THE Islamabad - Lahore Motorway provides relatively fast and safe mode of travelling by road as compared to GT Road, which is noisier, congested and somewhat bumpy.

However, the motorway at the Salt Range remains the most difficult area to pass through. The acute slope troubles almost all kinds of vehicles, turning a Bermuda triangle for many people who have lost their lives at this viscous spot.

With so many precious lives lost on the slope of the Salt Range near Kallar Kahar, people are now scared of this section of M2.

Last year more than 45 children perished when a bus carrying them overturned. A similar accident took place recently when a bus carrying a religious group turned upside down, killing seven people and injuring many others. This spot is not an ideal place for driving.

Although the NHA endeavours to make the place safer for driving are appreciable, yet many hazards are still there. Commercial vehicle drivers sometimes switch off engines to save a few drops of fuel. By doing so, they lose control over vehicle, posing serious threat to passengers’ lives.

Evidently, the depression at this place is very sharp and calls for 100 per cent technically fit vehicles. Unfortunately, everything is compromised in our country for a few bucks without any consideration of the fact that how many precious lives are endangered due to negligence of departments issuing technical fitness certificate to public transport. Transporters must also fulfil their duty of keeping buses technically fit as it is their moral as well as professional responsibility.

The number of accidents and lives lost therein is quite high in our country. Amazingly, more people have lost lives recently after Eidul Azha in road accidents than those killed in Sandy storm in the US that affected more than 80 million people.

Applying extra - vigilance in road travelling is the need of the hour to reduce mortality rate in accidents.

IFTIKHAR MIRZA    Islamabad