“After being hit, I fell to the ground and lost consciousness," says Tharu. "When I regained my consciousness, I was on a hospital bed." She sustained injuries to her legs and hands. [break]
Tharu, originally from Nepalgunj in Banke district, was hit by the motorcycle when she was asking pedestrians to use zebra-crossing. The motorcyclist managed to flee.
Bruises from the accident can still be seen on Tharu´s hands and legs. "My hands hurt when I stretch them," she says. She also feels pain while walking around.
“As always, I was careful about my safety as several of my colleagues have fallen victims to such accidents in the past. But I could not avoid the tragedy,” says Tharu.
Many traffic police personnel who work hard to sensitize people about road safety have themselves become victims of accidents. Some of them have even lost their lives.
According to the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD), in the last five years, as many as five policemen have been killed in accidents. Similarly, 43 traffic policemen have been injured, five of them seriously, in accidents in the same period.
Tharu says traffic police frequently suffer accidents because most drivers, whether of public or private vehicles, do not follow traffic rules. "They try to jump even red signals," says Tharu.
Tharu, who joined Nepal Police almost 10 years ago, is recovering from her injures, but says she´d be more fearful about accidents from now onward.
“People should have some respect for what we are doing," she says. “They must understand we are not their enemies but friends. It is important for the public to change their views about us, otherwise these accidents will keep happening."
"We hope this situation will change after more and more people get educated and civilized,” says Tharu.
Another traffic staff Dilliram Kharel, 25, was hit by a bus of Swayambhu Yatayat which was coming from the wrong side at Kalanki in 2011. Kharel was checking license when he was hit by the bus. “Though I was very careful and attentive, nothing worked at that time,” says Kharel.
After that accident, his friends took him to Bir Hospital, from where he was referred to B & B Hospital at Gwarko, Lalitpur. His whole face was damaged in the accident and had to be stitched. He was kept in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of B & B Hospital and was discharged after 15 days. “I could not do anything by myself for some time,” shares Kharel.
An investigation into the accident revealed that that the bus driver was carrying forged license and he was trying to escape the checking. The driver arrested, fined and imprisoned.
Kharel thinks public transports break more traffic rules and regulations compared to private vehicles. “It is because most of the drivers of public transport are uneducated and have low level of awareness,” reveals Kharel.
He is upset with the people´s behavior toward traffic police. “Sometime they even use vulgar words,” says Kharel.
He thinks people need to be sensitized on how to behave with the traffic police and they should be taught the traffic rules and regulation.
“If they break traffic rules, they have to pay for it,” he says. “Even we are punished if we break the rules,” says Kharel.
Kharel, however, believes how public behaves with traffic police on the large part depends on the way they present themselves. “Our behavior determines how people respond to us,” says Kharel.
“In order to avoid fines, people often drive rashly, which can lead to serious accidents,” shares Jageshwori Chaudhary, a traffic police. "Instead of having respect for traffic police, they are disdainful." People forget that traffic police are there to serve the public, she added.
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