ISLAMABAD: The current democratic government has helped the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) in the last six months to develop and adopt technological solutions to enhance road safety.
Talking to the reporter Spokesperson of NHMP, Shabbir said that NHMP has been equipped with body-worn cameras, rescue cutters, wireless equipment, FM stations, generators, and solar systems.
He said with the support of the government, NHMP has installed drone cameras, and spotters, and installed variable sign boards that inform drivers about overspeeding, fog, and other safety measures.
He said that the key objective of technological enhancement was to provide a safe and secure driving environment by promoting safety and security on roads through effective enforcement.
He said NHMP aims to help road users while observing the highest level of courtesy, integrity, and professionalism.
He said that the efficiency of the department has increased with the purchase of night surveillance devices, cameras, wireless devices, and docking stations.
He said that a National Driving License Repository has been set up which has centralized the records of over 9 million licenses from all provinces which has helped in identifying duplicate documents.
He said that NHMP has launched a Demerit System which keeps a record of violations. “A driver loses six points on 20 volitions and after losing 20 points, the license would be suspended”, he informed.
He emphasized that a monitoring system has been introduced for public service vehicles to monitor lane discipline and over-speeding.
He said that public service vehicles have been advised to install dashboard cameras similar to black boxes which will be used for both training and safety.
Asad said that a pilot project was started on Lahore-Sialkot Motorway in collaboration with Frontier Works Organization (FWO) to solve the problems of e-tolling, adding that remote control centers as a successful project. Improved communication.
He informed that live camera feeds of FWO and National Highway Authority was provided to NHMP’s state-of-the-art command and control center which enhanced the quality of police operations.
He said that two-wheelers were violating the rules on highways causing loss of property and lives.
To address this issue a letter was written to the engineering board for sensitizing the motorcycle manufacturers regarding the adoption of security measurements as per law, he informed.
He said NHMP gave safety briefings to the motorcyclists about the importance of helmets and gave away complimentary helmets.
He said that high-level meetings were held with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for safety reforms in view of incidents of fire and accidents in oil tankers.
He said the #nNomore campaign was launched during which violators were chased and fined heavily along with banning the unfit, overcharged, and overloaded vehicles.
He said it was made mandatory that vehicles on long routes will have two drivers.
He said NHMP focused on the availability of emergency exits, window-breaking equipment, fire extinguishers, first aid boxes, and road safety cones.
Passengers can call the 24-hour helpline on non-availability of these facilities and strict action will be taken against vehicles running without these items.
Asad informed that during six months five motorways were declared as tourist carriageways and tourist facilitation desks were established to provide the key information for safe journeys.
He said capacity enhancement training of 153 employees was held in the training colleges.
He underlined that the media projection of NHMP improved after collaboration with 120 TV networks, regional networks, and newspapers. 250 messages on safety briefings were issued and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) advised the media to broadcast public service messages, he informed.
He said that senior officials including the inspector general appeared in the media and gave safety messages, adding that celebrities, journalists, and icons were reached out for the creation of safety messages.