Traffic mishaps are occurring daily in the city due to rash driving, overtaking, changing traffic lanes without indication and driving beyond the laid-down speed limit. Increase in the number of automobiles in Karachi, narrow bumpy roads, the unusual size of the speed breakers on streets, are great impediments that are also responsible for traffic accidents day in and day out.
Utter disregard of the traffic rules, meandering driving by the 'scions' of affluent class people for the 'kick' they get out of it, driving without knowledge of traffic signs, driving in the opposite direction, wrong parking, jumping the red signals and zebra crossings, leaving faulty or punctured vehicles in the midst of the road without applying hazard-lights or placing caution sign to the followers, turning without indicators, over taking from either side, zigzagging by motorcycles with even 5-7 riders on and many more deliberate violations invite road accidents causing fatal injuries and loss of precious human lives.
Diversion of traffic due to visits of VVIPs or foreign dignitaries causes traffic jams and congestion blocking the passage for the routine movement of traffic and even for ambulances and private cars carrying sick patients.
Poor pay scales, no fringe benefits in service, and long duty hours without the provision of seasonal kits to meet different climatic conditions, make even the honest traffic cop liable to extorting whatever money he can, to meet his needs, he lets the errant drivers go unpunished. Drivers of certain vehicles work without a break and drive under the influence of alcohol, making frequent trips under the instructions of their masters to earn more in order to retain their jobs otherwise they are fired.
Public 'mini-buses' are overloaded even on the rooftops and passengers hanging by its door rods are driven at dare-devil speed. Dropping and picking-up passengers in motion, amid the speedy vehicles on the road, without stopping at the designated-stops by notorious drivers can cause serious accidents. Racing neck-to-neck by two 'mini-buses' just for fun to pick-up passengers or to reach a destination first leads to overturning, hitting a pedestrian, an electric pole, with the moving car or collision between them resulting in fatal accidents.
People drive at break-neck speed in Saudi Arabia. Their roads are wide-enough and in excellent condition. But the punishment awarded for traffic violations is tougher than ours. They make every effort to adhere to the traffic rules. It is not only the heavy fines but additional jail sentencing and flogging for offence, ie total 2-3 punishments (physical + financial) for one violation which are a great deterrent.
The purse-proud Saudis have learned to be cautious in driving because there is a strict implementation of the law and no escape from imprisonment, fine and lashes altogether, if they commit a traffic offence. Laws are the same for Saudis as well as expatriates without differentiation in observance. The punishments for the various traffic-violations, which have proved in bringing traffic accidents appreciably low, are detailed below:
Punishment for traffic offences in Pakistan is not severe and whatever rules exist are not implemented. For this very reason, the drivers of public, private motor vehicles and the privileged class are not afraid of punishment, which they easily take and tend to break the law. Personal 'influence' or 'graft' allows offenders to get away unpunished after committing violations. Fines being nominal are always easy to pay and 'non-confinement of violator behind bars' does not teach any lesson to an errant driver due to which he commits the same offence again and again.
Violators neither respect the law of the land nor traffic police officials and feel pride in making wilful habitual violations. Pakistan can learn a good deal from the experiences of traffic offences and punishments by our brotherly country, Saudi Arabia. We can introduce similar punishments and fines on the same pattern, feasible in our conditions, to minimise traffic accidents and consequential deaths.
There is also an urgent need to hold 'Traffic-Weeks' and 'seminars' of and on in the schools, colleges, universities, other public locations and advertise on different TV channels.
Some documentary films purposely show safe driving to educate people in the road sense. Public buses for 'pick and drop' of passengers must be restricted to stop at the approved bus stops. Compliance with strict implementation shall automatically educate the general public to stay at the bus stops only instead of their desired points. Roads should be widened to accommodate the increasing number of automobiles.
All bus stops must be shaded with the marks of public buses and their routes for public guidance.
Routes and timings for the movement of heavy-vehicles on designated roads must be restricted and displayed on poles by hanging-boards over the concerned roads. They should not be allowed to pass through narrow streets to avoid unnecessary blockages in the smooth traffic flow of light vehicles and damage of streets due to the over-limit weight. Public transporters, specially yellow mini wagons, must ensure the issuance of tickets against payment to the passengers on a mandatory basis, as under practice by green buses, but the same is not being done by most of the wagons and air-conditioned coasters.
A periodic check of meters fixed in yellow cabs, auto-rickshaws and other taxis must also be carried out to ascertain their genuine functioning and to apprehend tampering, if any.
Yellow cabs and other taxis that have not fixed meters in their vehicles and those even having meters in their vehicles, tend to carry passengers on bargain-fare and must be asked to install and use meters and charge passengers in accordance with the meter fare, laid down by the government.
'Sirens' have been fixed in numerous private vehicles and motor-cycles, which many unauthorised persons and impostors in disregard of its norms and values, misuse just for fun, to find smooth passage on busy roads.
Many young boys ply motor-cycles with noisy-cylinders, creating a nuisance. This serious violation on account of leniency of traffic police must be strictly dealt with.
If the above suggested measures are taken and honestly implemented there is every likelihood that driving in our mega cities will become tension-free and may also minimise the rising incidence of accidents.
Tachometers can be fixed in public transport for checking over-speeding in areas where people are defying traffic rules with impunity.
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Table of fines/punishments
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S. No: Type of violation Fine in riyals Additional
punishments
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1-Crossing a red light SR900 3 days jail
2-Driving in the opposite direction SR900 3 days jail
3-Over-speeding SR900 3 days jail
4-Wrong parking SR500 3 days jail
5-Parking on the side-walks SR500 -
6-Not carrying a driving licence SR300 24 hours jail
7-Driving license expired SR300 24 hours jail
8-No driving licence SR900 24 hours jail
9-Road Licence (car papers) expired SR500 3 days jail
10-Running away from an accident place SR900 3 days jail
11-Ignoring traffic police warning SR300 3 days jail
12-Exceeding pedestrian crossing line SR900 3 days jail
13-Reckless driving and skidding SR1,500 20 days jail
with 20 lashes
14-Accompanying reckless drivers SR1,500 20 lashes
while skidding (Note: One Saudi Riyal=Pak
Rs 16.70/=}
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