Daily Times

A road safety nightmare on the Indus Highway claimed 20 people’s lives when a passenger van dove into a ditch near the Sehwan toll plaza yesterday-the deceased include eight women and 12 children. The passengers were on their way to the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar when the van skirted off the road and plummeted into a ditch filled with rainwater. Six government officers have been suspended in relation to the accident after an investigation launched by Federal Minister Asad Mahmood. However, the details have not been revealed to the public just yet. The flood-hit Indus Highway was opened to vehicular traffic in October after a month-long closure when floodwater accumulated in the area. However, it is apparent that stagnant water has not been properly drained by the authorities, despite the relevant authorities claiming that the road would be fully restored within five days of its reopening when inquired about the issue by the Sindh High Court.

The Indus Highway has witnessed many accidents of this nature in the last few years, pointing towards a clear need for greater road safety-in October this year, a tragic bus-truck collision on the highway claimed 14 lives. The accident occurred on the Manjhand to Khanote portion of the highway which has no median barriers to separate opposing traffic. According to the WHO, Road Traffic Accidents account for 1.93% of all deaths in Pakistan-violations of traffic rules, over-speeding, and a poor prosecution system for careless drivers have all increased the tendency of such accidents.

Many people are issued licenses despite not being able to drive very well and are unlikely to be punished by traffic police for speed violations. The transport department is equally complicit-it is their job to perform periodic inspections of vehicles to ensure that they are fit for travelling long distances, but this rarely ever happens due to a lack of enforcement mechanisms. The state has failed to perform its regulatory functions and unsuspecting passengers continue to bear the cost. Currently, Pakistan ranks first in the Asian region for road-traffic-related deaths-it is imperative that the government take note of this immediately and make our roads safer to commute. *