Driving on highways in fog could be deadly

At least 19 people killed, 91 injured in fog-related accidents last year

ISLAMABAD: It seems that the onset of winter brings with it thick fog enveloping the city, leaving a trail of deadly car wrecks on the road.

According to data compiled by the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), there were at least 19 casualties in fog-related road accidents, while 91 others suffered injuries during the first 11 months of 2016.



Most fog-related accidents and casualties have been reported from the motorway. NHMP spokesperson Mehmood Ali Khokhar said the Motorway from Bhera to Lahore and Faisalabad and GT Road from Gujranwala to Rahimyar Khan are usually the worst-affected by fog.

Fatal highway accidents

Casualties from fog-related accidents, though are a fraction of the overall fatal accidents on highways. During the first 11 months of 2016, there were over 300 fatal road accidents on the motorway and
GT Road.



According to the NHMP, at least 733 road accidents took place on the national highways from January to November last year. Of them, 324 were fatal.

The M1 and M2 motorway stretch from Peshawar to Lahore and Faisalabad saw the highest number of fatal road accidents with 105. It was followed by 92 fatal accidents on GT Road from Peshawar to Lahore. The national highway from Lahore to Karachi recorded 93 fatal accidents.

Almost half of the all recorded road accidents took place on the motorway.

Police blamed reckless driving for most of the accidents.

Other reasons include falling asleep at the wheel, speeding, and burst tyres. In 26 incidents during the eleven months, pedestrians were hit while jaywalking across the road.

NHMP data shows that cars are involved in most road accidents, followed by trucks, motorcycles, trailers, and buses.

The exact number of deaths in road accidents is likely much higher as not all accidents and fatalities are reported to the police.

Safety campaigns

To respond to this situation, Khokar said the police had adopted several measures to prevent fog-related road accidents including special public awareness campaigns on media and on its own FM radio station.

“During fog or other bad weather conditions, the public should call the Motorway police helpline 130 to get updates and advice before travel,” Khokhar said.

He said NHMP’s FM-95 broadcasts weather updates every 30 minutes during fog season.



To a question about the lack of proper road infrastructure and signage at many places, Khokhar said though improper road infrastructure was a problem in some areas, the main reason behind most accidents was reckless driving.

Driving in fog

To drive safely in the fog, Khokar suggested some precautions.

“Unnecessary travel should be avoided in the fog, but if you must, the vehicle should have front and rear fog lights, and working windshield wipers and defogger system,” he suggested.



“The common mistake drivers make during fog is to follow the lights of another vehicle. Every driver’s capacity and capability to react to an emergency is different, so one should trust their own visibility,” he added.

Khokar also advised against stopping cars in the middle of the road.

“Vehicles should not be stopped unnecessarily during fog,” the spokesperson said as he requested the public to cooperate with traffic police officials and always follow road rules while driving in fog.



The Rawalpindi’s Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Yousaf Ali Shahid has also been issuing advisories on the police’s Facebook page.

In addition to the fog lights, he suggests using proper indicators while driving in fog, especially when visibility drops to less than 50 meters. He added that they had deployed teams on Airport Road, Mall Road, Peshawar Road and adjoining areas to guide motorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2017.