International Research Journal of MMC (IRJMMC) Volume 3(3) ISSN 2717-4999 (Online) 2717-4980 (Print) 82 Open Access Factors Affecting Road Traffic Accidents in the Kathmandu valley Raju Bhai Manandhar 1 1 Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Management Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Email: raju.pyc@gmail.com Citation: Manandhar, R. B. Factors Affecting Road Traffic Accidents in the Kathmandu valley. International Research Journal of MMC, 3(3), 82–90. https://doi.org/10.3126/irjmmc.v3i3.48639 Abstract Road traffic accidentis defined as an accident which takes place on the road between two or more objects, in which one is any kind of moving vehicle and the other a human being. The major objective of the study is to determine the factors affecting the road accident in Nepal. Respondents were targeted drivers of two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles. 98 respondents were selected through convenience sample technique. Quantitative data as nature and primary data as sources of information were considered for the study. Primary data were collected and analyzed in systematic way to derive the findings. A well-structured survey questionnaire was administered to collect the data. In this study, data were analyzed using mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance and trend analysis. Based on the Likert scale question, poor road condition was considered as the first important cause, drunk driving was considered as the second important cause, and over speed was considered as the third important cause influencing the road accident in the Kathmandu valley. Keywords: Drunk driving and over speed, poor road condition, road traffic accidents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Accident can be defined as an unanticipated and detrimental event, a misfortune unexpected and with no obvious cause (Gulzar, Yahya, & Zafar, 2012). It was originated that speed limits have a substantial effect on security equally in urban and rural areas (Fieldwick& Brown, 1987). Drinking, less traffic sense, lack of knowledge, tendency to be adventurous and show off are the main leading causes of accidents among adolescents. It affects the world in general but the human beings specifically (Kohli, Aathi, &Sethi, 2014). Road traffic accident (RTA) is defined as an accident, which takes place on the road between two or more objects because of moving vehicle and a human being (Miahra, Sinha, Sukhla, & Sinha, 2010). Similar concept of road traffic accident is mentioned by Jha, Srinivasa, Roy, and Jagdish, (2004). Globally, road traffic accidents (RTA) are common public health problem and isestablished as the eighth leading cause of death. It has similar impact as other communicable and non- communicable diseases. Around 1.24 million people have unnatural deaths and 20 to 50 million people suffer from non-fatal injuries due to road traffic injuries in the world. The global trends of road traffic accidents will become a fifth leading cause of death by 2030. The global economic burden caused by RTA was 518 billion USD. However, status paper on road safety in Nepal depicts that fatality rate has dropped from 17 to 12 per 10,000 registered vehicles from 2009 to 2012. According to WHO, report in 2011, injuries due to RTA in Nepal constitutes 1.7% of total mortality. Similarly, the country has lost 0.8% of GDP due to road traffic accident (Shrestha, Bhatta, Shrestha, GC, &Poudel, 2017). There are several technical roads faulty and it could lead towards the occurrences of road accident (Harith& Mahmud, 2018). Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected global public health problem, requiring concerted efforts for effective and sustainable prevention. The weather causes all sorts of wear and tear to road surfaces, by wiping away road makings and wearing away the top layer of the road that helps with the traction of tires (Srinivasa Kumar & Srinivasan, 2013).