• Provincial authorities input on all of proposals sought at earliest.
• Federal authorities review traffic systems adopted by countries.
• Data shows road trauma significantly impacts on national economy.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is in the process of achieving a “Unified Traffic System” across the country for the facility of motorists and provision of better safety on the roads, The News reported on Monday.

In this regard, the government has presented three proposals to the relevant departments in each province for launching the said system. These proposals included centralised driving licenses, commercial vehicle fitness assessment, and data sharing about driving licenses and traffic.

The provincial authorities have been asked to provide their input on all of the proposals at the earliest so that work can be done to translate the proposed system into reality.

The details showed that the federal authorities thoroughly reviewed traffic systems adopted by foreign countries and then came to the conclusion that Pakistan should also have such a traffic system that can help remove complications, facilitate motorists and reduce road accidents.

The data provided by the Federal Ministry of Communications showed that road trauma significantly impacts the national economy. 

The cost of road traffic crashes is around 3% of GDP in Pakistan. The annual loss to the national economy has increased up to $9 billion.

The National Transport Policy 2018 outlines the urban and rural road safety challenges that will result from the projected increases in population, vehicles, and passenger and freight movements in the coming decades.

An official has said: “The 18th Amendment enacted the devolution of responsibilities to the provinces. Individual province and territory governments have direct responsibility for most areas of road safety regulation and management. So we have sought their coordination to introduce the Unified Traffic System in Pakistan.”

He said that the representatives from federal and provincial governments have held a meeting and discussed the issue of the Unified Traffic System.

“We will sort out modalities and develop a consensus to introduce it in the coming years,” he added.