January 4: The Babesa Expressway, which is not yet officially open to traffic, saw a record number of 21 accidents in 2007.

The Thimphu traffic police cited over speeding as one of the main causes of accidents on this stretch of road.

As per the records maintained by the Thimphu traffic police, there were five hit and run accidents, six head-on collisions and two accidents where the vehicles veered off the road.

There were also two pedestrian related accidents, one drunk driving accident and four accidents where the drivers lost control of their vehicles and rammed into the barriers or the lampposts.

The two accidents where the vehicles went off the road occurred near the new truck parking area where there are no crash barriers along the road.

According to the Officer-in-charge of the traffic police, Lt. Namgay Rinchen, over speeding and lack of proper traffic rules along the expressway are the main causes of accidents. He said the expressway is frequently under repair, which disrupts the normal flow of traffic.

He said most of the accidents were recorded near the road junctions leading to the Changjiji housing complex and the Lungtenphu helipad. Lt. Namgay Rinchen said since the expressway is not officially open to traffic, there is nothing the traffic police can do to prevent accidents.

He said once the expressway is officially opened to traffic, police will be deployed to ensure that the traffic rules are followed.

The Director of the Department of Roads (DOR) said most of the accidents take place at night. He said the accidents occur because the drivers are momentarily blinded by the high beam of the approaching vehicles in the adjacent lane. He said they will put up galvanized iron mesh in between the two lanes to address the problem.