Time to check rising motorcycle-related accidents in Chitral
CHITRAL: Scores of motorcycle riders have either lost their lives or limbs and also caused injuries to other people across Chitral.
Underage driving is one of the main reasons for the fatalities on the two wheelers. Parents and the local administration are equally responsible for these incidents.
Despite these fatalities, there is no check on underage and untrained bike riders.
Civil society activists and others have called upon the government departments to take concrete measures to check the bike related accidents.
The only solution of this problem is, district govt.should direct all petrol pumps and all those who sell petrol in local shops must verify bike rider that he has govt issued licence and id card..those who have no id card etc should not be given petrol..
Traffic police Chitral is mainly responsible for the above mentioned issue, without checking the credentials, licences for driving motorbikes have been issued to boys who have age below 18 years. There should be a proper inquiry and police officials who have been found involved in issuing licences to under aged boys must be punished.
very timely article and an eye opener for police as well as parents, especially in upper Chitral where hundreds of bikes driven by small boys aged between 13 and 19 have become a nuisance for the people. During my recent visit to my village I found an incidence in which young boys on a bike hit another bike driven by an old man with a woman in the pillion on the 16 feet wide road from the opposite direction. the woman fell and fainted with bruises all her body while the two bikes were damaged. The same day I was walking on the road when two youngsters came from the front side and left the main road and menacingly approached me. I ran off the road to save myself but the bike skidded off throwing the riders into a nearby mud.
People of my village said there are a few traffic police in the whole area who come on patrol. But when the cops crossed Brep towards Yarkhun these youngsters take the advantage of mobile phones and alert their friends. Within no time, all boys having bikes hide their bikes in their houses and avoid appearing on the road till the cops go away.
When asked, some people said that young men mostly school boys have now made it their habit to go to Islamabad and other cities during vacations especially in winter to work and save money. On return, they bring motorcycles. This has become a bad habit. everyone is out to buy a bike.
This article highlights a very important issue that has caused so many causalities in recent yimes. Nonetheless, globally due to high rate of road traffic injuries and associated deaths this has been incorporated in Sustainable Development Goals as a major theme and government of Pakistan signatory for achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goals, hence, it must take some solid measures for reducing road traffic accidents and resultant injuries and deaths. In Pakistan, death toll is rising day by day due to motor bike accidents and it has risen to many fold in past few years particularly in cities and mountainous areas including Chitral district. Thanks to Author, her article has not only discussed and documented well the underpinning factors but has also proposed workable strategies for managing the problem from several dimensions in a collaborative manner. Now it’s imperative for district authorities led by DCO Chitral with involvement of DPO, District Health Officer Chitral, MS DHQ hospital Chitral,Administrator CMH Chitral and District Nazim Chitral to meet and initiate discussion on this issue and look at recommendations made in this article and in fact, as custodian of safety and security of district population, they need to look at it from an enlightened perspective and must chalk out a coherent plan and strategy and arrange resources for implementation of the plan immediately in order to manage and control this menace effectively for saving and protecting previous lives of our youth and adult men, the cost of no action will be high to our society as our future relies on on our youth and they are our ghecho roshti! the same strategies can be applied by the government authorities in other district of Pakistan!
indeed Kai, this has become a very serious issue in our society nowadays. peoples especially youths are greatly affecting themselves. some proper steps must have to be taken on administration level solve the problem.
Its totally lack of responsibility of trafic police personells. I was supposed to visit chitral july this year, there i went to meet my relatives by my brother’s bike. I have a valid driving liscence and i have turned to 27 ds july. It was shocking for me wen i was crossing the police barrier in booni pul a policer warden stoped me and asked for liscense, i didnt carry my liscence with me, no doubt it was my neglience, they stoped me there for almost one and d half hour. But meanwhile there crossed so many bikes and other vehicles, they used to asked every bike rider for lisence, more than half of them were teen agers,but it was realy sorry to see all of them told the warden they have some relatives in police and administration office and the warden allowed them to go without challan or other formalities. When i asked that why you have allowed them all to go, then he said you can also go. … all i mean to tell is to point out the main issue which is nepotism.there should be made any special law to atleast eradicate accidents.