Lahore traffic police have announced stricter measures to prevent road accidents, including the suspension of vehicle route permits alongside driving licences for drivers responsible for fatal crashes. Lahore driver licence suspensions will now follow every fatal or serious non-fatal accident, subject to court orders, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore Abdul Rahim Sherazi said.
Sherazi said heavy and commercial vehicles account for just four per cent of total traffic in the city but are involved in 44 per cent of road accidents. The gap between their share of traffic and their share of crashes is the reason the new measures target commercial drivers and the vehicles they drive, rather than private motorists alone.
According to the CTO, authorities have already suspended the licences of 117 drivers involved in accidents this year. They have also written to the relevant authorities to suspend the route permits of 97 public service vehicles. The figures were reported by ProPakistani.
Lahore driver licence suspensions: what changes for drivers
The change that matters most for operators is the route permit. Suspending a vehicle route permit prevents other drivers from operating the same vehicle, so the penalty reaches the vehicle and its operator, not only the driver behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Drivers responsible for fatal accidents will also face legal action in addition to losing their licence.
Drivers caught operating vehicles despite having suspended licences will face cases. Licences for reckless driving may remain suspended for six months to three years, depending on the case. The CTO added that Lahore traffic police would also suspend the licences of drivers operating vehicles that contribute to smog, and he restated a zero-tolerance policy toward irresponsible driving.
Why Lahore is tightening road rules now
The announcement fits a wider road-safety push in Lahore this month. The city has already seen fines on the Ring Road rise sharply, as reported in our report on Lahore Ring Road fines. The Lahore Development Authority has also moved to manage traffic outside schools, with drop-off lanes, zebra crossings and encroachment removal, as covered in our report on safer school traffic lanes in Lahore.
Taken together, the three moves show a shift from fines alone to measures that take a driver or a vehicle off the road. A fine can be paid and forgotten. A suspended licence or a suspended route permit stops the next trip. For commercial operators, that difference is the point, since a vehicle that cannot run earns nothing.
The smog element adds a second reason for timing. With smog season returning to Lahore, vehicles that add to smog now carry a licence risk as well as a pollution risk. Drivers and operators who keep their vehicles fit and their driving clean have nothing new to fear from the announcement. Those who do not face a longer period off the road than a fine alone would bring.
Who announced the new measures?
Lahore Chief Traffic Officer Abdul Rahim Sherazi announced the measures, which cover licence suspensions and route permit suspensions for drivers involved in fatal or serious accidents.
What happens to a vehicle after a fatal crash?
Its route permit can be suspended, which prevents other drivers from operating the same vehicle, while the driver responsible also faces legal action.
How long can a reckless driving suspension last?
Licences for reckless driving may remain suspended for six months to three years.
What about vehicles that contribute to smog?
Lahore traffic police will also suspend the licences of drivers operating vehicles that contribute to smog, under the zero-tolerance policy restated by the CTO.
