The gory accident at Babusur that took nearly 30 lives sent shock waves down the spine. The tragedy of casualties in road accidents in Pakistan is increasing due to lack of safety measures adopted by transporters. Untrained and unqualified drivers plying on long routes without any fear or fright play havoc with the lives of innocent passengers who silently enter the Death Valley. Countless families lose their bread earners and thousands of travellers are crippled for life owing to negligence of drivers. Absence of strict laws awarding death plenty to drivers causing death to commuters is another enigma of this society.
Another factor contributing to fatal accidents is road worthiness of vehicles. Similarly, drivers are not given proper rest by transporters and fatigue leads to low efficiency and high risk of accidents. There is a dire need for formulating an appropriate transport policy encompassing all areas of transport and entailing complete code of service for drivers. There regular periodical medical check-up will ensure their health and reduce accident ratio which is indeed very high in our country. Unfortunately, there is no relief for deceased’s heirs. In the words of Faiz Ahmed Faiz Yeh khoon e khaak nasheena tha rizq e khaq hua… Nah muddai nah shahadat hisab paak hua.
IFTIKHAR MIRZA
Islamabad
