Traffic death rate in Pakistan is 17.4 as compared to Sweden’s 3: Sharmila

Sindh’s Culture and Tourism Minister Sharmila Farooqui said on Sunday that road traffic death rate in Pakistan was higher mainly due to violation of traffic laws including reckless driving, unfitted vehicles and traffic signal violations which need to be stopped for saving human lives.

“Road traffic death rate per 100,000 people in Pakistan is 17.4 as compared to Sweden 3.0, United Kingdom 3.1, Norway 4.3, Switzerland 4.3, Ireland 4.7, Germany 4.7, Denmark 4.7, Singapore 5.1, Japan 5.2, Spain 5.4, Australia 6.1, Canada 6.2 and France 6.4, she said in a statement.

Sharmila said all five key risk factors – drinking and driving, speeding, and failing to use motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints – were being committed by drivers in the country which was the matter of great concern. The drivers need to follow laws so as to reduce the number of deaths from road traffic accidents to a significant level.

She said there was dire need to adopt road safety measures for saving lives of people in the traffic accidents, as the UN road safety collaboration had also announced the global campaign for the third UN global road safety week from 4-10 May 2015 with the theme children and road safety.

She said 59 countries, covering 39% of the world’s population, had implemented an urban speed limit of 50 km/h or less and allow local authorities to further reduce these limits. She said road traffic injuries were a major public health and development problem that has a broad range of social and economic consequences and can affect the development of counties.

“It has also been observed that drivers come on the roads with diseases including severe acute respiratory syndrome. Their neglect of safe driving measures have also contributed to the increase in deaths and injuries. She urged traffic authorities to take emergency measures to reduce accidents, improve traffic flow on highways, raise patrolling and post more signs warning of hazardous conditions,” the minister said.

She said: “About 61.4 percent of our population lives in villages. Roads network in Pakistan is of crucial importance for the movement of people and goods, integrating the country, facilitating economic growth and in reducing poverty. Total roads network in Pakistan is around 263,775 kms out of which about 70 percent are paved. Road density in Pakistan is 0.32 km/km2, which is low in comparison of neighbouring countries. This roads network carries over 96 percent of inland freight and 92 percent of passenger traffic and are undoubtedly the backbone of the economy.”