31 killed in traffic accidents

Harare Bureau
At least 31 people have died and 138 others have been injured in road traffic accidents recorded since the beginning of the 2013 festive season on December 15.Over the same period last year, 52 people had died and 308 had been injured.

National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said they recorded 470 traffic accidents since December 15 to yesterday morning, against 500 accidents recorded during the same period in 2012.

“Most of these accidents occurred as a result of speeding, overtaking errors, failure to give way, misjudgment by the driver and failure to give way to pedestrians,” Chief Supt Nyathi said.

Masvingo recorded the highest deaths with 14; Harare, Midlands, Mashonaland East, Matabeleland South all recorded three deaths each; Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West had two each; and Matabeleland North  recorded.

No fatal crashes had been recorded in Manicaland and Bulawayo as of Sunday morning.  Chief Supt Nyathi said the police had impounded 730 vehicles for various defects, and raised $48 880 from tickets issued for traffic offences.

“The Christmas and New Year holiday period is historically associated with disregard of road rules and laws, which subsequently lead to carnage and loss of life and damage to property. I urge motorists particularly public transport operators to abide by the road rules and exercise extreme caution during this festive season,” he said.

Chief Supt Nyathi warned public transport operators not to overload vehicles.
“We will not hesitate to take stern action against anyone who disregards traffic laws. We are appealing to them to exercise caution,” he said.

Chief Supt Nyathi also urged motorists to be on the lookout for stray animals on roads, as these have contributed to road deaths.
He said the police launched their annual 30-day festive season campaign period against road carnage, which runs from December to January 15.

Last year, 219 deaths were recorded from 1 403 accidents during the 30 day period, compared to 147 accident-related deaths in 2011.