Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to modify the design of Srinagar Highway protective u-turns in Islamabad.
While visiting the sites, CDA Chairman Capt. (ret.) Muhammad Usman Younis observed the u-turns and ordered the relevant officials to gather statistics on the number of vehicles utilizing these u-turns.
The chairman instructed the department to devise a plan for the construction of elevated u-turns that will connect traffic from Islamabad to the motorway network and Islamabad International Airport.
According to the sources,?this development comes soon after a report that pointed out Srinagar Highway as being a hotspot for fatal car accidents.
In this regard, a report from the department of sociology of Quaid-e-Azam University highlighted that Islamabad has observed a major increase in road accidents. These accidents mainly occurred due to the use of mobile phones, old and unmaintained cars, reckless driving, bad road conditions, and other reasons.
As per the official data, the study underlined that out of the total accidents on Srinagar Highway in 2021, 43% were non-fatal, while 57% of accidents were fatal. In 2022, the percentage turned to 43% fatal and 57% non-fatal accidents, though, the severity of injuries was higher.
Moreover, the report said that the ratio of fatal accidents is expected to increase by the end of 2022. Out of 118 high-speed crashes, 60% were fatal and 40% were non-fatal, the report further highlighted. Similarly, out of all car crashes from reckless driving, 43% were fatal whereas 57% were non-fatal.
The report also counted speeding and reckless driving to be the main reasons for accidents. However, it noted that the reason behind overspeeding and reckless driving is the carelessness and negligence of the authorities.
Despite the fact that the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) have been on their toes to make sure the implementation of the rules, road mishaps are increasing on daily basis.