Safer roads

It is very unfortunate that Pakistan is such an unsafe country in terms of transport and road safety. According to the National Highways and Motorways Police, on average 15,000 to 16,000 people annually die in Pakistan owing to fatal road accidents. Moreover, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported that in the year 2017-18 a total of 11,121 accidents occurred, out of which 4,829 were fatal and 6,292 were non-fatal. Furthermore, this newspaper reported on February 13, 2019 that last year around 36,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country.These statistics show how badly our transport system is being managed. It has been noted through electronic and social media that no international safety standards are followed by vehicle manufacturing companies in Pakistan. The prices of vehicles in Pakistan are higher but quality and safety standards are comparatively lower. According to some analysts, if safety air bags are installed in cars, lives could be saved. All involved stakeholders are equally responsible for growing road accidents in the country. The major causes behind road accidents in Pakistan are: lack of training institutes, unskilled drivers, poor road conditions, use of cell phones while driving, use of intoxicants over loading, overtaking and poor safety standards of the vehicles. There is an urgent need for the government to take extraordinary measures to reduce the rate of traffic accidents by implementing strict laws and ensure that people are sensitised on defensive driving techniques to promote road safety and reduce road accidents.Waheed AliKarachi

from The News International - Newspost http://bit.ly/2EOeTAW