Five members of a family died on 4 October. On a highway under prolonged construction, their deaths raise an urgent question: how many more lives must be lost before road safety becomes a priority?
On 4 October, five members of a family were killed when a heavy vehicle collided with their car on the National Highway bypass in Naushahro Feroze. The tragedy occurred as I was writing this article. It was not an isolated incident. In February, four people—two women, a child and a man—were killed when a speeding trailer struck a motorcycle near Halani. Another reported crash in the district claimed six members of a family. Different journeys, different victims, but the same devastating outcome.
We call these accidents. Yet when dangerous conditions persist and basic safety measures are neglected, how long can we treat every death as an isolated misfortune? Not every crash is preventable, but many are. The question is whether those responsible for road safety are doing enough.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road crashes kill approximately 1.19 million people worldwide every year. They are the leading cause of death among children and young people aged five to 29. Proven measures can prevent many of these deaths. The problem is not a lack of knowledge but the failure to apply it consistently.
In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari highlights a troubling imbalance: traffic crashes kill vastly more people than terrorism, yet terrorism commands disproportionate public attention. A similar indifference surrounds preventable road injuries and disability. Pakistan rightly mobilises extensive vaccination campaigns to protect children from polio. Road safety deserves comparable urgency. Road crashes injure an estimated 20 to 50 million people worldwide annually, many of whom suffer lifelong disabilities. Yet their suffering rarely provokes sustained public action.
Pakistan’s toll is staggering. WHO-based estimates suggest around 28,000 road deaths annually, although figures vary by source and reporting method. The economic cost is equally serious: the WHO estimates that road crashes cost countries approximately three per cent of gross domestic product. Behind these numbers are bereaved families, lost breadwinners and survivors living with permanent injuries.
The N-5, linking Karachi with Peshawar, is a vital artery of Pakistan’s economy. Trucks transport goods, buses carry passengers, and families travel by motorcycle along this corridor. For Naushahro Feroze’s residents, it is an essential part of daily life. Yet highway repairs through the district have remained unfinished for an extended period. Aaj News reported in October 2025 that repair work was still incomplete after a year.
The 86-kilometre Moro–Ranipur reconstruction project, spanning Naushahro Feroze and Khairpur, has a stated completion target of June 2027. Reported progress figures have raised questions about delays and project supervision. Every missed milestone demands an explanation, but the immediate concern is whether travellers are adequately protected while construction continues.
A half-finished highway can endanger even careful drivers. Lanes narrow, diversions force heavy vehicles onto smaller roads, and poorly marked hazards become difficult to see after dark. Motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists are particularly vulnerable because they have little physical protection in a collision.
The February crash near Halani raises especially serious questions. Rescue officials reportedly said heavy traffic had been diverted onto smaller link roads because the highway was closed. If heavy vehicles were redirected onto roads ill-equipped to accommodate them, who assessed the risks? Were residents warned, alternative routes properly managed, and adequate safety measures enforced?
Speeding drivers must answer for reckless driving, but responsibility cannot end with the person behind the wheel. The National Highway Authority must ensure safe roadworks; contractors must comply with safety requirements; and enforcement agencies must prevent construction zones from becoming uncontrolled traffic corridors. Construction may explain disruption, but it cannot excuse inadequate protection.
Three measures are urgently needed.
First, the National Highway Authority must publish a dated, section-by-section completion schedule, identify responsible contractors, and disclose progress against contractual milestones. Monthly updates should explain delays and corrective action, alongside available crash and casualty figures for the affected stretch.
Second, work-zone safety must be enforced immediately. Clearly marked diversions, reflective signs, protective barriers, adequate lighting and enforceable speed limits must be provided wherever necessary. Heavy traffic must be routed safely, particularly around villages and smaller roads. Visible police patrols and effective emergency response arrangements are essential.
Third, an independent safety audit must examine the affected corridor without waiting for another fatal collision. Its findings should be made public, identified hazards corrected within specified deadlines, and any proven breaches of safety obligations investigated fairly. Where negligence is established, those responsible must face the consequences prescribed by law.
Harari asks why societies fear rare threats more than everyday dangers. The people of Naushahro Feroze need no book to understand the answer. They see it in recurring crashes, dangerous journeys and families whose lives are shattered without warning.
The five people killed on this highway were not statistics. They were human beings whose journeys ended on a road meant to serve the public. Their deaths demand more than condolences and temporary promises.
Finish the road. Make it safe while construction continues. Publish the progress. Investigate the deaths. Hold those responsible to account.
No family should have to pay for a public project’s delay with a loved one’s life.
The writer is a civil servant working in the government of Sindh.
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