Motorists gambling with lives on the road

Our road infrastructure is in such a state of disrepair that Zimbabweans have jokingly said that if you see a motorist drive in straight traffic they must be intoxicated.
Some have even said that there are more potholes than road where we drive.

While such jokes may be necessary to ease the pain of driving on our roads, the extent of the damage of our roads is serious and is no laughing matter.
Even more frightening is the number of accidents that have been attributed to these potholes littering Zimbabwe’s roads.

I just thought I would highlight this pothole issue after driving between Harare and Gweru on Easter Sunday between 4am and 8am.
Now, imagine a huge “crater” or “borehole” or “pond”, as some would prefer to call them, “suddenly appearing” right in front of you, you swerve to avoid it and then boom, right there in front of you is an oncoming truck.

That is a sure tragedy. What makes it worse is that Zimbabwe’s roads are not well lit at all.
To avoid the surprise of a pothole “suddenly appearing” you have to have your lights on bright beam, which creates more problems as
you will be shooting brightly into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

Fatal road accidents continue to be on the rise despite numerous concerted efforts to curb road carnage.
This upsurge can only be attributed to reckless behaviour behind the wheel mainly being speeding and overtaking when the road ahead is not clear.

A question I will probably never get a straight answer to is, “When will the recklessness stop?”
With over 42 people having died so far during this year’s Easter compared to 11 last year, I would like to urge every Zimbabwean to place more value on life. Motorists are gambling with lives on the road and, sadly, it seems they are always ready to take innocent lives along with them.

I guess as a personal opinion the problem is that every day we have a new set of drivers taking to the streets who are inexperienced, overexcited and have bribed their to getting licences.

Over the last couple of days Econet subscribers have been receiving sms messages from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe urging responsible behaviour on our roads.
Motorists have been reminded to avoid driving while tired or intoxicated, to check the condition of their vehicles and to avoid the temptation to speed.

The disturbing thing, though, is that accidents are on the rise and overwhelming the Zimbabwe Republic Police daily.
According to media reports, a record 323 accidents were recorded during Easter 2013 compared to 154 last year. The figure is most likely to increase by the close of the holidays.

At such alarming levels, it is critical that road carnage needs to be given the same special attention as the HIV/Aids pandemic.
It is for this very reason that the Let’s Go Zero campaign has focused its attentions equally towards “Getting to Zero” carnage on the roads and prevalence of HIV/Aids.

The message is the same simple one: We all ought to behave responsibly whether it’s on the roads or whether it comes to our health.
Moreover, the truth about living safely can only be achieved if you work in a safe working environment and if you maintain that environment in a clean state.

The Let’s Go Zero campaign is essentially about a fair balance of one’s life as you live, work, play and travel with the ultimate goal of staying safe.
I sign off by saying, I hope you all enjoyed a safe Easter and are ready to get back and get the cogs of industry turning.

Till next time. God bless.