The Ministry of Communications is working on a comprehensive road safety plan to curb the high rate of accidents and save precious lives. Pakistan has an appalling record of fatal traffic accidents due to its poor roads, badly maintained vehicles, reckless driving and a complete disregard for road safety in general.
More than 4,600 people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2013 alone, the last year the government released official data.
According to the latest WHO data published in May 2014 road traffic accident related deaths in Pakistan reached 30,310 or 2.69% of total deaths, ranking Pakistan number 67 in the world for poor road safety. In a particularly devastating accident that took place on 12 February 2016, a gas tanker and bus collided in Sheikhupura, causing a fireball that killed at least 10 people, including school children and injuring 17 others. This accident garnered sufficient international media attention to bring light to the fact that Pakistan does not take its citizens’ safety on the road seriously.
Reducing the number of road accidents is a mammoth challenge that requires thorough planning and strict implementation coupled with awareness of the general public. The ministry has stressed the need for a coordinated communications network along national highways and motorways so that help could reach immediately to the injured in case of an accident. Efficient trauma response is a very important factor when it comes to saving lives, as each and every second is crucial for the victim. Issues like funding for road safety, infrastructure planning, provision of a consistent safe road environment, enhanced safety at road work sites, overloading of long haul vehicles, ensuring vehicles insurance, increasing awareness about the risks, ensuring that all drivers have valid licenses, training and establishing trauma centres are all addressed in this detailed national road safety plan.
Perhaps the most important factor that the success of such a plan depends upon is the coordination of the police and traffic law enforcement agencies as well as private transport companies that should ensure that compliance of rules is carried out to ensure the safety of the passengers. Drivers of long haul routes should be the focus of this plan as most often they are overworked and no proper system for their rest and work hours exists. Overcrowding of buses especially in the northern areas also causes accidents every day and without strict enforcement of the rules, no one will take this road plan seriously and the sorry state of affairs on the roads will continue to exist as they are.
