Ministry to green-light national road safety plan soon

Second meeting of the national steering committee is scheduled to be held on Dec 8

ISLAMABAD: In an effort to keep motorists safe and reduce the number of road accidents in the country, the communications ministry will soon approve a national road safety plan. Every year the national exchequer suffers more than Rs100 billion in losses due to accidents.

Not only will the draft strategy ensure safer roads, it will offer a platform for introducing modern technology in domestic car and public transport manufacturing.

According to a notification issued by the ministry, the second meeting of the national steering committee, tasked to develop the Road Safety Plan for Motorways and National Highways, is scheduled to be held on December 8.

Before the meeting, the ministry will publicise the draft through advertisements in the media, soliciting public suggestions in this regard.

The steering committee is also expected to discuss and approve the draft of the National Road Safety Strategy and Road Safety Plan for National Highways and Motorways.

The steering committee was constituted by the communications  ministry after the Wafaqi Mohtasib took suo motu action on media reports over a road accident that occurred on November 11, 2014 near Theiri Bypass on the National Highway (N-5) in Khairpur district in Sindh which claimed 57 lives.

Senior Adviser and Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat Hafiz Ahsan Ahmed Khokhar told The Express Tribune: “Hopefully on January 1, 2017 this national road safety plan will be enforced, reducing the number of fatalities … It is estimated that more than 35,000 people die annually in the country, putting the annual domestic fatality rate at over six persons per 10,000 vehicles.”

Every year, he said, a number of major accidents are reported, in which scores of people lose their lives while survivors suffer various disabilities, indirectly impacting the national economy.

Khokar maintained that most road accidents in Pakistan occurred because of over-speeding, under-age drivers and obsolete or faulty vehicles.

He said all federal and provincial ministries concerned had been taken onboard while drafting the national plan, adding that their inputs would also be essential before securing approval in this regard.

Khokhar said that the new road safety plan would also be instrumental in introducing new technologies for ensuring public safety.

At present, he said, vehicles were being manufactured under the 1969 Motor Vehicle Ordinance, but the new plan would incorporate suitable amendments compatible with current needs and international standards.

Furthermore, the National Highway and Motor Police and National Highway Authority would finalise vehicle specifications of long-haul carriers in compliance with international standards.

According to NH&MP, international standards pegged the maximum length of containers at 50-foot, while carriers were currently running up to 70-foot-long, while car carriers were 105-foot-long in a clear violation of the law.

On the request of the Car Carrier Association, the NH&MP was requested not to create problems for car carriers till the 23rd of this month, he said.

He said that the communications ministry had been tasked to establish a National Road Safety Secretariat as soon as possible, facilitating the enforcement of road safety issues across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2016.