Road deaths spiral out of control

Two deadly bus crashes in Kallar Kahar and Faizpur Interchange marred the past week, highlighting the plight of public transport and loss of life in such tragic accidents. In the incident in Kallar Kahar, at least 13 people were killed and four people died when a bus overturned near Faizpur Interchange.

An FIR was registered against the bus driver and bus company over alleged negligence. The bus was not physically fit for long-distance travel; an observation made by the passengers who pointed it out to the bus station manager and bus driver. However, they did not pay any heed to it. The driver, station manager, vehicle examiner and owner of the company were booked in the aforementioned FIR.

Additionally, CCTV footage has also surfaced showing that the bus overturned when the driver lost control of it at a turn.

The other incident was reported near Faizpur Interchange on the Motorway, where a bus crashed through the barrier ad fell down the side of a hill. Reportedly, the crash took due to overspeeding and four lives were lost.

On average, between 9 and 10 people are killed in in road traffic crashes across Punjab on a daily basis. Injuries number in the dozens. According to data compiled by Rescue 1122, at least 271 people died in 34,216 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) in Punjab during the month of May, while 309 deaths were reported in 34,771 RTCs during the month of March.

These figures are worrisome and need to be addressed, especially considering that such incidents could be avoided with interventions and precautions. The aforementioned bus crashes resulted either due to a fault in vehicle, problem in infrastructure or human error, either neglect or violating traffic rules.

If the aforementioned factors are suitably addressed, road crashes may reduce exponentially. However, infrastructure is not up to the mark other than in a few hubs and centres, rendering safer roads a distant dream. These vehicles should ideally have been banned from using the roads years ago due to their poor condition. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of the drivers possess no formal training.

Considering such an abysmal state of affairs, the responsibility falls upon the state. Unfortunately, the government is not addressing this situation at all, even when between three and four thousand deaths are recorded annually only in Punjab. Such a large figure does not fall under any other head of unnatural deaths.

The governments in Pakistan should prioritise reforming the transport system, so that the protection of human lives can be affirmed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2023.