Procession of death on the highways
Till going to press we have reports of 64 deaths in roads crashes all over the country since the start of the Eid holidays. Delving deeper one would find that most of the crashes have occurred after the Eid on the return journeys. The obvious explanation is that since the highways are clogged on the outward journey before the day of Eid there is very little scope for the drivers to indulge in over speeding. And since the volume of traffic on the highways after Eid is relatively less, the result of the drivers' recklessness is reflected in the casualty figures.
And this validates the comment of the minister for roads and highways that the majority of the road crashes are due to the fault of the drivers. But we would like to ask what measures the relevant authorities have taken to reduce the risk of human negligence and incompetence? These are repetitive occurrences and yet there is no palpable action to deter the recklessness of the drivers. Where are the highway patrols that one hears of but seldom, if ever, sees, to check over speeding? Where is the mechanism to see that unqualified people do not get license to drive? No less guilty are some owners who make their drivers work inordinately long ours without adequate rest so that more trips and more money could be made during that brief period?
Merely putting the blame on the drivers does not absolve ones responsibility of ensuring road safety. Apart from making the system of issuing license foolproof, a system that has been corrupted, the authorities must invest in highway patrol and CCTV at nodal points to exercise constant vigilance.
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