The speakers on Friday urged the youth to play their role in creating awareness on road safety as mortality rate due to traffic accidents was unacceptably high around the globe.
Speaking at a seminar on Dare to Care: Enabling Youth as ambassadors of Road Safety at University of Central Punjab (UCP) here, they were of the view that road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death among the children and youth between the age 5-29, adding that 9 out of 10 deaths occurred in low and middle income countries.
The road safety awareness seminar was held by the Department of Civil Engineering UCP in collaboration with the NH&MP. On the use of the Motorways, the Sector Commander M3 SSP Shehbaz Alam said that axle load must be maintained by the truckers on the motorways as the overload damaged the roads and caused great loss to the national economy. He stressed the need of wearing seat belts and observing right of way while travelling on the motorways. He urged the students to avoid distraction while driving on the road, adding that mobile phone was the most lethal distraction which resulted in death and agony to the families. Motivational Speaker and NH&MP Road Safety Ambassador Dr. Niaz Malik, in his address to the students, shared his own story of personal loss and distress as he lost his legs in a road accident on the motorway due to negligence.
He shared that he was a successful CEO in a leading mobile company but one minor mistake pushed him to a wheel-chair for the rest of his life, adding that he also lost a promising career. Dr. Niaz Malik urged the students to play their role as the enterprising youth of the country to create awareness among the masses and abide by the traffic rules for a safe and healthy life. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) National Highways and Motorway Police Dr. Masroor Alam Kolachi said that the youth must channelise their energies and follow the traffic rules in order to be safe and successful, adding that a minor mistake may ruin the future. He said moral and legal codes were necessary in life, adding that he NH&MP had introduced the minor punishment in case of violations but these may be avoided through strict adherence to the traffic laws. He also urged the female attendees to play their role in making the male members of family more sensitive to the issue. Dean Faculty of Engineering UCP Dr. Rizwan Shad and Dr. Kafeel Ahmed of Civil Engineering Department also spoke on the occasion.
During City traffic polices crackdown against underage and unlicensed drivers, 269,612 unlicensed drivers have been challaned so far this year.
According to Chief Traffic Officer Amara Athar, challan tickets have been given to 269612 unlicensed drivers in this years crackdown, while 32000 motorcycles have been stopped for underage driving. Young drivers were left on the assurance of parents not to give them a car, motorcycle again. According to the CTO, the crackdown will continue to prevent accidents and ensure safe travel and parents are responsible for their childrens future.
