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Crime Reporter
Road rules and safe driving practices must be followed by all drivers this festive season to curb the annual spike in traffic accidents and pedestrian deaths between mid-December and mid-January, a period that saw 186 deaths and 722 injuries last festive season.
The safety drive this year will see mobile patrols by police on motorcycles and traffic safety officers in cars, and static enforcement through road checks and information points manned by police, VID and safety officers.
A lot of the effort this year is on prevention, ensuring everyone drives safely, so motorists will be continually be advised on how to drive safely and monitored, although enforcement is part of the process.
Zimbabwean roads produce a lot of accidents. In the first 10 months of this year, 1 475 people were killed while 6 614 were injured in 35 727 road traffic accidents, despite two Level Four lockdowns and a curfew every night, both sharply limiting driving.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona yesterday told a media conference in Harare that an average of five people die on the roads each day, translating to plus or minus 2 000 deaths annually.
“On behalf of Government and indeed on my own behalf, allow me to express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and those who got injured in the accidents,” he said, in a speech read on his behalf by the Ministry’s acting Permanent Secretary Engineer Amos Amos.
“Let me particularly single out the one which I attended to at the 61km peg between Masvingo and Zvishavane towns in July 2021. It is so painful that we were robbed of more than a dozen lives at one accident occurrence involving mushikashika because of speeding and overloading.
“While we have taken time as Government to commiserate with families of the deceased and those who got injured during the year, we continue to embolden the families to remain strong during the difficult period of grief.”
Minister Mhona said the period between December 15 this year and January 15 next year marks the festive season, a time when there is normally an increase in road traffic deaths and injuries.
“This is so because of increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic. You may recall that during the period December 15 2019 to January 15 2020, a total of 3 668 road traffic accidents were recorded, with 186 people killed and 722 injured during that festive season.
“As we are in another festive period. We need to take stock of what happened in the year 2020 and avoid a replica of such unpleasant statistics,” he said.
The minister urged motorists to avoid speeding, overloading, disregarding road signs, multi-tasking such as drinking or chatting on the cellphone while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving defective vehicles, driving vehicles fitted with illegal additional headlights, road rage and violating road regulations, among other causes of accidents.
He said from December 6, the ministry has already deployed multi-stakeholder teams from the police, VID and Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe officials for a full-fledged awareness campaign on road safety.
“We are going to have, as part of the teams, police officers on motorbikes patrolling the identified black stretches as well as patrol cars carrying officers from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe. We have also deployed static teams at strategic points. The teams are under strict instruction to follow WHO guidelines and protocols on Covid-19, concentrating on non-contact methods of dissemination of information.
“I urge all citizens and deployed teams to sanitise and mask up and keep WHO prescribed distances between them,” Minister Mhona said.
He reminded all the public service vehicle transporters who continue to violate the Road Traffic Act that they risk the withdrawal of their operators’ licences.
Buses must be disinfected as prescribed and sanitisation of passengers must be done as well as reminding them to always wear their masks in a proper manner.
“The country is on a curfew order, and we urge public transporters to adhere to the restrictions,” Minister Mhona said.
He urged motorists not to attempt to drive through flooded rivers and bridges even with an empty bus.
The minister said Government was implementing the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 and so motorists as they drive will find detours along the roads including highways.
Minister Mhona said Government treats matters of road safety seriously and has put in place sound policy and robust legislative frameworks, and modalities to mitigate effects of fatalities on the roads.
Online Reporter