Daily Times

While over-speeding has been blamed as the main cause of the horrific bus accident near Rahim Yar Khan, other factors cannot be ignored. The Monday morning collision between two intercity buses left at least 30 people dead and more than 60 injured. The very tragic accident has renewed questions about the safety of passengers travelling in public transportation.

It is a social and legal crime how drivers endanger passengers’ lives to earn a few more bucks, overtake other vehicles, over-speed trying to race other buses and indulge in myriad traffic violations in an inexplicable mad rush to go from one place to another. Safety of passengers, pedestrians and fellow motorists should be foremost in the mind of anyone who drives. To make sure this is never overlooked, operators of mass transport vehicles should do their best to remind their drivers that passenger safety comes first. The concerned authorities also need to be more watchful regarding road culture so that these tragedies could be avoided.

Also to blame for this tragedy is the poor condition of road infrastructure in the country especially those passing through the rural areas of Punjab and other provinces. The traffic safety record is much better on the Motorways due to their impeccable condition and presence of traffic police who ensure safe journey for the rich. But what about the vast majority of Pakistanis who because of their meager resources have to travel on these deteriorated roads in rundown buses driven by careless drivers. Most of the roads are not safe and most of these roads are too narrow for big buses. Many of the roads were built only for small vehicles but extra large buses are being plied on these small arteries. Unfortunately, bowing down to pressure of local transporters, the authorities have allowed the big buses to use these roads, which have become very risky as shown by various accidents in the rural roads over the years.

Moreover, it is a common scene that passengers ride on the roof of buses. Yet little is being done to prevent them from doing so. Furthermore, buses tend to travel at high speeds even when the roads are in a poor condition with numerous potholes. Buses travelling on longer routes should have at least two drivers since driving long distances can be tiring, but this provision for safer journeys is not followed by transporters who seem to care only about earning handsome profits. More buses should be allowed so that people can travel home without taking risky rides on the unsafe highways of the country.

People travelling in public transport vehicles must wake up from their apathetic slumber and start taking notice of the services that are provided to them. Haling from low-income stratum of society is not a licence to become accustomed to shoddy services. Raise your voice, stop any injustice or bad thing that is being done to you. Although the driver is being blamed for the accident, why did 50 to 100 travellers not think of asking him to be careful and slow down?

Unfortunately for commuters, all basic requirements are often ignored. With drivers required to work long hours with insufficient breaks and without replacements for long trips, it has become risky business. To stay awake, drivers take energy drinks or even drugs, which can wreak havoc on sensory perception and driving skills. The latest deadly accident shows the need for stronger measures to make mass transportation safer. Therefore, the authorities should take the necessary action and traffic police should be mobilised on country’s rural roads to ensure that buses are not carrying excess passengers and following the normal speed. All those violating traffic rules must face stern action.

All provincial and federal authorities should do a bit of introspection: do only lives of those who travel on Motorways and in private cars matter? Are those who are underprivileged do not even have the guarantee of a safe journey from one point to another? Don’t their lives matter? We, at Daily Times, extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of all victims, and best wishes for the quick and complete recovery of the injured. *