QUETTA: The Director-General of the Balochistan Medical Emergency Response Center has officially termed the national highways of Balochistan as ‘bloody highways’ due to their alarming accident rates.
In the last five years, these highways have seen 46,000 traffic accidents, resulting in 64,000 injuries. Balochistan’s eight national highways span approximately 4,500 km, where the persistent rise in traffic mishaps has become a significant concern.
Historically, the southwestern province suffered from inadequate road infrastructure, which made travel treacherous across its vast, rugged terrain bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Despite improvements in road construction over the past two decades, the incidence of road accidents has escalated.
Contributing factors include narrow roads, insufficient safety measures, rampant speeding, general disregard for traffic laws, and a lack of emergency services.
The grim toll of road accidents has been devastating. Since the turn of the century, tens of thousands have been injured or killed on these roads.
The personal tragedies behind these statistics are heart-wrenching. Ghazi Khan, a local farmer, recently lost his 16-year-old son in a tragic accident. His son was involved in a head-on collision while riding a motorcycle with friends, leading to fatal injuries caused by a subsequent encounter with a speeding truck.
“He left home happy, looking forward to breaking the Ramadan fast with his friends,” Khan recounted, “But he never returned, leaving our family in profound grief.”
