May 15 marked the beginning of the 7th UN Global Road Safety Week. As per the WHO, this week is meant to “raise awareness about road safety issues” and to come up with solutions for them. Road accidents lead around 1.3 million fatalities and 50 million injuries worldwide each year and for people aged five to 29 they are the leading cause of death. Perhaps due to the banality and everyday nature of traffic issues, road accident fatalities do not get the kind of media coverage that is given to deaths from natural disasters, for instance. However, this does not mean that road safety is any less important than natural disaster prevention, as the sheer number of accidents and deaths amply illustrate.
The theme for this year’s Global Road Safety Week is #RethinkMobility. The emphasis is on transitioning towards more sustainable means of transport including walking, cycling and public transport. This will not only make roads safer but also help countries counteract pollution and global warming, significantly reduce cost of living and enhance the overall quality of life. If there is one country that can benefit tremendously from this line of thinking it is Pakistan. In November 2022, it was reported that the country topped the Asian region in road accident fatalities while Karachi ranked fourth among cities with the most traffic accident fatalities. However, while it is clear that a lot more needs to be done, it is worth mentioning that progress has been made in reducing traffic fatalities in Pakistan. According to WHO data, mortality per 100,000 due to road traffic injury has declined from 15 in 2011 to 13 in 2019, the last year for which data is available.
When the issue of what can be done to enhance road safety is brought up in Pakistan, the discussion largely revolves around increasing enforcement of traffic laws and regulations via the traffic police and stiffer punishments for those who break the rules. This is indeed an important step that we must take in order to prevent unnecessary deaths and reckless driving is a big problem in Pakistan but it, arguably, ignores the bigger picture that our road network and transport infrastructure are fundamentally flawed. The roads are too small and poorly maintained, the cars are too many and there is an utter lack of adequate public transport options, let alone bike paths and pedestrian walkways. This is particularly the case in our urban centres. Transitioning towards these more sustainable modes of transport not only saves lives but will also help make Pakistan prosperous and cleaner. Imagine the money and time one can save by foregoing a personal vehicle because there is an efficient mass transit system and think of how much cleaner our streets and air would be if there were more bicycles and footpaths instead of cars. Just think of how much better life in the city would feel if walking was actually a viable means of getting to places as opposed to the last option. While this transition would benefit us all, the lower-income groups, which make up the majority of this country, clearly have the most to gain. Currently, it is they who have to rely on the most unsafe transport methods and are the worst affected by rising prices at the pump. Transitioning towards a less car-reliant Pakistan is thus not only a safety issue but one of social and economic justice as well.