‘Road safety alertness crucial to avoid fatalities’

President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said strict implementation of traffic rules and public awareness about road safety was crucial for preventing accidents and reducing fatalities.

He was addressing the ‘Road safety conference for parliamentarians,’ on Wednesday organised by the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) in collaboration with ‘Mutehtakm Parlimaan, a European Union-funded project, and the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services. Parliamentarians from across the world joined the conference.

The president urged the legislators to incorporate comprehensive road safety programmes into national planning.

With increased traffic volume on roads, the importance of ensuring safety measures increased manifold to save precious lives, he said.

Highlighting the role of parliamentarians in carrying out effective legislation on road safety, he stressed educating the communities for better enforcement. He said traffic accidents were one of the leading causes of deaths, mostly due to cranial injuries, and could prove traumatic for the entire family.

President Alvi said implementation of traffic rules through surveillance cameras, safe road infrastructure, easy-to-understand traffic illustrations, and proper inspection of vehicles could contribute towards reducing accidents. He also emphasised self-discipline by motorists, particularly the use of seatbelts and wearing of helmets.

He advised road users to remain mentally and physically alert to avoid traffic crashes.

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, who is also President International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC), said globally around 1.3 million people die and 50 million get injured in traffic accidents annually.

In Pakistan, he emphasised prioritizing the efforts to enact road safety laws at par with international standards and educate the stakeholders.

President Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco said road safety must be considered a serious health-related problem due to its direct and indirect costs and called upon the parliamentarians to act together on national health safety programmes.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Pakistan Thomas Seiler stressed the importance of a holistic approach to road safety and urged the governments and partners to implement an integrated safe system approach.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2023.