Shahrah-e-Faisal is the only major road linking all areas of Karachi that begins from the highway to the Saddar. It cannot accommodate all vehicles at all times. If the Drigh Road, Rashid Minhas Road or the University Road is closed for repair work, extra traffic entering onto Shahrah-e-Faisal creates a number of bottlenecks, wasting petrol of vehicles, not to mention the time spent while going through traffic. With a growing number of cars on the streets, the probability of accidents and mishaps also increases. Water tankers and public buses (mini-buses) hitting rickshaws, motorcycles and cars, resulting in a loss of life and property, is news we are exposed to regularly. Intercity buses also face tragic incidents, which create blockades not to mention loss of precious life. While the traffic will keep on increasing with each passing day, and not much can be changed in this regard, however, attitude of those driving cars and motorcycles must be changed. This is only possible when drivers and motorcyclists are aware of traffic rules, and they also use their common sense and road sense, in particular, when driving. The biggest threat on the streets of Karachi comes from drivers of heavy vehicles, including public transport, water tankers, NLC trucks, and trucks carrying construction material It is a common sight across Karachi for cars to be parked haphazardly in front of shopping malls and offices despite the fact that they can be parked properly, giving more room for other cars to be parked and to maintain a free flow of traffic. The parking plaza in Karachi’s Saddar area, constructed at a cost of Rs 650 million in 2009, even after a decade, is still unutilised as people arriving at Saddar on cars and motorcycles park their vehicles in front of shops and on roads, obstructing the flow of traffic. Even shop owners park their vehicles in lanes and on roads despite the facility of a parking area in the locality. With hundreds and thousands of cars on the roads of Karachi at any given time, drivers must ensure their own safety and of those around them. While the concept of ‘safety first’ is adhered to and diligently followed by in developing and developed countries, this concept is unheard of and overlooked in Karachi. A garbage truck is without cover for heaps of rubbish it transports, a driver makes a turn without turning on the indicator, trucks are often seen transporting iron rods protruding out of the vehicle, posing a lethal threat for all. Motorcycles, which are a dangerous ride, are often seen without an operational front, rear lights and rear view mirrors. Such motorcyclists, even when travelling with women and children, do not care to have their faulty lights repaired or to install mirrors, which result in accidents as they cannot see the traffic behind them. The biggest threat on the streets of Karachi comes from drivers of heavy vehicles, including public transport, water tankers, NLC trucks, and trucks carrying construction material. Drivers, while being on the road for over 20 hours or more, often cause accidents because of weariness or ignoring rules. Unfortunately, there is no code for drivers of heavy vehicles and transport carriages to abide by other than to have a driving licence. It must be the priority of the government and the concerned authorities to train drivers of heavy vehicles and transport carriages; changing the mindset when it has been unchanged for long will be next to impossible. Traffic in major cities of the world, including Dubai, Shanghai, Dhaka, Tokyo, San Francisco, New York, Sydney, London, Paris and others, is pretty high, and is growing akin to that of Karachi. Drivers of public and private vehicles abroad do obey laws and give importance to rules while ensuring their own safety and that of others to reduce the probability of accidents and mishaps. Drivers, while travelling on highways and freeways, follow traffic signs, make turns accordingly, and also take preventive and proactive measures to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. While anyone at the age of 18 can get a driving licence in Karachi, it takes practice and persistence to understand and abide by the law, and use instincts, reflexes and presence of mind, at the right time, to drive safely and with caution. The major causes of road accidents include making abrupt turns on heavy traffic areas, parking cars on turns, driving on the wrong way, entering into a congested area to further block the flow of traffic, driving fast at blind corners, overtaking from the wrong side, and not looking continuously at blind spots. Until drivers do not understand traffic laws and learn how to drive with caution, chaos will remain on the streets of Karachi. The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist