On average, 25 people are killed daily in road accidents in Pakistan.
Experts talking to APP said that the loss of lives was due to reckless driving and absolute indifference towards road safety laws by the concerned stake holders. Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Prof Said Minhas said that “Ironically a significant majority of road traffic victims in our country are people aged between 10 to 40 years.” A report published on the eve of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims stated that 1.2 million lives were lost in road accidents in 2012.
United Nations General Assembly, in October 2005 adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/5) to observe the third Sunday of November as the day for remembrance for road traffic victims. The resolution was passed to mourn the victims and to recognize the plight of relatives who cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these tragic events. It is estimated that 5 million people incur injuries in road accidents annually. Around 90 percent of road traffic deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Most of the victims are pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The World Health Organization warns that, without urgent action, road traffic injuries wouldbecome the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.
To enforce the clauses of the resolution countries like Chilli mandated seatbelts in all public and private modes of transportation. China criminalized drunk driving and increased penalties for offenders and New Zealand introduced stricter controls on alcohol for young drivers. Seatbelt usage in Turkey increased from 8 to 50 percent since 2005 and wearing of helmets by motorcyclists in Vietnam, tripled from 30 to 90 percent during the same period. Countries like Ghana, India, Mozambique and Pakistan need to enact and implement road safety laws.
