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The expectation this year is that Zimbabwe experiences a reduction in the number of road fatalities during the festive season.
The festive season, although an occasion for merrymaking, has also been a time for considerable grief because of lives lost and people maimed as a result of road traffic accidents.
There is an increase in the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. This year, basing on the reckless driving on the roads, promises to be bleak.
That is something of concern because it means there is a growing number of motorists who are driving with their focus elsewhere or that generally motorists have become brazenly reckless.
An example was the accident at the intersection of Borrowdale Road and Harare Drive last week, where drivers failed to observe the rules of four-way stops.
Motorists should not approach intersections at high speed. The general speed limits are there to ensure that accidents are avoided.
Statistics show that fatalities recorded last year were not significantly different from those in the 2017 festive period.
This means as motorists, we are not reforming. The message needs to continue to be spread.
Most of the accidents can be attributed to a number of factors, but major among them, human error, attributed to drivers’ disregard for road regulations and safety, speeding, and driving unroadworthy vehicles.
We commend the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) for taking the bold decision to remove unroadworthy vehicles from its fleet.
Some of the operators that have joined the ZUPCO franchise have not been servicing their vehicles, which should not be on the roads until certified by the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID).
Beginning this week, there must be greater vigilance on the roads as people have started their Christmas break and will be moving to different parts of the country to be with their loved ones.
Last year, road traffic accidents during the festive season saw 1 590 accidents in the two-week period between December 15 and December 30.
In 2017, the same period recorded 1 405 accidents, representing an increase of 185.
There were 664 injuries recorded in road traffic accidents last year.
Most of the accidents were attributed to drivers’ disregard of road regulations, speeding and driving unroadworthy vehicles.
Aggressive and bad motoring habits are the new methods being used to terrorise other drivers on the roads.
It is an unprecedented form of lawlessness.
Also of concern to law enforcement agencies is the increase in the number of pedestrians killed during the festive season last year.
Nearly 30 pedestrians were killed — a three-fold increase — compared to pedestrian deaths recorded during the same period in 2017.
Unmarked vehicles make efforts to resolve crimes difficult because it is not easy to connect unregistered vehicles to crime scenes.
There is a possible argument in favour of some kind of temporary identification system so that criminal elements do not get the sense that they can roam about and terrorise other citizens and get away without attendant consequences.
A particularly disturbing pattern emerging this year is that of drivers going through red traffic lights at intersections, thereby jeopardising their lives, their passengers’ and the lives of other road users.
And they doing so at speed, meaning that if other motorists with the right of way are not alert to traffic around them, an accident will be certain, with resultant fatalities and serious injuries.
To curb accidents, injuries and fatalities, there is compelling urgency for the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) and the police, the highway patrol teams, as well as the VID to be activated so they mount joint operations effectively from Unity Day until after the New Year.
There is an urgent need for these operations in urban areas and highways.
The focus of the operations should not only be to remove dangerous motorists from the country’s roads, but also to ensure that unroadworthy vehicles are kept off the road.
An additional intervention could be the installation of cameras at intersections so that they capture motorists breaking the law.
Admittedly, this might require time and resources, but greater visibility of law enforcement officers on the roads and highways this year, will help keep the number of accidents down.
But it is important that all motorists exercise care and respect for other drivers on the roads always and not just during the festive or other public holidays.
We expect challenges in getting fuel and the cost to help reduce the number of motorists on the road.
If properly planned and executed, these measures can save a lot of lives, while preventing potential harm to people and property, but more importantly creating a safer holiday period this year.
Online Reporter