Daily Times

On Saturday, a heart-wrenching video surfaced on social media showing an unbelievably long queue of over 100 cars banged-up near Kallar Kahar on the M2 motorway due to a sudden episode of intense fog. While the authorities may not realise this, the accident has highlighted the need for special measures to be taken in alarming weather conditions.

Global warming has been causing drastic changes in weather patterns around the world, leading to extreme weather events such as intense fog on highways. This poses a serious threat to road safety and requires special attention and preparedness to prevent such tragic accidents from occurring in the future.

Special times call for special measures, and it is crucial that we increase the level of preparedness to deal with the challenges posed by intense fog on highways. It is essential to work on special arrangements to calibrate the highways and implement strategies to mitigate the risks associated with poor visibility. One such strategy–fog dispersal–could be considered which involves the artificial dissipation of fog and is commonly used at airports to ensure the safety of air travel. It is just as imperative to implement special arrangements to calibrate highways with intense fogs by improving the lighting system and implementing strict protocols for driving in such challenging weather conditions.

However, considering how road accidents are never considered an attention-worthy instance in a country where more than 28,000 lives were claimed on the road in 2020 (according to WHO), these measures are not likely to be discussed let alone implemented. Although law enforcement authorities are repeatedly called upon to treat episodes of speeding, faulty vehicles and other traffic violations as serious offences to help spread road awareness, road users cannot be blamed for colliding with each other if they were taken by surprise. Since there’s no telling when and where freak weather events will strike next, the best the state and the people can do is better equip themselves. Because lightning may not strike the same place twice, blinding fog loves keeping track of its victims. *