REPORTS are being published every day in your newspaper, as well as in others, regarding causalities due to road accidents across the country, especially in Karachi. Our country has a serious road accident problem wherein the fatality rate appears to be higher than in many other developing countries, i.e. fourth highest among 29 countries.
This shows that moving on roads has become hazardous to an extent that road accidents claim more lives or limbs every year than any other natural or unnatural cause. One estimate confirms that the reported deaths on roads in Pakistan are estimated to be above 50,000 a year. The vague and outdated legislation, non-compliance on the part of drivers and owners of vehicles and poor monitoring by the authorities concerned to look and check on the incursion of heavy vehicles, particularly heavy trailers, buses and tankers, are causes of deaths on roads.
Moreover, a few other issues which need to be seriously taken care of include putting an immediate ban on heavy and long trailers at least in areas where there are single and already devastated roads, like desert parts of the country.
SADYA MOHSIN Karachi