Chairman of National Business Group of FPCCI, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum and All Karachi Industrial Alliance, and former provincial minister Mian Zahid Hussain said road safety is an ignored subject rules and guidelines are not strictly followed. He said road safety must be followed to ensure the drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and keep the vehicles safe.
Speaking at a Diplomatic Forum seminar, he said that road traffic injury is the leading cause of death and disability because rules are not followed.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that it is sad to note that road safety is not high on our country’s agenda. The authorities have also failed to ensure road safety by punishing the offenders for deterring others.
Similarly, there should be useful bodies to take care of the deceased’s families and those injured in traffic accidents.
He noted that drivers of commercial, public transport vehicles continue to play with passengers and pedestrians’ lives because they have been allowed to do so, which result in accidents.
The fitness procedures of commercial vehicles have also left much to be desired. Simultaneously, special measures are absent in the accident-prone zones of highways badly needed in hilly areas.
He also called for implementing rules regarding helmet, issuing licences should be improved, and traffic signs should be visible on all the roads.
According to the UN estimates, around 1,354,840 people lost lives in road accidents in 2020 while up to 50 million got injured, which has a tremendous social and economic cost.
Moreover, the risk of dying in a road traffic crash is more than three times higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries.
Karachi, the business hub of Pakistan, has an extensive road network while road accidents are a significant cause of death and injury. Road traffic injuries due to poor road conditions and low road surfaces lead to safety problems that cause an emotional, physical and economic burden.
Despite the gravity of the problem, there is little awareness among masses to avoid accidents or support families of those who die or become disables due to such accidents.
He noted that it was essential to be aware that road traffic injuries remain a significant public health problem. When road safety products are utilized correctly or efficiently, they can help save lives, prevent accidents and injuries, and keep society functioning most optimally.
He also acknowledged and commended the Diplomatic Forum and Sindh Police’s efforts to ensure road safety and support the needy and said that the provincial and central governments should also come forward to improve the situation.