Murad Saeed Launches National Road Safety Strategy 2018-2030

Minister of State for Communication, Murad Saeed Thursday launched Pakistan's first National Road Safety Strategy (2018-2030) with the aim of saving 6000 lives that would otherwise be lost in road crashes.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Nov, 2018 ) :Minister of State for Communication, Murad Saeed Thursday launched Pakistan's first National Road Safety Strategy (2018-2030) with the aim of saving 6000 lives that would otherwise be lost in road crashes.

The strategy, supported by a technical assistance grant by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), and administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), outlines series of road safety action plans to be implemented up to 2030.

Addressing the ceremony after official launch of Pakistan Road Safety Strategy here, the Minister said the present government was fully committed to take all measures to ensure journey on roads safer and no compromise would be made on the safety of the road users.

He said a policy on road safety was need of the hour and the government would not tolerate any hurdles in implementation of traffic safety rules and regulations.

He said policy revolves around roads, drivers and vehicles and it would be implemented in collaboration with provinces and other stakeholders.

Murad Saeed said in the past unfortunately policies were made but no follow up efforts were made for their implementation.

The state minister said the government had decided to get report on its implementation on every six month and if needed it would be amended so that it could serve its purpose in a better manner.

He said the policy would provide written guidelines for future planning which would be done through data sharing with all the federating units.

He promised that in future it would be ensured that safe journey would be Primary ingredient of road planning.

He said soon it would be made mandatory for all vehicle owners to get road worthiness certificate once a year.

He said creation of awareness among the masses was vital to make roads of the country more safer and media had to play proactive role in this regard.

He said wearing of seat belt and helmet for the safety of the riders and it should be considered a punishment from the traffic police.

He said as per vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and at the time of completion of its term the government would leave modern road network for the nation.

The strategy addresses all roads, vehicles and all road users, especially those particularly vulnerable such as motorcyclists, pedestrians, drivers and passengers in three-wheeled vehicles, and children.

Some of the key actions that the government of Pakistan will implement include improving the safety standard of roads and vehicles, increasing the use of helmets and seat belts, enhancing driver licensing standards particularly for commercial drivers, running awareness campaigns and ensuring that victims of road crash throughout Pakistan have access to high quality emergency medical care.

Head of Economic Growth Group of DFID Patricia Seex said; "Estimates suggest there are at least 30,000 deaths on Pakistan's roads every year. In partnership with the ADB and the government of Pakistan, we are committed to improving the policy and regulatory environment governing the transport sector including ensuring safety of road networks." Addressing the event, ADB's Deputy Country Director for Pakistan, Sunil Mitra stressed the importance of sustained efforts on road safety, saying "The launch of the Strategy today is an excellent start, but efforts need to be sustained over a long period of time." He also called on all arms of government, industry sector and civil society to work in close cooperation to improve the safety of all road users - drivers, motorcyclists, passengers' pedestrians and bicycle riders- across the country;It is estimated that every five minutes someone is killed or badly injured in a road traffic crash in Pakistan. As well as the enormous human suffering, the economic cost is estimated to be 3-5 percent of Pakistan's GDP.

Pakistan's rapid economic growth and expanding road infrastructure create an opportunity to significantly improve the safety of the road transport system through better roads and roadsides, safe travel speeds, safe vehicles and improved safety awareness and compliance of all people who travel on our roads.