840 killed by road accidents in Pakistan's capital during six years
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Reckless driving, over-speeding, signals violation and lack of adequate road safety standards claimed around 840 lives in Islamabad since 2000, it was officially learnt here Monday.

According to the Traffic police official, as many as 1525 persons were also injured in 925 non-fatal road accidents during that period.

It is recorded that about 85 per cent accidents occurred due to the negligence of drivers by over-speeding, over-loading and wrong over-taking.

About 126 persons were expired in 114 fatal road accidents during 2000, 242 persons died in 116 accidents during 2001, 96 persons died in 95 accidents during 2002, 112 persons in 103 accidents in 2003, 161 persons in 111 accidents in 2004 and 103 persons were killed during current year.

Highlighting the cause of accidents, the source said that majority of traffic law violators are commercial drivers, having no sense about traffic rules and regulations.

Sometimes, educated persons also do not follow traffic rules and take wrong turns at double roads and drive in wrong lanes, he added.

It is high time to launch different programs for road awareness including checking of speed violations particularly in crowded areas and ban on under age driving , he said.

Three speed radars are installed on the Islamabad highway where people are often found involved in violating the speed limits, he informed.

To a question, he said Islamabad traffic plan would help minimize these road accidents and making road environment more safer.

It is notable that 40 to 50 kilometers per hour speed is prescribed inside the city while 80 to 90 is the speed for some main roads in Capital.

He said that recruitment of traffic cops in Islamabad and provision of latest equipments including speed checking radars under Islamabad traffic plan would help to bring down the ratio of road accidents.

“Traffic police is arranging refresher courses in collaboration with NGOs to educate drivers about traffic rules “ he said and hoped that this campaign would ensure safe road environment in the capital.●