Are Decorated Trucks an Offense In Pakistan?
Posted by Ehtisham
This AFP segment reports a development that has potentially devastating implications for the future of truck art. Police are ticketing truck drivers for having their windows obscured. While this might cause more focus on the side panel decorations, it could discourage the art entirely.
- Click to the play the segment
The segment raises a lot of questions? Is this a law for just Islamabad, where large trucks are usually prohibited? What level of decoration constitutes an “obscured” window? Many motorcyclists have helmets with writing – isn’t this far more dangerous?
The truck driver makes the excellent point that the safety benefits of alerting other vehicles through decoration probably outweigh the risks posed by a little calligraphy on the front windshield. But the traffic police of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are recognized as the most professional and it is doubtful that this wins the argument. Having been ticketed multiple times myself, I know that they show little leniency in applying laws.
