Increase In Road Accidents in Karachi

Introduction:
Accidents are common in the busy city of Karachi. News paper and
television daily give us such sad news. The reason of such accidents is well
known to the Government authorities more than the public but no action is
taken by the Government to avoid or decrease such accidents.

Details:
Karachi is a densely populated metropolitan of the country. It is the
centre of trade and commerce of the country. People have poor knowledge
about traffic signals and are generally ignored. The main roads in the city are
well planned and constructed while the feeders are ignored. Most of the
roads of different sectors far from the city centre are neglected. Their
condition is poor roads inside the main city are narrow and hardly cope with
the rapidly increasing vehicular population. Paved roads are always busy
especially so during rush hours. Roads in general are used by motors cars,
trucks, motor cycles, auto rickshaws pedal cycle and pedestrians, the
influence of law and order on road users is rather lax. Any car damage can
not be repaired by garages or insurance companies (insurance on cars is
compulsory) except by written order from Traffic Engineering Department
after a full investigation of a particular case, hence the accurate recording of
accidents by this Department.

About one third of the city population is labors and relies for their
transport on public means and at times are crowded in trucks and Lorries.
Saturday, Sunday and (evening time the weakened) and Monday morning
are the busiest time of the week. Traffic Engineering Bureau determines that
human factors (faults from the drivers and pedestrians) constitute 94.4% of
all road traffic accidents. Accidents due to technical fault in the car
constitute only 2.6% those due to conservation faults in the road 0.8%, while
dart out amounts to 1.7%. In the latter case the dog and donkey are almost
always the animals responsible and the accidents occur mostly in the
evening and during mid night.

Due to relatively recent extensive use of vehicles in Karachi, many parts

of the city are facing severe traffic problems as the streets are narrow,
heavily pedestrian. Their design and illumination are not computable with
the motor vehicle. Many road accidents happen simply because of the lack
of traffic lights, signs, markings, guardrails, medians, bad illumination on
lack of chennelization elements. The shortage of traffic police staff is a part
of the general shortage of man power in Karachi. According, proper
enforcement of regulations with a small staff is a very difficult job. Warm
climate which prevails in the city might have to significant effects on road
accidents through influencing the way people drive and walk in the streets.
Intuition suggests that in warm countries people spend more time outside
their houses as exposure to risk is the thing which matters in accidents
occurrence and analysis. It is expected that the number of “person minutes”
people spend, on the streets in a warm country is higher than that is a cold
country.

Traffic rules violations is the main cause of accidents in Pakistan,

especially in Karachi. All traffic runs on the left side in Pakistan.
International and national license is valid for driving. All vehicles must be
insured and registered. Minimum age for driving 18 years. Speed limit is
65km/h at most roads and highways and 120km/h on motorways. Traffic
rules and law are violated in Karachi without thinking about its worst impact
on the valuable lives of people and their families. Most of the road accidents
that occur, including fatal one, are a result of traffic law violations. Driving
on roads in Karachi is a very stressful and difficult job because most of the
drivers are least bothered about observing rules and that is the main cause of
accidents.

Although there is a very well-developed network of roads and flyovers in

Karachi, the driver do not follow the traffic laws. It is observed that the
majority of the people drive on the wrong way without hesitation. Neither do
they care about their lives, nor anybody else’s. They do not even think about
the horrible accidents which can damage and ruin everything including lives
and homes. Reckless driving has become very common, no one can stop the
drivers from coming from the wrong side because they start quarreling and

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fighting and not even think about their mistake, a mistake which can cause
life altering and permanent damages.

A majority of the traffic law violates are the commercial drivers,

underage drivers and teenagers. Commercial drivers and uneducated have no
idea about traffic rules. Others which are educated do not bother to follow
the traffic laws: they take wrong turns, drive on the wrong side. Drivers do
not consider the signals as well. They have become habitual to break the
signals. Pedestrians, bicycle and motorcycle riders think that traffic laws are
not for them.

Note: (Majority of those people who suffered injuries and deaths are
pedestrians).

In most developing world cities, a large number of citizens walk as part of

their daily, recreational and livelihood activities. In Karachi, almost 21% of
daily trips are made entirely on foot, and of the nearly 66% of the
commuters who use different modes of public transport, a large percentage
walk some of large part of their daily commute. Every trip begins and ends
with a walk trip. Nearly all trips made by people entail some walking, either
directly to a destination or to another mode of transport.

The extent to which pedestrian infrastructure allows people to walk with

ease and safety determines quality of the pedestrian environment and the
overall transport network.

Road infrastructure and pedestrian

environment:
The pedestrian infrastructure in Karachi is to put it mildly, inadequate
often misused, poorly designed, badly maintained and sometimes dangerous.
Pedestrian convenience and safety are often a blinel spot or a law priority for
authorities and recent investments in road infrastructure by CDGK bear this
out.

To accommodate ever increasing number of vehicles in Karachi,

authorities have embarked on upgrading and expanding road infrastructure
as a way of dealing with growing traffic congestion. These investments have
mostly ignored the importance of road users’ education often the main cause
of chaos on our roads and basic pedestrian mobility and safety features.

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 For instance, new road building and widening projects have reduced the
width or simply removed footpaths in a number of places. In other instances,
flyovers, bridges and underpasses have created new pedestrian accessibility
and safety issues. Signal free corridors have eliminated at grade crossings
making it difficult and dangerous for people especially women and children,
to cross. Road crossings are badly designed and often not marked, meaning
vehicles rarely ever right of way to pedestrians (note: a very high number of
pedestrian casualties occur while attempting to cross roads). Footpaths do
not follow a standardized design and are for the most port decrepit, poorly
maintained, encroached upon by cars, venders, shop keepers, poles,
transformers, telephone boxes, postal boxes, signage and the like. All of this
makes for a chaotic and unpleasant walking experience for millions of
people every day.

Human costs:
People walking on city roads in developing countries are much more at
risk of injury or death then they are in developed countries. According to
one study between 86 and 172% grater risk. In Karachi road accidents kill
and injured thousands of people each year and the number are growing.

During 2008, there were 32497 injuries resulting from road accidents in
Karachi of the total number of injured, 60% were those riding on bicycles
and motorcycles and 22% were pedestrians. However, of the total fatalities
(1185) 37% were bicycle/motorcycle riders, while pedestrians were 39%.

Comparison of data on pedestrians injuries and fatalities between 2007

and 2008 shows an increase of 21% (from 1355 to 1628) and 50% (from 304
to 457) in the number who were seriously injured or died as a result of road
accidents. Pedestrians suffered the second highest number of injuries (both
minor and serious) but had the highest rate of fatalities.

During the first quarter of 2009 alone, over 145 pedestrians lost their
lives in road accidents. This is nearly half the number of all deaths in road
accidents for the period. The first quarter figures show a 40% increase in
death of pedestrians over the corresponding period in 2008.

Social costs:

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 Beyond death and injury, an unsafe and inconvenient pedestrian
environment impedes social and economic mobility of poor people. Walking
everyday in a chaotic road environment like that of Karachi can be both
unpleasant and unsafe. Moreover, in reduces the time and energy that people
could otherwise devote to work, family and other productive activities.

The absence of an enabling pedestrian environment also reflects poorly

on the dignity and respect accorded to citizens by the state and on how
outsiders (potential investors) view the city.

The former mayor of Bogata, Enrique Penalosa, agrees that inadequate

and poorly maintained road and cycling infrastructure is a sign of a luck of
democracy in a society, ‘it says that those who walk or cycle are not equal
citizens to those who ride in car’. He believes “….importance of pedestrian
public spaces cannot be measured, but most other important things in life
cannot be measured either: friendship, beauty, love and loyalty are
examples. Parks and other pedestrian places are essential to a city’s
happiness”. In congested low-income housing settlement in Karachi,
footpaths and surrounding land serve as places for social interaction. These
spaces need to be developed and expanded. Besides its immediate benefits to
poor communities, such developments would give citizens a sense of pride
and ownership in the city.

Causes of Accidents:
Road accidents are common in Karachi - thousands take place every year.
While many of them are minor fender-benders, others are major mishaps,
often even leading to fatalities. The most common cause of accident in road
mishaps is human error. Determining the causes of the accident is important
for the victim, as it has a direct bearing on whether he or she is eligible to
receive compensation.

Here are some of the most common causes of accident for road crashes:

1) The use of mobile phone while driving has become very common and
drivers do not keep their attention on the road. Use of mobile phone
during driving can cause fatal accidents, and even the ringing of these
phones is very dangerous, because it can distract the driver.
2) The traffic situation in Karachi is getting worse day by day. Traffic
jams are also one of the reasons of violating traffic rules, as people in

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 a hurry decide to choose illegal routes to reach their destination on
time, rather than waiting till the traffic jam clears.
3) Sometimes different kinds of protesters for some reasons block the
roads and even bridges which create problems and hazards in traffic.
This causes traffic jams and due to this situation drivers violate traffic
rules.
4) Substance abuse is a major offender when it comes to road accidents.
Both legal and illegal consumption of substances are causes of
accident. It includes consumption of alcohol, recreational and
prescription drugs to the extent that it impairs driver ability and
reflexes.
5) Speeding accounts for nearly a quarter of all automobile accidents.
Causes of accident due to speeding may be rash driving, as in the case
of joyriding youngsters, or just plain careless driving, e.g. exceeding
the speed limit in bad weather conditions.
6) The road itself could be one of the causes of accident. Many roads
have well-known 'blind spots', where drivers coming from one side
cannot see vehicles coming from the other direction until it is too late.
Also, roads become slippery during rain, snow, hail, etc. As they
wear, they develop cracks and potholes. Conditions such as these can
also be causes of accident.
7) Breakdown of the mechanical components in a car is another reason
behind road accidents. The most common mechanical failures involve
damage to the tyres and their associated components. In addition,
break, axle, and steering wheel failures are associated with accidents.
8) Some accidents are caused purely due to the driver's mistake.
Distractions, such as talking to co-passengers, calming children or
pets in the backseat, or trying to retrieve fallen items are common
causes of accident. Aggressive driving and disregarding traffic rules
also fall in this category.
9) Lack of pedestrians bridges and zebra crossing is another cause of
accidents.

Suggestions to Prevent Road

Accidents:
Here are some suggestions to prevent road accidents.

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 1) Most important method to bring down accidents is strict enforcement
of
Speed limits. 90% of accidents can be avoided by strict enforcement of
Speed limits.
2) Heavy penalty should be imposed on all those who cross speed limits.
If this is strictly implemented nobody will dare to go at high speed.
3) Existing speed limits should be brought down further.
4) Heavy penalty should be imposed for those who cause accidents.
5) Tamper proof speed controller should be made emendatory for all
heavy vehicles. New heavy vehicles should have built in tamper proof
speed controllers.
6) Two wheeler manufacturers should be asked to design two wheelers
with a designed maximum possible speed of (say) 50/60 km/h.
7) New gadgets are to be developed for collision preventation and should
be fitted on all vehicles. Research Organizations should be asked to
develop such gadgets on a war footing. For example,gadgets can be
developed to automatically slow down the vehicle, if safe distance
commensurate with the speed of the vehicle in front is not maintained
gadgets can be developed for warning the driver, if the driver sleeps.
8) Driving tests for issue of Driving License is to be made more strict
And foolproof.
9) Lower age limits for two and heavy wheelers license should not
below 18.
10) Helmet should be made compulsory by law OR impose lower speed
limit for those who do not use helmet. Issue of helmet should be
made mandatory with the sale of each two wheeler.
11) Helmet should be made compulsory for back seat riders also.
12) Existing traffic rules should be strictly enforced.
13) All those who do not maintain the safe distance for the speed should
be punished.
14) safety awareness should begin from childhood, as it is difficult to
impact awareness to a grown up a human. If safety awareness is
imparted at childhood, safety will be a habit.
15) Advertisement by automobile companies which include scenes of
dangerous and risky riding or driving should be banned. Younsters
are likely to imitate the same. Statutory warnings will not help such
ads will result in irreparable character formation regarding riding and
driving in kids and children. Such children may make accidents in
future.
16) Children below a certain age should not be permitted to do cycling in
busy roads and in roads where heavy vehicles are plying.

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 17) The practice of keeping the traffic signals in standby mode during
Night and on holiday is to be reviewed and discontinued.
18) Ensure that the money recovered as Road Tax is fully utilized for the
construction and maintenance of roads.
19) Major accidents and accidents prone areas should be analyzed for the
scientifically.
20) Speed should be restricted at accident prone areas. More stringent
traffic rules should be enacted.
21) License of those who are involved in accidents should be
suspended immediately, at least until they prove that they are not
guilty.
22) License of those who make serious accidents should be cancelled
permanently.
23) All roads should be maintained properly permanent constructs or
arrangements should be in place for maintaining all roads in good
conditions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
24) Eyes of old age driving license holders should be checked at regular
intervals.
25) License of drunk drivers and riders should be cancelled immediately.
26) Footpaths, pedestrian bridges and zebra crossing should be provided
at important and busy places whose a large number of people have to
cross the road at everyday.
Conclusion :
Road safety crisis needs to be fully recognized and all public agencies
as well as private section need to play their role in strengthening road safety.
Appropriate resources be allocated to improve safety which is currently for
below the magnitude of problem. Road traffic crashes are predictable and
therefore preventable. In order to combat the problem, there is a need for
close coordination and collaboration, using a holistic and integrated
approach, across many sectors and many disciplines. National Road Safety
Secretarial structure be extended up to district level to achieve road safety
objectives at grass root level.

Transportation agencies in Karachi are facing severe funding and

professional capacity constraints. Just policy formulation is not sufficient to
achieve the desired goal of deducing road deaths and injuries in the city.
Unless backed by financial support for its implementation. While there are
many interventions that can save lives and limbs, sustained political will and
commitment along with establishment of National Road Safety Fund are
essential without that little could be achieved. Road users in Karachi deserve

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better and safer road travel. Establishment of NRSS as the lead agency in
road safety is commendable action by Ministry of Communications. Support
of Government of Pakistan and International donors/lenders agencies is very
vital for the success of Road Safety Program.