Living in cities and towns, we daily face the horror that traffic has become. Youngters riding motorcycles in a daredevil manner, illiterate chauffeurs driving expensive cars and SUVs, and women and the elderly with slow reflexes are responsible for many of the accidents that occur daily.

There is a simple solution. The traffic police or wardens should ask the driver who has committed a traffic violation for their driving licence. Failure to produce one should result in 24 hours detention in the lock-up. This measure will discourage underage drivers and get them off the road.

Second, there should be strict implementation of the procedure to issue a driving licence. This will stop people from acquiring driving licenses through the use of influence or corrupt practices.

Driving licences must only be issued after applicants pass a stringent theoretical test. This test should cover topics like ethics, parking etiquette, road sense, etc. This should be followed by a practical to test the applicant in real-life situations. This measure will also highlight the importance of education among the masses.

These suggestions are made as traffic problems will increase manifold in future with the ever-increasing traffic on the roads and the frustration felt by a majority of the people in the country.

Usman Chaudhry

Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2014