Alarming rise in Sheikhupura road accidents

According to Rescue report, 215 people were killed and more than 15,000 over last 18 months

SHEIKHUPURA: Increased traffic accidents have led to the loss of valuable lives in Sheikhupura. At least 215 people were killed and more than 15,000 injured in the last 18 months.

Accidents have become commonplace in the city due to non-implementation of traffic rules. A Rescue 1122 report revealed that traffic accidents have increased alarmingly with thousands of people injured. Most of the victims of traffic accidents were bike riders.

Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Rana Ijaz told The Express Tribune that the increase in traffic accidents is due to the presence of underage and undertrained drivers. “The traffic police are doing their part by controlling minor and untrained drivers.”

According to the report, traffic accidents included 9,150 motorcycles, 3,085 passenger rickshaws, 1,904 cars, 1,243 passenger vans, 449 passenger buses and 443 trucks. Around 60% of the victims are under 40 years of age.

Transport experts agree that this data shows that transport laws are not being implemented in the region. They suspect the main reason for this is the fact that violating motorists bribe their way out of most situations.

It was pointed out that most passenger buses on the roads are not fully functional. Underage rickshaw drivers and motorcyclists appear across the city right under the nose of traffic police officers, but no one seems to take any specific action against them. Driving by minors puts the lives of not only the rickshaw driver at risk but also his or her passengers. There are also no special campaigns for road safety or traffic awareness.

The worst kind of traffic conditions can even be witnessed on the city's main highways. The city’s signals have been shut down for the last two years and traffic has become a common occurrence due to the alleged presence of the rickshaw mafia on Khadim Hussain Road and Batti Chowk, apart from illegal motorcycle parking stands near the mobile market.

Commuters also face difficulty as the city’s built environment provides low walkability. Unfortunately, traffic police officers are not doing anything effective about traffic despite being on duty.

District Police Officer Ghazi Salahuddin, appointed a month ago, was questioned about the poor police performance. He said the implementation of traffic rules has been initiated.

“A traffic awareness walk has been launched and pamphlets have also been distributed throughout the city. A modern driving school has also been set up at the police lines.”

Police are taking effective steps to enforce traffic laws, he added. “Traffic issues across the city need to be overcome on an emergency basis. The top priorities include restoring traffic signals, eliminating illegal parking stands, prosecuting underage and inexperienced drivers and issuing licenses after a full driving test.”

If traffic laws are not implemented, there will be a further increase in traffic accidents, he further said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2019.