adminPolice said they impounded 1 116 unroadworthy vehicles countrywide, as people congest roads while travelling for the festive season.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri yesterday said Harare had the highest number of accidents with 202, with most of them being caused by kombi drivers.
He said this was one of the reasons why they were not going to stop the joint council and police blitz on kombis and vendors in the city.
“We want to urge people to bear with us during this period and we are not going to stop the operation to decongest the city,” said Supt Phiri.
“Most accidents in the city are being caused by commuter omnibus drivers who are reckless.”
The operation is aimed at decongesting the CBD.
Kombis without proper documents are not allowed into the city centre, while some of them are being impounded.
Supt Phiri said no accidents had been recorded in Matabeleland North province.
He urged people who will be travelling for the Christmas and New Year holidays to ensure that their properties were secured.
“They should leave security guards or even a relative at their homes to secure their properties,” Supt Phiri said.
He said there were no major crimes of concern recorded so far except the recent increase in rape cases perpetrated on children.
Supt Phiri urged parents and guardians not to leave their children with a male relative, male neighbour and strangers.
“Parents should ensure that they protect their girl child because of late we have witnessed an increase in rape cases involving juveniles,” he said.
Supt Phiri said other cases which were on the increase included unlawful entry, murder and theft of vehicles.
On murder, he urged people to avoid using secluded areas and that motorists should not leave their keys in the vehicle either when opening gates or when they are not in their cars.
Police recently assured the public that they had put up strategies to ensure a crime free festive season.
Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri said as the festive season mood grips the country, criminal elements would seek to take advantage of the merrymaking atmosphere to commit various offences.
He said the nation continued to lose precious lives during the festive season as a result of road carnage.
Comm-Gen Chihuri challenged the public transport operators to observe the sanctity of life by ensuring that their vehicles were roadworthy.
“In the same vein, I implore all motorists to strictly adhere to traffic rules in order to avoid turning our roads into a traffic jungle,” he said.
Transport, Communications, and Infrastructural Development Secretary Mr Pattison Mbiriri said Government will strive to make the festive season accident free.
He urged transporters to adhere to traffic laws and regulations.
Mr Mbiriri said Government was in the process of reversing State assisted funerals for accident victims and making the operators liable.
Transport operators whose vehicles cause accidents would bear the responsibility to assist relatives burying their victims.
Last year, 92 people were killed while 1 090 others were injured in 1 119 road accidents recorded during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
About 182 drivers were arrested for drunken driving, while 2 909 defective vehicles were impounded.
The main causes of the accidents were attributed to speeding, misjudgment, lack of attention and drunken driving.
Online Reporter