Islamabad - The National Highway & Motorway Police officials have lamented that on average 15000-16000 people die in Pakistan annually due to traffic accidents and this figure was much higher as compared to the loss of lives due to terrorism in the country.
The National Highway & Motorway Police in collaboration with Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized an awareness session on the “Defensive Driving Techniques” at the Chamber House to sensitize the business community on the importance of road safety and compliance of traffic rules in order to avoid road accidents.
Giving a presentation to the business community on defensive driving techniques, Inspector, Licensing Authority, National Highway & Motorway Police Muhammad Asif, said that on average 15000-16000 people die in Pakistan annually due to traffic accidents and this figure was much higher as compared to the loss of lives due to terrorism in the country. He said this situation necessitated enhanced sensitization and awareness in the public about the importance of road safety measures and strict compliance of traffic rules in order to reduce the ratio of road accidents. He said with the efforts of Motorway Police, roads accidents were reducing, but there was lot of scope for further improvement on this account.
Muhammad Asif said that according to a WHO report, annually, over 1.2 million people died in the world due to road accidents while in Pakistan, reported traffic accidents caused annual casualties of 7500-8000, while the average annual loss including reported accidents ranged from 15000 to 16000. He said that according to research studies, 90 percent accidents in Pakistan occurred due to the mistake of drivers and emphasized that drivers should fully comply with traffic rules to minimize the traffic accidents as death of one person can affect the lives of the entire family. He asked the business community to cooperate in spreading awareness about traffic rules for educating maximum people.
Speaking at the occasion, M Naveed Malik, Senior Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that civilized nations develop disciplined driving by ensuring strict compliance of traffic rules and emphasized that maximum people should be sensitized on defensive driving techniques in Pakistan to promote road safety and to reduce accidents. He urged that traffic rules should be made part of the school curricula so that youth could be educated about the benefits of disciplined driving. He lauded the initiative of National Highway & Motorway Police for creating awareness about defensive driving techniques and hoped that it would promote disciplined driving in the country.
