Experts express concern over surge in road mishaps

Violation of traffic rules and use of cellphones are major reasons behind road accidents

FAISALABAD: As many as 0.9 million road accidents have occurred due to usage of cell phones while driving in last 15 years in the country.

It was disclosed at a seminar on defensive driving arranged by the Academic Staff Association (ASA), University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) in collaboration with the National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) at New Senate Hall.

The session was chaired by UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar while Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kamran Adil was the guest of honour. ASA President Dr Amir Jamil, DSP Syed Naseem Abbas, DSP Qalab Sipra, Senior Patrolling Officer (SPO) Rana Irfan Ahmad and ASA General Secretary Dr Amir Maqsood also spoke on the occasion.

Dr Zafar said speeding, violation of traffic rules, reckless driving and use of cellphones while driving were the main reasons taking lives of many people. He said many people were unaware about traffic rules that was the deteriorating the road traffic situation. “There is a need to educate the people about the importance of the traffic rules to lower down road accidents,” the VC said.



Kamran Adil said steps were afoot to make the traffic rules part of curriculum. He urged the people to follow traffic signals, proper lanes and wearing helmets for motorists. He said steps were being taken to sensitise people about traffic rules and making smooth functioning of traffic.

Dr Amir Jamil said the people least bother to get knowledge of traffic which was aggravating the problems. “We must learn skills in measurers to tackle the emergency situation. One must keep the appropriate distance from next vehicle so that in case of emergency, it can be controlled,” he said.

SPO Rana Irfan said one must fasten belt while driving. He revealed that use of cellphones while driving was the major reason behind millions of accidents across the globe. He said talking on the phone or eating while driving create difficulties for a driver to react to any emergent situation actively. “If someone feels sleepy, he must take a nap for 15 minutes at least while parking his car. It will enable him to drive for two to three hours more on a long route,” he said.

Dr Amir Maqsood said a distraction was any activity that diverts drivers’ attention from the task of driving. “It deserves your full attention and so stay focused on driving task. Being alert allows driver to react quickly wisely to potential problems,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2018.