Another deadly accident

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Another case of reckless driving in Karachi snuffing out an entire family's future in an instant. Abdul Qayyum and his wife Zainab, eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, were run over near Malir Halt Flyover, becoming victims of yet another water bowser driver speeding through the city's congested roads. With the motorcycle the couple was travelling getting dragged under the massive vehicle, Qayum got killed on the spot, Zainab bled out in the street, and a newborn took its first and last breaths in the arms of a passerby.

Enraged by yet another preventable tragedy, onlookers pelted the water tanker with stones, broke its windows, and beat the driver before handing him over to the police. This reaction reflects a growing sense of helplessness among Karachi's citizens, who witness such carnage regularly but see no meaningful action taken. In just 83 days, heavy vehicles have claimed 68 lives in Karachi.

The numbers are staggering, but the lack of action is even more alarming. Water tankers, dumpers and trailers continue to barrel down the city's roads with little regard for human life. The so-called traffic regulations appear to be toothless, failing to curb the menace of reckless driving.

Karachi's citizens are exhausted -—tired of mourning lives lost due to the negligence of unlicensed truck drivers. Calls to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles to post-midnight hours are growing louder, and the authorities must finally listen. But stricter time restrictions alone will not be enough. There needs to be harsher penalties for not just reckless drivers but also the companies they operate under. Additionally, there must be a crackdown on unfit and overloaded vehicles, many of which contribute to such deadly accidents.

How many more must die before action is taken? If authorities continue to ignore the crisis, Karachi's roads will continue to gobble up human lives.