Bikers will have to install side mirrors under new rules

KARACHI: In a step towards reducing road accidents, the Sindh government on Tuesday made it mandatory for every motorcyclist to install side mirrors on motorbikes.

This was stated by Sindh Information and Labour Minister, Saeed Ghani, as he was briefing media about the decisions taken in a provincial cabinet meeting held with Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in a chair.

Saeed Ghani said the cabinet had approved the proposal to amend the Motor Vehicle Rules 1969 under which it has been made compulsory that every two-wheeler in the province should have side mirrors.

Last year in November, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had issued notices to the Sindh government and DIG traffic to submit their comments on a petition challenging a law that exempts side mirrors on motorcycles in the province.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard the petition. The petitioner’s lawyer stated before the court that the provincial government brought in a law exempting side mirrors on bikes.

He said motorists wearing helmets can’t see vehicles coming from either side without side mirrors, which leads to road mishaps.

The lawyer pleaded with the bench to order the government to repeal the law and introduce fines for motorists riding bikes without mirrors.