Deadlier than terrorism
Courtesy:- S M Hali
Pakistan is losing precious lives due to terror attacks but few people realise that road accidents take a higher toll of lives. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, in the last decade, Pakistan suffered a loss of 50,987 lives due to terrorism while, in the same period, traffic accidents claimed 130,000 lives. Thus, while every effort is being made to counter terrorism, from negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to surgical strikes and now the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out terrorists from North Waziristan, little or no attention is being paid to eradicate the menace of road accidents.
Some analysts quote the figures for road accidents in the Occident being even higher. The number of deaths owing to traffic accidents in the US in 2012 was 34,080. The main cause for road accidents in the west is drunken driving but the authorities are not oblivious to the threat it poses and spare no effort in educating their citizens regarding the hazards of drunken driving, maintaining a high vigil for checking reckless driving and also paying a lot of attention to road conditions including through snow, rain or sleet storms.
There is a dire need for the authorities to educate the Pakistani nation regarding road safety. First of all, driving licences must be issued only after thorough testing and gauging not only driving skills but also the familiarity with traffic rules, right of way and methods to negotiate hazardous driving conditions. Medical fitness is an essential criterion for issuance as well as renewal of driving licences, and the minimum standards of health must be adhered to strictly. Issuing driving licences without testing, through bribery or use of references, must cease forthwith.
It is vital to take up the cudgels for road safety, which start with awareness programmes for citizens while driving and even for pedestrians. The government as well as public service organisations can make concerted efforts to educate people in the fact that unjustifiable mishaps can be controlled through strict observance of rules, good driving behaviour, proper education and enhanced levels of awareness about the hazards of accidents, traffic rules, respect for law and fellow humans, and sense of responsibility.
The problem must be dealt with by incorporating the support of the traffic and motorway police, professional researchers, the media and academia to conduct extensive research on the causes of road accidents and recommending measures to enhance road safety, prevention of road accidents and inculcating a sense of safety.
Currently, people who break traffic rules or indulge in reckless driving either go unchecked or escape punitive action by extending bribes to the traffic constable apprehending them. It is crucial to bring offenders to book so that deterrence may be set for eradicating the menace of irresponsible driving.
Besides incorporating a system of punishment, it should be ensured that drivers hauled up for breaking traffic rules or indulging in unsafe driving, have their offences recorded in their personal database so that after exceeding a certain limit, their driving licence should automatically get rescinded. Along with the scheme of punishment, rewards may also be offered for abiding by traffic rules and maintaining an accident-free safety record.
Adequate attention must be given to the quality of roads, the infrastructure of which must be improved and means of quick recovery and evacuation of casualties ensured. Along with better-paved roads, focus must remain on the placement of traffic symbols for motorists, cyclists and also pedestrians. Traffic must be forced to slow down in the vicinity of educational institutions and hospitals so that children, sick, elderly and invalid persons can safely cross the roads.
A monitoring mechanism must be made transparent and those involved in unsafe driving should be apprehended before they end up in accidents. Monitoring cameras are being installed to deter terror attacks. The same should also be used to observe driving safety. Many drivers indulge in hazardous driving when they are not being watched by the traffic police. Cameras should record such violations even for overloading or driving faulty vehicles or those emitting smoke and polluting the atmosphere, and the culprits must be prosecuted accordingly. The media must use its good services for broadcasting and publishing public safety messages to support the awareness campaign. Along with the consciousness regarding road safety and improving the monitoring of traffic violations, adequate facilities for timely medical attention to road accident victims can go a long way in lowering the toll of fatal casualties.
One of the biggest culprits of traffic accidents are motorcyclists who try to weave their way through precarious gaps, endangering lives. They should be specially targeted for caution and advice. For a developing country like Pakistan, it is crucial to lay emphasis on road safety so that precious lives are not lost to this lethal threat.
Pakistan is losing precious lives due to terror attacks but few people realise that road accidents take a higher toll of lives. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, in the last decade, Pakistan suffered a loss of 50,987 lives due to terrorism while, in the same period, traffic accidents claimed 130,000 lives. Thus, while every effort is being made to counter terrorism, from negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to surgical strikes and now the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out terrorists from North Waziristan, little or no attention is being paid to eradicate the menace of road accidents.
Some analysts quote the figures for road accidents in the Occident being even higher. The number of deaths owing to traffic accidents in the US in 2012 was 34,080. The main cause for road accidents in the west is drunken driving but the authorities are not oblivious to the threat it poses and spare no effort in educating their citizens regarding the hazards of drunken driving, maintaining a high vigil for checking reckless driving and also paying a lot of attention to road conditions including through snow, rain or sleet storms.
There is a dire need for the authorities to educate the Pakistani nation regarding road safety. First of all, driving licences must be issued only after thorough testing and gauging not only driving skills but also the familiarity with traffic rules, right of way and methods to negotiate hazardous driving conditions. Medical fitness is an essential criterion for issuance as well as renewal of driving licences, and the minimum standards of health must be adhered to strictly. Issuing driving licences without testing, through bribery or use of references, must cease forthwith.
It is vital to take up the cudgels for road safety, which start with awareness programmes for citizens while driving and even for pedestrians. The government as well as public service organisations can make concerted efforts to educate people in the fact that unjustifiable mishaps can be controlled through strict observance of rules, good driving behaviour, proper education and enhanced levels of awareness about the hazards of accidents, traffic rules, respect for law and fellow humans, and sense of responsibility.
The problem must be dealt with by incorporating the support of the traffic and motorway police, professional researchers, the media and academia to conduct extensive research on the causes of road accidents and recommending measures to enhance road safety, prevention of road accidents and inculcating a sense of safety.
Currently, people who break traffic rules or indulge in reckless driving either go unchecked or escape punitive action by extending bribes to the traffic constable apprehending them. It is crucial to bring offenders to book so that deterrence may be set for eradicating the menace of irresponsible driving.
Besides incorporating a system of punishment, it should be ensured that drivers hauled up for breaking traffic rules or indulging in unsafe driving, have their offences recorded in their personal database so that after exceeding a certain limit, their driving licence should automatically get rescinded. Along with the scheme of punishment, rewards may also be offered for abiding by traffic rules and maintaining an accident-free safety record.
Adequate attention must be given to the quality of roads, the infrastructure of which must be improved and means of quick recovery and evacuation of casualties ensured. Along with better-paved roads, focus must remain on the placement of traffic symbols for motorists, cyclists and also pedestrians. Traffic must be forced to slow down in the vicinity of educational institutions and hospitals so that children, sick, elderly and invalid persons can safely cross the roads.
A monitoring mechanism must be made transparent and those involved in unsafe driving should be apprehended before they end up in accidents. Monitoring cameras are being installed to deter terror attacks. The same should also be used to observe driving safety. Many drivers indulge in hazardous driving when they are not being watched by the traffic police. Cameras should record such violations even for overloading or driving faulty vehicles or those emitting smoke and polluting the atmosphere, and the culprits must be prosecuted accordingly. The media must use its good services for broadcasting and publishing public safety messages to support the awareness campaign. Along with the consciousness regarding road safety and improving the monitoring of traffic violations, adequate facilities for timely medical attention to road accident victims can go a long way in lowering the toll of fatal casualties.
One of the biggest culprits of traffic accidents are motorcyclists who try to weave their way through precarious gaps, endangering lives. They should be specially targeted for caution and advice. For a developing country like Pakistan, it is crucial to lay emphasis on road safety so that precious lives are not lost to this lethal threat.
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