News channels can ulfill their social responsibility by presenting some thoughtful documentaries on driving safety
LONDON: I watched a few Pakistani drama serials recently and was amazed to see that while maintaining the highest quality, the majority of them are successfully trying to maintain the past glory of Pakistani dramas — the hidden sociocultural messages which are wonderfully transmitted for the betterment of society. Directors have also been successfully raising the general public’s awareness regarding the health implications of smoking and alcohol. However, in disseminating all of this important information, one important public service message is missing: the usage of the car seat belt. The media, particularly television dramas, to which millions of eyes, young and old, are glued every evening across the country, can play a vital role.
Accidents have become routine in daily life in Pakistan due to a lack of awareness and poor traffic rules and their implementation. According to the latest data available on the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ website, Pakistanis were involved in 8,359 recorded incidents in the year 2013-2014 in which 4,348 people were killed and 9,777 injured. Although it is extremely difficult to reduce the number of accidents in a short period of time — as it needs a change in society’s attitude towards safety rules and better implementation of traffic rules — it is possible that the number of fatalities can be reduced only by wearing one’s seat belt.
As Pakistani dramas are widely viewed in cities and villages throughout the country, the common people would definitely try to adopt the seat belt culture if positively portrayed in the media. News channels, also widely viewed in the country, can, too, fulfill their social responsibility by presenting some thoughtful documentaries on driving safety. These little efforts will surely result in saving thousands of precious lives.
Irfan Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2016.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
