Incorporate traffic laws in curriculum: experts

Speakers stress the need to educate the masses about traffic laws

FAISALABAD:

Too many lives are lost in road accidents every day, speakers at a workshop organised by the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Agriculture, Faislabad, the Treasurer’s Office and the City Traffic Police on Tuesday.

Several experts were invited to speak on various issues regarding road safety. The speakers discussed safety procedures in handling tractors and other vehicles required on farms. They also spoke about handling generators at farms.

All of them stressed the need to raise awareness regarding the importance of following traffic rules in order to avoid road accidents.

Faculty of Agri Engineering Dean Allah Baksh said knowledge of traffic rules was essential to bringing discipline to traffic.

He said the growing number of underage drivers on the roads should be a cause for concern. There is a general lack of civic duty and civic sense and the mushroom growth of vehicles on the roads in recent years has only made matters worse, he said. “Traffic laws must be taught in schools and colleges if we are to change the culture on our roads.”

Treasurer Umer Saeed said growing population was the number one reason behind the presence of more vehicles on the roads. “What are you supposed to do in such a situation? I think we should start by strictly enforcing traffic laws. It is the duty of traffic authorities to safeguard the lives of people on the roads.” He said 80 per cent of road accidents were caused by negligence, rash driving, speeding, (driver’s) drowsiness, lane violation and using mobile phones while driving.

Dr Muhammad Azam, one of the speakers, said, “If we educate people about following traffic rules, traffic accidents caused by those violating traffic rules could be minimised.”

He said that the seminar had been arranged to speak to students and drivers about the road safety.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2016.