Daily Times

Sir: Road accidents are frequent in Pakistan due to poor road conditions, badly maintained vehicles and reckless drivers and they claim many lives annually. The brutal collision between a passenger coach and a truck on Theri Bypass near Khairpur last week claimed at least 58 lives including women and children. There are several reasons why such tragic accidents happen. First, traffic laws are not observed and for this the highway police should bear the responsibility. Second, sleep-deprived drivers with no awareness of safety are allowed to handle vehicles. Part of the responsibility also falls on the shoulders of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and other organisations responsible for highway construction. Many highways are single carriageways and accidents have repeatedly been reported due to similar head-on collisions. We need to enforce strict road safety laws. The way most drivers generally handle their buses, there is always an accident in the offing. The drivers do not realise that they are responsible not only for their own lives but also of those who travel in these buses. This accident should get the same attention as an airplane crash but unfortunately we keep forgetting such incidents and move on without taking rational measures to prevent traffic violations or to complete highway construction in a timely manner.

NASIRUDDIN SOOMRO

Hyderabad