KARACHI, Nov 30: The city has witnessed more than 300 deaths in traffic accidents during the third quarter of 2008. The officials have marked 32 places as ‘black spots’, where a majority of the fatal accidents occur, mainly due to the rising number of vehicles, violation of traffic rules and lack of road sense among pedestrians.

Figures compiled by the institutions concerned suggest that fatal accidents continue to pose a serious threat mainly to the lives of motorcycle riders and pedestrians, chiefly in three major corridors of the city.

The latest figures compiled by the Road Traffic Injury Research and Prevention Centre (RTIRPC) at the Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre (JPMC) show that from July to September 2008, about 8,500 cases of road accidents were reported to different hospitals in the city.

“A total of 320 deaths in road traffic accidents have been reported in these three months,” said Syed Ameer Hussain, the centre’s programme manager. “A total of 115 riders died in three months and similarly, 137 pedestrians, 41 passengers and seven drivers lost their lives during the period.”

The trend of fatal accidents demands immediate measures from the local authorities. Part of the National Highway, which falls within the main city area, and Korangi Road appeared as the most fatal thoroughfares, both for drivers and pedestrians.

The RTIRPC data says that during the third quarter of the year, 34 people died in accidents on the National Highway, marked onward from Star Gate on Sharea Faisal, and 21 people were killed on Korangi Road.

The more than 20km-long Sharea Faisal, housing residential areas, business centres and commercial buildings on both sides, witnessed deaths of 18 people in three months due to fatal accidents. The Super Highway and roads in the Mauripur area are also two main arteries where road accidents occur frequently, as 22 and 12 people lost their lives, respectively, in the three months in these two parts of the city.

“We have marked these areas, which need to be improved both for pedestrians and drivers or bikers,” said Mr Hussain, at the RTIRPC. “There is a need for joint efforts to address the problem. So far, we have received a very good response from the city government, which has agreed to increase the number of pedestrian bridges linked to bus stops, as most pedestrians met with accidents while crossing busy roads.”

Traffic officials said the rebuilding of major roads and extensive development in the city had yet to address the problems faced by pedestrians.

Furthermore, speeding and ignorance of traffic rules both among pedestrians and drivers most of the time leads to road accidents and the numbers can only be brought down through collective efforts.

“Our roads and traffic engineering have not been pedestrian-friendly,” said Wajid Ali Durrani, DIG traffic. “We have spotted some 32 points where pedestrians face immense difficulties while crossing wide roads and these are the areas where accidents occur most of the time.”

He said a proposal to set up facilities for pedestrians in these ‘black spots’ had been forwarded to the city government. Secondly, he said speeding by motorcyclists coupled with people’s ignorance of traffic rules emerged as the second major cause of fatal accidents.

“The people should understand that the rules are for their own benefit and non-cooperation from their side would only put their own lives in danger,” said Mr Durrani. “As we observe, over-speeding has been the major cause of fatal accidents and unfortunately, a majority of drivers of commercial transport are not ready to follow the defined rules on city roads.”

He admitted that off and on campaigns launched by his department to streamline the traffic system were not a lasting solution to the problem.

“The police are part of the system, which involves several institutions and, most importantly, drivers. They all need to improve their mindsets and follow the traffic rules. It would not only reduce the number of accidents but also make the traffic smoother,” he added.