Media focus on fatal deaths skewed perception of surge: Karachi police chief

KARACHI: In the absence of any credible evidence attributing to the surge in traffic accident deaths involving heavy vehicles in Karachi since late last year, police have linked the rise to the increased media spotlight, which they say has led to improved reporting and recording of such incidents.

According to police data, the number of deaths in road traffic accidents rose sharply to 616 in 2024.

At the same time, the city has seen a decline in the overall crime rate, with around 6,000 fewer mobile phones and 12,000 fewer motorcycles reported snatched this year compared to last year.

“Media started focusing on road traffic accidents because there was nothing new happening in November,” Additional Inspector-General of Karachi Police Javed Alam Odho told HUM News English in an exclusive interview.

“The number of new motorcycles coming on the roads was the same — around 6,000 to 7,000 — maybe even less, as some factories shut down due to the financial crunch. There was no drastic change in road conditions either.”

“What we believe is that the focus shifted to traffic accidents. Accounting and registration have improved, so the numbers appear to be rising, even though other variables remain unchanged,” the Karachi police chief added.

“So, nearly a 60 per cent increase in accidents and an 80 per cent rise in deaths were recorded, particularly over the last three to four months. Now, the trend has begun to taper off,” he added.

Moreover one or two tragic accidents deeply affected society — particularly the heart-wrenching incident in which a couple and their unborn child were killed, he said adding that political activism was also seen following the accident.

“So the variables were not such that road conditions had suddenly deteriorated, or that motorcycles had suddenly become faulty with failing brakes,” Odho said.  

“There was no drastic change in the key variables — such as the victim or the motorcyclist being at fault — so we believe the increase is due to greater attention and improved reporting. Previously, many minor accidents went unregistered because the parties involved did not pursue the case, leading to underreporting,” he explained.

“For instance, if a motorcyclist slips and dies on the road, the family usually doesn’t register a case and simply takes the body away. Now, with every case being recorded, the numbers have jumped — creating a storm,” the police chief explained.

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“Having said that, it does not mean accidents weren’t increasing — the cumulative effect of Karachi’s transport mix made it inevitable,” Alam Odho said.

Following the spike in accidents in recent months, enforcement efforts were intensified. “We issued around 6.6 million challans worth Rs1.3 million, detained 11,000 drivers, and impounded nearly 30,000 vehicles — 7,000 to 8,000 of which were held for a longer period,” he said.

“There has been some improvement due to enforcement, but the ratio remains unsatisfactory — indicating a continued gap in traffic control.”

There was a time, he said, when Karachi had just 34,000 to 35,000 vehicles in total.

“Over the years, the number of motorcycles has surged, without any meaningful expansion in the city’s public transport system. Today, Karachi’s transport mix includes 6.5 million vehicles — of which 4.4 million are motorcycles.”

Experts describe this as an “unnatural, excessive growth in a single transport segment”, with consequences now visible in the recent surge in road traffic fatalities.

“Motorcycles require better infrastructure. Slippages and accidents are common. Even when someone else is at fault, the motorcyclist often becomes the victim,” he said.

Many bikes, Odho added, are poorly maintained — with missing headlights or tail lights, and faulty brakes. “This made the current accident rate inevitable.”

Heavy Vehicles: A Disproportionate Threat

Odho also highlighted the role of heavy vehicles, particularly trucks and dumpers, in fatal accidents.

“There are 15,000 to 16,000 trucks operating between the port and intra-city routes. These single-chassis, fast-moving trucks are involved in 15 per cent of all road fatalities.”

Dumpers account for another 5 to 6 per cent of fatal accidents, he said.

Among road accident victims in Karachi — 58 per cent are motorcyclists, 24 per cent are pedestrians,15 per cent are others, such as vehicle-to-vehicle crashes

“There are over 5,000 dumpers in Karachi. Their issue is different — it’s mostly politicised. They’re known for rash and negligent driving,” Odho said.

Though statistically smaller contributors, the “visual impact” of dumper-related accidents is high.

“Images of motorcycles crushed beneath dumpers go viral on social media and stir public outrage,” he noted.

Call for Public-Private Partnership

“In my view, the government alone cannot fill the transport gap by introducing buses. A public-private partnership is essential to address the city’s transport crisis,” Odho said.

The police have formed a “Karachi Road Accidents Analysis Team” to collect technical data on each accident, he shared.

Among all heavy vehicles, oil tankers stand out as the safest.

“Oil tankers maintain international standards and are least involved in road accidents. They have built-in partitions under their chassis, which reduce the impact of brake failure on slopes. We’ve asked water tankers to install similar safety partitions if they want to continue operating.”

“These safety concerns were never highlighted before — it’s a long-term effort,” he added.

Police have now secured commitments from dumper and water tanker operators to obtain fitness certificates from Sindh, instead of Lasbela, where most are currently registered and certified via postal services.

Future Lies in Technology

“Since we ramped up enforcement, our daily average of challans has risen from 2,000–2,500 to about 4,500,” Odho said.

“In contrast, Lahore issues 2,000–2,500 challans through police — but Safe City cameras generate another 16,000 daily.”

Police have urged the government to implement a **traffic ticketing system in the first phase of Karachi’s “Safe City Project”, to cover at least half the city.

“This would help eliminate corruption on the roads,” he noted.

“The future of policing is faceless. Violations are captured by cameras and fines reach your doorstep.”

To make this a reality, integration between the Excise and Transport Department and the police driving licence branch is essential.

“If challans start reaching homes — even for motorcyclists — it will significantly reduce the accident ratio,” he said.

Managing Dumpers and Urban Expansion

Odho acknowledged that dumpers are far less common in cities like Lahore and Islamabad.

“They’re extremely fast-moving vehicles. Long-term, we need a mechanism — with help from the transport industry — to restrict their movement in the city. Right now, they bring bulk materials at a lower cost per unit, but the loss of life makes it unjustifiable.”

He said most accidents are concentrated in district West and Malir, where Karachi’s ports and industrial zones are located.

“The irony is that almost all industrial areas are now surrounded by residential neighbourhoods, with the city’s population growing rapidly,” he added.