Making our roads safer this Easter.

IT is now a year after a bus carrying worshippers travelling to a Zion Church of Christ (ZCC) Easter pilgrimage in Masvingo plunged into a gorge in the undulating terrain of Chimanimani along a winding road widely referred to as Matariana by locals, killing 35 people on the spot in the early hours of Easter Friday.

Back then, it was established that the bus was overloaded with 106 passengers.

The bus was also travelling at a high speed and veered off the winding road, hurtling into a deep ravine.
It is was part of the 264 road accidents that were recorded last year countrywide during the Easter holiday.

A total 73 people died countrywide last year, compared to 24 the previous year; while 202 people were injured, compared to 117 in 2021.

This is according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police statistics.

What is of paramount importance to date is the comprehensive analysis of the statistics, with the ZRP noting that the accidents recorded during the combined Easter and Independence holidays from April 15 to 18, 2022, were attributed to human error.

This included speeding, misjudgement, failure to pay attention, overtaking errors and failure to observe road rules and regulations by drivers.

It was also noted that most serious accidents occurred during the night when most travellers were observed to be moving in large numbers and ignoring safety measures.

Others would overload their vehicles, especially those who were going to public gatherings for Easter commemorations.
It is against this background that we also note with concern the recklessness on our roads during the Easter and Independence holidays, just like most public holidays we observe as a country.

We implore all road users, including pedestrians and motorists, to be cautious on our roads.

Let us not let the public holidays be moments of mourning accident victims. Motorists must never drink and drive, more so during this Easter holiday when most highways are busy.

A fact beyond repudiation is that Zimbabwe’s roads are particularly busy during major holidays and over the years we have witnessed a high numbers of road accidents, hence the need for extra caution.

Speeding, whether under the influence of alcohol or not, kills. Children are growing without parents, men and women without with their spouses and parents without their children simply because of road accidents that could have easily been avoided if a little more caution had been taken.It is extremely sad.

We should never lose focus of the fact that one life lost on the roads is too many.

In the same vein, this is also a call to operators of public service vehicles and private motorists to desist from using defective and road unworthy motor vehicles.

Operators and motorists are also strongly urged to take measures to curb driver fatigue. A driver should never embark on a long journey without proper rest and preparation.

It goes without saying that drivers should adhere to regulated speed limits, as excessive speeding and reckless driving are major contributors to road carnage.

There is need for all stakeholders to join forces and right the road mishaps. With each stakeholder genuinely playing their role, sanity will prevail on the roads.

For now as we get into the Easter holidays, we marvel at the current calmness on our roads as we have not received news of any major accidents across the province.

We sincerely hope that the trend will last throughout the period and beyond.

Have a blessed Easter holiday and be safe on the roads.