Karachi announces new speed limits to curb road accidents

KARACHI: The Sindh government has announced new initiatives to address the growing number of road accidents in Karachi. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah held a meeting in which several important decisions were reached, among them maintaining the speed of heavy vehicles at 30 kilometers per hour and requiring drug testing of drivers for drugs.

These initiatives aim to curb accidents of heavy transport vehicles. The Chief Minister emphasized the need for coordination between departments to carry out effective law enforcement of traffic laws.

The Transport Department, Excise Department, Licensing Authority, Traffic Police, and NADRA will be put into coordination. Also, the organization of the Traffic Engineering Bureau will be under the supervision of the mayor.

Moreover, the government will act strictly against violators of traffic laws, such as motorcyclists without helmets or even individuals triple riding. Additionally, vehicles deemed unfit by the Transport Department will be confiscated and only allowed to operate in the future upon approval from the department.

Additionally, and more importantly, the government will also require all drivers to undergo internationally recognized standard training before a license is awarded.

These decisions came as Karachi recorded a substantial amount of traffic violations, totaling over 1.6 million challans issued within 2024, of which an amount of Rs 1.33 billion was collected in fines. With directions from the Chief Minister, these early initiatives have disabled traffic accidents in Karachi.