Road accidents can be reduced drastically by implementing relevant rules & regulations to save thousands of lives
KARACHI: I would like to draw the attention of the government towards the all too common cause of loss of life and fatal injuries — road accidents. Our country faces a serious problem when it comes to deadly mishaps on the road, wherein the fatality rate appears to be higher than in many other developing countries, i.e., the fourth highest among 29 countries. One estimate confirms that the reported deaths on roads in Pakistan are above 50,000 a year. It seems that laws, rules and regulations, and road safety measures are not being implemented in their true letter and spirit. Who is to blame for this? Outdated legislation, non-compliance on the part of drivers and owners of vehicles, and poor monitoring by the authorities concerned are responsible for this calamitous state of affairs.
The major factors contributing to the increase in everyday road accidents include the never-to-be-fixed broken and narrow roads, inexperienced drivers, poor safety measures, excessive speed, road rage, overloaded vehicles, people driving without a licence, under-age driving, and the use of mobile phones while driving. Road accidents can be reduced drastically by implementing relevant laws, rules and regulations to save thousands of precious lives.
Syeda Alina Batool
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2015.
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