650 injured during accidents on Eid holidays

Wheelies, rash driving were rampant during the holidays

LAHORE: Official data of Rescue 1122 shows that at least 650 people were injured in 645 road accidents on the three days of Eidul Fitr. The figure is more than 100 times higher than the one claimed by the City Traffic Police, which said only six people were injured in eight accidents.

According to an official handout issued by CTPL, no casualty was recorded due to wheelies on Chand Raat or Eidul Fitr due to comprehensive by the traffic department.

Chief Traffic Officer SSP Rai Ijaz Ahmad said all officers and traffic wardens ensured the smooth flow of traffic during Chand Raat and Eidul Fitr. “Traffic wardens and Dolphin Squad performed their duty properly and that was the reason accidents remained low. Only six people were slightly injured in eight road accidents during Eidul Fitr days,” he said.



The CTO said City Traffic Police Lahore established specialised squads against one-wheeling and to maintain the smooth flow of traffic on roads in the vicinity of markets.



“Specialised squads arrested 221 violators and lodged 170 FIRs during a crackdown against wheelies. More than 1,500 motorcycles were seized for violating the one way rule, parking wrongly and other offences.

On the other hand, incidents of wheelies and rash driving were rampant during Eid days. Data available with The Express Tribune showed that 650 people were injured in 645 accidents. As many as 468 out of the 650 victims were admitted to local hospitals. Some 319 out of 645 accidents were motorcycle-related.

Some 59 accidents were caused by underage drivers and 175 occurred due to speeding.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2017.