After extensive consideration in the ministries of justice and interior, the traffic police have agreed to add the use of mobile phones while driving to the list of serious offences.
It has recommended fines of Rs1,000 for motorcyclists, Rs1,500 for automobile drivers, and Rs2,000 for public transport drivers for using mobile phones to text, make phone calls, or make videos while driving.
“We are waiting for the Cabinet Division to approve the new recommended penalty. “At the moment, usage of mobile phones falls under the category of ‘other miscellaneous offences,’” said SP Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) Sarfraz Virk.
According to ITP data, 53 accidents involving vehicles colliding with motorcycles have been reported since January, with 43 of them resulting in fatalities.
There have been 21 pedestrian accidents, 15 of which resulted in death, and 30 vehicle crashes, 11 of which resulted in death. The number of cases that have gone unreported is unknown.
