The criminal justice system of Pakistan: Deterrent impacts for drug and alcohol use among road drivers

Pakistan is a Muslim majority country and the use of drugs or alcohol is legally prohibited. However, both have seen a considerable increase in use across various social strata in the past decade. In the case of illicit drug use, the Ministry of Narcotics Control Pakistan has reported that every year at least 50,000 new people become addicted to different kinds of illegal drugs in Pakistan, adding to the 6.9 million already addicted. Pakistan is more susceptible to drug use as it has the world’s main transit corridors for opiates and cannabis from Afghanistan, the world’s top producer of such substances. Though direct evidence-based information about the utilisation of drugs or alcohol among Pakistani drivers is scarce, indirect evidence suggests that a large number of drivers use alcohol or drugs while driving. This study explores the involvement of alcohol and drugs in road crashes across Pakistan in road crashes reported by police and subsequent judicial enforcement of criminal laws. Five years’ of crash and court data (2013-2017) was obtained manually from different government departments across Pakistan. A total of 41,789 reported road crashes (involving deaths or/and injuries) are examined. Not a single driver in the five year period has been imprisoned in relation to their involvement in road crashes as a result of alcohol or drug consumption. The data indicate little judicial action of any kind. The mechanism of criminal justice system in Pakistan exhibits significant shortcomings in administering penalties and is therefore unlikely to contribute to deterrence of alcohol and drug use by road users. Road safety policy leaders in Pakistan need to think strategically to introduce interventions in the legal and enforcement systems to enhance the detection and conviction of such drivers. This study helps to address shortcomings in Pakistan’s road safety enforcement and legal system.