Transport companies need to give adequate rest and breaks to their drivers.
ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to the horrible traffic accident that took place on the Super Highway near Karachi over the weekend, in which 32 passengers lost their lives. As is evident from reading your detailed report on the tragedy, the death toll could have been far lower had firefighting equipment been present inside the bus. Also, given the spate of such accidents in the past few years, it is about time that the government mandated all passenger buses to have emergency exits. There is also the issue of driver fatigue, since several reports suggested that the driver had dozed off. Transport companies need to give adequate rest and breaks to their drivers.
Iftikhar Shaheen Mirza
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2011.
