Thrills and kills : Wheelies and speeding reign supreme on roads

At least 130 people have been killed in RTAs in 2017.

LAHORE: The message of speed thrills, but kills has clearly not gotten through to Lahori motorists and bikers who continue to tear down the streets at breakneck speeds or on one wheel. It seems the police is powerless to stop these thrill seekers who often endanger themselves and others around them.

Flocks of motorcyclists continue with their antics without any fear of the law. Wheelies and screaming tyres are the order of the day and besides the rash driving, there is also betting on races, The Express Tribune has learnt. Locals say these street racers also take pleasure in harassing families, brandishing weapons and occasionally firing in the air.

A case was registered in Garden Town on May 4 in which two victims were shot over a betting dispute. In this incident, Adam Maseeh lost his life, while Itminan Maseeh was injured. Data of Rescue 1122, available with The Express Tribune, shows that over 15,000 road traffic accidents (RTAs) took place in the first four months of 2017. It has been reported that at least 130 people have died in these incidents. Of the total, 3,998 RTAs, or 27%, were caused by speeding.





In the whole of 2016, there were 45,094 RTAs in which 328 people lost their lives. Around 14,898 RTAs, or 25% of the total, were caused by drivers with a heavy right foot.

A total of 537 FIRs were registered against speeding in different police stations of the provincial capital between January 1 and May 5, 2017, under Section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

As many as 447 FIRs, which is 83% of the total cases, were registered against offences committed between 8am to 11:59pm when traffic wardens are on duty. It was learnt that the number of RTAs, when traffic wardens are on the roads, increased by 23% compared to cases registered in 2016.

Some 24 cases were registered in Chung, 22 in Sundar, 21 in Badami Bagh, 20 in Kahna, 18 in Missri Shah, 16 in Raiwind, 16 in Manga Mandi, 15 in Naulakha, 15 in Shahdara and 15 in Shafiqabad.

In 2016, 509 cases were registered. Out of all these, 3,937 RTAs occurred between 8am and 11:59 pm.

The Ichra police station was in the unenviable position of having the most registered cases with 572. This was followed by Naseerabad police station with 507 cases. Gulberg with 419, Muslim Town with 328, South Cantt with 322, Mughalpura with 230, Lytton Road with 224, Old Anarkali with 180, Factory Area with 177 and North Cantt with 162.



On the other hand, 60 FIRs were registered against people performing wheelies during 2017 in different police jurisdictions under Section 99 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance. As many as 40 of these cases occurred between 8am to 11:59pm. Twelve cases were registered in Faisal Town, 10 in Gulberg, nine in Ghalib Market, five in Gujjarpura, four in Ghari Shahu, three in Nishter Colony, three in Garden Town, three in Civil Lines, two in Naulakha and two in Kahna.

In the whole of 2016, 484 cases were registered against wheelies. A staggering 333 cases occurred between 8am to 11:59pm. Sixty-five cases were registered in Ichra, 41 in Faisal Town, 33 in Shadman, 27 in Chung, 23 in Gulberg, 22 in Mughalpura, 20 in Garden Town, 19 in Naulakha, 18 in Kot Lakhpat and 17 in Garhi Shahu.

One-gun wonder

Chief Traffic Police Officer Rai Ijaz Ahmad says City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) has one speed gun to combat these renegade motorists. “We were planning to request for the provision of more speed-guns,” he adds.

“The CTPL has an Anti-One-Wheeling Squad to take action against wheelies and speeding,” he states. “The CTPL, in collaboration with the Dolphin Force of the district police, has taken action against people violating laws.”

While speaking about the actions taken by the CTPL to control these incidents, the officer says a crackdown against wheelies and speeding has resulted in 2,948 FIRs being registered since October, 2014. “We have registered 87 cases against wheelies between October 2016 and May 2017. We have also fined 1,866 commuters for speeding and 1,691 for rash driving between January 2017 and May 2017.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2017.