Sindh Police has established a “Driving Training School” in Karachi in a bid to prevent road accidents, which have risen in the metropolis lately, a statement by the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP) said on Thursday.

Karachi has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data.

Last month, a woman was killed and her husband injured when a water tanker hit their motorcycle and ran them over in Korangi, prompting an angry mob to set the water tanker on fire.

Sindh IGP spokesperson Syed Saad Ali revealed in the statement today that the driving school has been established at the Saeedabad Police Training College.

“The Driving Training School will provide training in driving cars, motorcycles, as well as light transport vehicles and heavy transport vehicles,” the statement said.

“Citizens will be taught driving and traffic rules during an 18-hour training course in three phases. The training will include classroom lectures, field driving and computerised education.”

According to the statement, Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon visited the school, along with other senior police officers and the principal of the school.

He was briefed by the deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Driving License about the school building, classrooms, computer lab and other facilities, the statement said.

IGP Memon was quoted as saying, “The first driving school has been established in Karachi under a pilot project.”

He said that driving training schools will also be established in Hyderabad, Larkana and Khairpur, adding, “The driving training school will also be upgraded this year with the facility of driving simulators.”

He added that the administrative and teaching matters will be under the control of the DIG training branch.

The statement further quoted him as saying, “We have started a training project to promote safe driving because we value the lives and property of citizens.”

Calling road safety the police’s “top priority”, he said, “Learning to drive properly as a responsible citizen is a necessity for every individual, and Sindh Police stands with them in this responsibility.”

“We want every driver to not only be safe on the road but also to be a guarantor of the safety of others,” he said. “The only way to prevent accidents is to have trained drivers. We are working towards that goal.”