admin
Lawrence Chitumba Herald Reporter
An average of five people are killed and 38 injured on a daily basis in road traffic accidents, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has said. Speaking at an annual stakeholders meeting on Tuesday, council managing director Mr Obio Chinyere said 94 percent of road collisions were a result of human error.
Mr Chinyere said the purpose of the meeting was to bring road safety players and stakeholders together to reflect on the road carnage challenges in Zimbabwe.
“Research shows that 94 percent of the total 41 016 road accidents in 2014 were a result of human error and human error is preventable,” Mr Chinyere said. “Our partnerships will go a long way in eradicating human error in road traffic accidents.”
Mr Chinyere said organisations have lost human capital, while individuals lost loved ones in road accidents and this called for individuals and corporates to seriously consider partnering in road safety educa- tion.
“Partnering in road safety programmes is more than a mere corporate social responsibility, it is a life-saving responsibility,” he said.
“The life saved can be yours at the end of the day. Therefore, if you are serious about road safety, ask yourself how much you are setting aside for road safety programmes in your annual budgets.”
The annual road safety stakeholders dinner gives the Safety Council an opportunity to interface with its external publics to gather hints and insights on how best to mobilise available resources to tame the road traffic accidents.
The dinner came just a few weeks before the country enters the festive season which is characterised by high fatalities due to road traffic ac- cidents.
By January 1 this year, at least 86 people had died, while 501 were injured in 953 accidents recorded since December 15 2014 when the festive season started.
The Traffic Safety Council is the country’s lead agency in terms of road safety and is a parastatal under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
Online Reporter