Road accidents

An increasing number of fatal accidents caused by speeding bus drivers have added to the already simmering traffic conditions in the country. The latest victim of a careless bus driver has been an eight-year-old girl who was crushed to death by a bus on Monday, Dec 4^th in Karachi. Laiba was on her way with her family in a Suzuki pickup when they had stopped for some work, while she got off and was killed by the speeding passenger bus instantly.

This incident comes just two weeks after another six-year-old girl was killed while on her way to school by a bus that was racing with another passenger bus in the busy commercial M A Jinnah Road in early morning in the metropolis. In both the incidents, the drivers escaped and have still not been arrested, till the time of writing. The recklessness of not only passenger bus drivers but also other motorists, including bikers, causes fatal accidents almost every day. According to a recent survey conducted by the Lahore city traffic police, 80 per cent of total accidents are caused by negligence on the part of drivers.

However, while the responsibility of accidents lies on the recklessness of drivers, the minimal efforts of the authorities concerned to enforce strict penalties on them further results in making the situation worse, giving drivers a free hand on doing as they will. The daredevil attitude of motorists goes unchecked as no stringent actions are taken by the authorities and the government to curb this menace. In spite of laws being in place, they are barely imposed. Poor licensing procedure too gives way to many unskilled drivers to steer the vehicle. With staggering number of road accidents, it is has become increasingly significant to enforce stricter checks and balance and hold drivers responsible for their crimes, even the ones as little breaking a traffic signal.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2017.

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