisis.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish a dedicated National Road Safety Council (NRSC) and strengthen coordination among government agencies responsible for roads, transport, health, security and emergency response. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has listed the Road Safety Bill, 2083 among the bills registered in 2026.
The urgency is underscored by recent Nepal Police data. Nepal recorded 29,988 vehicle accidents in fiscal year 2025/26, resulting in 2,707 deaths, with thousands more people seriously or slightly injured. That amounts to an average of about 82 accidents and seven deaths every day.
The proposed bill takes a broader approach to road safety, recognising that crashes cannot be addressed simply by blaming drivers. It proposes measures covering safer road infrastructure, vehicle safety, speed regulation, road-user behaviour, emergency rescue, treatment, insurance and compensation.
One of the notable provisions concerns hit-and-run and uninsured-vehicle victims. Under the proposal, eligible victims who cannot obtain compensation because the offending vehicle cannot be identified, is uninsured, or the responsible owner or driver lacks the means to compensate them could receive support from a proposed road-safety fund. The bill also proposes compensation where accidents result from vehicles being illegally parked or from construction materials or other obstructions placed on roads.
The legislation also proposes legal protection for “Good Samaritans”-members of the public who provide emergency assistance or take crash victims to hospital in good faith. Such rescuers would be protected from civil or criminal liability when harm or death occurs despite their genuine efforts to help.
Another important proposal is the creation of an integrated national road-crash information system, linking relevant information from police, health institutions, local governments, road agencies, rescue services and insurers. Better and more consistent data could help authorities identify dangerous locations, understand the causes of crashes and design evidence-based interventions.
The bill also proposes stronger institutional mechanisms, including provincial and local road-safety coordination structures, road-safety audits and specialised investigation of serious crashes. The proposed National Road Safety Council would provide a central mechanism for policy, standards, monitoring and coordination.
Nepal's existing Road Safety Action Plan 2021-2030 already calls for stronger enforcement of speed limits, helmet and seat-belt use, action against drink-driving, improved driver training and a more integrated road-crash database. The proposed legislation could provide a stronger legal foundation for implementing such measures.
Road safety must become a planning priority
Road safety is not only a transport issue. It is closely connected to urban planning, public health, infrastructure quality, mobility, livelihoods and sustainable development. Unsafe road design, inadequate pedestrian facilities, poor enforcement, speeding, unsafe parking, poorly maintained vehicles and weak emergency response can combine to turn ordinary journeys into life-changing tragedies.
For Nepal, the challenge now is to ensure that the proposed legislation does not remain only a legal framework on paper. Effective enforcement, transparent institutions, safer road engineering, responsible driving, reliable public transport, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and rapid emergency medical care will all be essential.
As the bill moves through the parliamentary process, its success should ultimately be measured not by the strength of its provisions alone, but by whether fewer people are killed or permanently injured on Nepal's roads.
Ecosphere News believes that road safety must be treated as an essential component of building a safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable Nepal.
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