adminIt is also this joyous period, however, when the number of accidents on our roads tends to rise every year due to increased traffic, increased recklessness due to drinking and driving, human error related to fatigue due to long hours of driving and driving unroadworthy vehicles as well as driving without a licence.
The list is not exhaustive but these rank among the major causes of accidents on our roads, and it is important to point out that accidents are caused, they do not just happen. In working out preventive strategies, we
have to reduce the chance of any accidents through addressing the causes.
The Government, concerned at the increased number of accidents and carnage during the festive season, has urged all motorists to desist from speeding and overloading. The Minister of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development, Nicholas Goche, this week urged all motorists to use roads wisely and observe traffic rules and regulations.
“Regarding all public service vehicles, particularly rural bus operators, I urge you to provide a safe and timely service, which should see everybody being carried to their destination safely,” said the minister.
The minister has also encouraged bus operators to maintain their normal timetables and not to overwork their drivers during the festive period, and also to charge normal fares and not to take advantage of travellers by increasing fares.
This is the message that motorists and passengers alike need to spread and ensure that they stick to the rules of the road so that we reduce the number of deaths on our roads this Christmas.
Police in the Midlands reported at the weekend that 189 people were killed in road accidents in the province between January and this month. Figures for the whole country should be frightening, which is why accidents are now said to be the second biggest killer after HIV/Aids in the country. Last year 1 796 people died in road traffic accidents in the country.
Quite worrying are reports from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe that this year’s figures could be higher than last year’s death toll on our roads. This, therefore, calls for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to ensure that we stick to road traffic rules. This time of the year sees increased traffic, and overloading on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo road, for example, is a yearly occurrence that demands due care when driving along such roads since one is likely to encounter heavily laden vehicles pulling trailers or come across broken down trailers laden with goods from South Africa.
We would like to commend the police and other stakeholders in their bid to tame the traffic jungle and urge them to increase patrols along the highways since some motorists only behave near roadblocks and throw caution to the wind thereafter.
Having an accident-free Christmas is not a pipedream but an achievable objective that only takes commitment to the rules of the road and respect for other motorists, passengers and pedestrians. If you do not want to lose your relative through traffic accidents, please make sure you do not contribute towards the loss of someone else’s relative since they also deserve to enjoy Christmas.
Online Reporter