Pedestrians account for almost half of total road fatalities in the country, according to a senior traffic police official.

“A total of 2,006 people lost their lives in road accidents in fiscal year 2015-16 and of them 800 were pedestrians,” said DIG Prakash Aryal of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) during the concluding programme on Road Safety Awareness in the Capital on Tuesday.

“So many innocent lives are being lost every year in road accidents. It is a cause for great concern and there is an urgent need to raise awareness from all sectors and find ways to minimise them,” said DIG Aryal.

Speeding, reckless driving, crossing roads haphazardly are some of the reasons that lead to fatal accidents, he said.

Speaking at the programme, Rabin Dahal, manager of Nepal Scouts, laid stressed on organising classes on traffic management and road safety in all the cities across the country.

DSP Sabin Pradhan of the MTPD said that students of different schools in Kathmandu had been engaged in raising awareness among pedestrians and drivers about road safety and traffic rules since July 24. The programme was jointly organised by the MTPD and Nepal Scouts.