ITP kicks off road safety campaign

There will be a fine for not wearing seat belts.

ISLAMABAD:

It is common to see taxi drivers headed from Rawalpindi to Islamabad put on their seat belts as they approach the federal capital’s limits.

There will be a fine if we don’t wear seat belts, they say. The Islamabad Traffic Police, sometimes criticised for its heavy-handedness and the shadow of collecting bribes creeping back in to the force, has nevertheless established some obedience of traffic rules on Islamabad’s roads through its enforcement.

Just as motorists try not to take risks with their seat belts, motorcycle riders know they will be extremely lucky if they get away with not wearing a helmet in Islamabad.

Yet, road safety violations are recorded on a daily basis and tickets are issued with tremendous frequency. Drivers can often be spotted using their cell phones while on the road, and fatal accidents caused by speeding have not declined significantly either.

Now, ITP, with the help of volunteers, has started a new one-week campaign this past week to educate motorists about traffic rules.

“It is a routine exercise,” said Assistant Inspector General Police Sultan Azam Temuri, who in a previous role conceived the idea of the ITP and launched it in the capital.

“The aim is to make people aware of traffic laws and inculcate road sense among them,” Temuri said. “We try to repeat awareness campaigns so the message gets to more and more motorists.”

The ultimate goal, ITP officials say, is to achieve zero traffic accidents, and therefore, complete road safety.

While that might not be too realistic, ITP teams and volunteers, mostly from educational institutions around Islamabad, have been distributing pamphlets and brochures to road users.

The material advises readers not to read while driving, focuses on the use of seat belts, avoid using mobile phones while driving and follow lane discipline.

The ongoing campaign, which officials say is also an example of community involvement, will continue till February 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2014.