‘Around 35,000 road deaths in 2013 mirror poor adherence to rules’

Speakers stress need to introduce highway police system.

KARACHI: Around 35,000 people lost their lives in road mishaps last year due to a lack of mass transit system, poor implementation of traffic laws, absence of signboards, use of cellphones and not wearing helmets.

These findings were shared by the speakers at a seminar, titled ‘Causes behind road accidents’, at the Urban Resource Centre on Thursday evening. Former IGP Asad Jahangir, Road Traffic Injuries Research and Prevention Centre head Dr Rasheed Juma, NED University Urban and Infrastructure Department chairperson Mir Shabbar Ali and senior police officials were also present on the occasion.



The former IG, Jahangir, said that due to lack of enforcement of traffic laws a number of youngsters lose their lives. There is a need to introduce a highway police system to overcome fatal traffic injuries, he suggested. Sharing data, he said that pillion-riding was behind 64 per cent road injuries and 49 per cent road fatalities, while 86 per cent of the injured riders were found to be not wearing helmets.

He pointed out that Sharae Faisal and Korangi Road have reported the highest number of injuries with over 400 trauma cases, while National Highway and Korangi Industrial Area were considered to be the most dangerous roads with 50 fatal incidents in 2013.

“People aged between 16 and 36 years are the main victims of fatal road accidents and, in most of the incidents, victims are found to have avoided wearing helmets,” he pointed out.

Karachi is the most dangerous city in terms of high rate of fatal road accidents. “Strict enforcement of rules aided with high technology could help overcome such accidents. The government must do something for the sake of our generation,” he said.

Dr Juma, who is also former health director-general, was of the view that billboards and signboards also distract drivers. “The civic bodies, including Defence Housing Authority, Cantonment Board Clifton and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, have used public properties for commercial benefits,” he complained.

The use of cellphones during driving is also unsafe. “It is a common observation that drivers using mobile phones have only one hand free to navigate, which is a safety hazard,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2014.