The seventh UN Global Road Safety Week began on May 15. This week is intended, according to the WHO, to “raise awareness about road safety issues” and to develop solutions.
Every year, road accidents cause 50 million injuries and 1.3 million fatalities globally, making them the top cause of mortality for those between the ages of five and 29. Road accident fatalities may not receive the same level of public attention as, say, deaths from natural catastrophes because of the banality and regularity of traffic problems. However, as the overwhelming number of accidents and fatalities plainly illustrates, this does not imply that preventing natural disasters is any less vital than ensuring traffic safety.
Rethink Mobility is the focus of this year’s Global Road Safety Week. The focus is on shifting to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycling, and public transportation. In addition to making roads safer, this will aid nations in reducing pollution and global warming, lowering the cost of living greatly, and improving people’s quality of life in general. Pakistan is the one nation that stands to gain the most from this way of thinking. According to a report from November 2022, the nation led Asia in the number of people killed in traffic accidents, with Karachi coming in at number four.
While it is obvious that much more work has to be done, it is important to note that Pakistan has made progress in lowering the number of road deaths. The fatality rate per 100,000 due to traffic injuries has decreased, from 15 in 2011 to 13 in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, according to WHO data. When the question of what can be done to improve road safety in Pakistan is raised, the conversation usually centers on stepping up enforcement of traffic laws and regulations through the traffic police and tougher penalties for offenders.
While it’s true that reckless driving is a major issue in Pakistan and that this is a vital step we must take to prevent needless fatalities, it’s also possible to argue that doing so ignores the fact that our transport system as a whole is fundamentally dysfunctional. There are just not enough reliable public transit choices, let alone bike lanes and pedestrian walkways, and the roads are too narrow and inadequately maintained. This is especially true in our metropolitan areas. In addition to saving lives, shifting to these more environmentally friendly forms of transportation would help Pakistan become richer and cleaner.
Think about how much money and time one may save by not owning a car since there is a reliable mass transit system, and consider how much cleaner our streets and air would be if there were more bicycles and footpaths instead of vehicles. Imagine how much more pleasant city life would be if walking was the primary mode of transportation rather than the last resort.
Although we would all profit from this transformation, it is evident that lower-income people, who make up the majority of the population in this country, stand to gain the most. They are currently the ones who must rely on the riskiest modes of transportation and suffer the most from the increase in petrol prices.
