Instead of forcing the drivers to slam brakes, the serrated cat eyes on the roads of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have become a cause of road accidents apart from causing wear on tyres.
Twinkling cat eyes
In contrast to other parts of the world where the metal reflectors have been banned, they still twinkle on the roads of the twin cities despite that Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench declared their installation illegal.
Due to these ‘iron speed breakers’, hundreds of accidents occur in Pakistan every year.
Role of tyre mafia
A citizen of Rawalpindi, Colonel (retd) Inam ur Raheem, filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench and claimed that the international tyre manufacturers roll out cat eyes for free as they impair tyres and increase their sales.
Cause of accidents
According to a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 27,582 deaths occur in Pakistan merely in road accidents while around 50,000 people sustain injuries.
In every 5 minutes, a person either dies or sustains injuries in Pakistan. Some 14 people of every 1 million die due to road accidents in the country.
Communication ministry’s report
The ministry of communication estimates that traffic accidents cause damage of around US$9 billion every year which is equivalent to Rs 1,400 billion.
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The amount is more than the defense budget of Pakistan.
Roads of twin cities
The main thoroughfares of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are studded with cat eyes which the motorists believe have been irrelevantly placed.
They can be witnessed on little distances on Islamabad Expressway, Srinagar Highway, Murree Road, Park Road, etc.
A resident of Rawalpindi met an accident after his motorbike stumbled on cat eyes and became handicapped.
After a number of accidents were reported, Anwar Advocate approached LHC Rawalpindi Bench against the metal reflectors.
After lengthy proceedings, the bench declared the installation of cat eyes illegal and order their immediate removal from all roads in Punjab.
The tyres of the vehicles burst as they cross dangerous cat eyes and this list includes ambulances too.
International tyre mafia
While talking to News360, Colonel (retd) Inaam Raheem, who had filed the petition in the LHC Rawalpindi bench, said that cat eyes were harmful to tyres and reduce durability.
He added that weak tyres have a fair chance of bursting when coming in contact with reflective metal studs, increasing the possibility of accidents.
Inam Raheem alleged that international tyre manufacturers provide cat eyes free to relevant departments in Pakistan in a bid to increase their sales.
He said according to law, the construction of speed breakers is allowed and that too with warning signboards at least 100 meters ahead of it.
Inam Raheem said that the government did not implement the orders of LHC Rawalpindi Bench and instead installed more cat eyes on the roads.
He added that he was mulling to file a contempt of court application soon.