Country report on measures taken for improvement of road safety situation in Pakistan Mr.Saifullah Chattha Ministry of communications Government of Pakistan 1
scheme Introduction Measures by National Highway Authority (NHA) Measures by National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) Challenges Conclusion recommendations 2
Introduction Road/Highway Safety; the 3 E se Engineering Enforcement Education Importance Situation in Pakistan Generally dismal Road accidents - pedestrians to animal drawn vehicles and two wheelers to multi wheel transport vehicles 3
Careless driving 28.5% Dozzing at wheel 18.1% Improper crossing General statistics by pedestrians - 8.6% Tyre burst 7.1 Slippery road 5.7 % Overspeeding 5.5 % 4
Road safety measures taken by National Highway Authority (NHA) Road engineering NHA mainly dealing with engineering aspect of roads 4 5 % of NHA s annual maintenance plan utilized for improving highway safety conditions Standardizing road widths Inherited roads with 4 5 meters width; a major cause of accidents Made 7.3 meters as a standard with 1 meter shoulder width on each side 5
Geometric improvement contd Removal of geometric problems; reverse slopes or negative super elevations on slopes Widening of dangerous curves Widening curves in hilly areas greater maneuverability for vehicles Pavement marking and cat eyes Installation at more and more highways enhanced driving comfort and safety 6
contd. Road side obstacles/fencing Includes fences, guardrails and stone walls Prevents vehicles from hitting road side obstacles Stone walls also prevent fall in hilly areas Medians and barrier walls Preventing head on collisions and nightglare Bus bays/parkings Bus bays and lay-by parkings safe safe boarding and disembarking Reducing obstruction to flow of traffic due to haphazard parking 7
Accident data collection contd. Identification of potentially dangerous areas through data collection Regional offices and NH&MP Improvement of potentially dangerous areas Highway safety manuals Education Preparation of manuals on international standards in the final stagess Education of public at large on road safety FM radio launched for public awareness on highways 8
Road safety measures by National Highways and Motorway Police Changing mindsets of drivers and commuters Awareness programmes since 1997 Extensive use of print and electronic media On-road briefings at entry points and Toll plazas Road safety messages through fixed LEDs Road safety sign boards Installation of stalls in different industrial/social exhibitions Seminars, workshops and walk competitions Mobile education units 9
Speed checking squads contd Installation of speed checking cameras in all patrolling vehicles Day and night operation capability of cameras Deployment of speed checking vehicles in plain colour Randomly changing locations of speed checking vehicles 10
contd En-route vehicle checking General vehicle fitness condition in Pakistan being dismal Vehicle fitness certification almost non-existent Unfit vehicles with untrained drivers Technically not possible to check the fitness of every vehicle No visually unfit vehicle allowed to ply Provision of tread guages checking tyre conditions Vehicles with worn out tyres not allowed to ply 7.1% accidents due to tyre bursts 11
contd Mobile Education Unit (MEU) Five vehicles with trained staff Equipped with audio/visual systems Road safety educational materials Visiting different places Public and private agencies Educational institutions Multi-nationals Bus/van terminals 12
contd First aid training to all enforcing staff Motorway police - the first to respond to any emergency/accident on the motorway First aid training to all enforcing staff Government hospitals, Red Cross and Red Crescent Master trainers now imparting training at the NH&MP training college, Sheikhupura. Present status force being capable of handling serious accident victims 13
contd Help line (130) Help to commuter in distress trade mark of NH&MP Introduction of emergency help line 130 Motorway Police response with in 10 minuites to distressed commuter Upgradation of help line access of commuters to basic information about Road situation Diversion Weather updates 14
Challenges Public awareness Driver training and licensing Vehicle fitness conditions Overloading Drivers fatigue overdriving Police training facilities Meager developmental/maintenance budget Dearth of modern equipments 15
conclusion Road safety a vital area of consideration Innumerable lives lost in road accidents Road safety enhancement a public responsibility Need for international collaboration 16
recommendations Mass awareness programmes Improving driver trainings and licensing Enhancing vehicle fitness certification Curbing the problem of overloading proper weighing Enhanced police training Better planning and policy making Financial uplift International Aid programmes Improved research and data collection Exchange and collaboration of expertise 17
Thank you 18