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Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior reporter
A TOTAL of 12 832 people have been killed in road traffic accidents recorded across the country over the past seven years.
According to statistics from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) 96 961 people were injured in 247 472 road traffic accidents recorded between 2010 and 2016.
So far this year, 930 people have perished and 4 222 injured in 22 259 road traffic accidents recorded countrywide between January and July.
The figure shows a 15 percent increase in the number of road deaths from the same period in 2016 when 806 people were killed in 22 591 incidents reported.
A research paper by TSCZ notes that the highest percentage of accidents, have occurred along the recently refurbished Plumtree-Bulawayo-Harare-Mutare Highway.
The paper titled “Critical Analysis if the Road Traffic Crashes in Zimbabwe — A reflection of the 2016 Road Traffic Collision Statistics” cites human error as the biggest cause of recorded road traffic crashes.
Available data shows that in 2010, 1 796 people died and 14 336 were injured in 26 841 accidents, while in 2011, 2001 people perished and 15 305 were injured in 30 985 accidents recorded that year.
In 2012, a total of 2 094 lives were lost and 14 965 people injured in 30 911 road traffic accidents, and in 2013 the 37 619 accidents recorded that year killed
1 787 people, injuring 14 131 others.
A total of 1 692 people were killed and 14 010 others injured in 41 016 road traffic accidents recorded in 2014, while in 2015, 1 762 people died and 12 822 were injured in 41 494 road traffic accidents recorded that year.
Last year, 1 700 lives perished and 11 392 people were injured in 38 606 road traffic accidents recorded countrywide.
According to the research paper, human error accounts for more than 94 percent of the road traffic accidents.
“Human error remains largely to blame for more than 94 percent of all road traffic crashes which occurred in the year under review.
“Nevertheless, one can still argue that, with proper education and training, the driver must always stay alert for stray animals on the road,” part of the report says.
Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) spokesperson Mr Tatenda Chinoda said the Plumtree-Bulawayo-Harare-Mutare Highway contributed the highest percentage (44) of road traffic accidents in 2016.
“You agree that Plumtree-Mutare highway is the most navigable road in the country at the moment.
“That being the case, it is very disturbing to note that out of the 1 291 fatal crashes recorded last year, 569 cases (44 percent) occurred on this recently re-surfaced Highway followed by the Beitbridge-Chirundu Highway which contributed 304 cases (23 percent).
“The Harare-Bindura and Harare-Murehwa Highways contribute 128 and 97 cases respectively while the remainder of 193 cases of the fatal crashes recorded occurred in all our urban centres put together,” he said.
Mr Chinoda said it was important to have all drivers trained in defensive driving, in light of human error being the major cause of road traffic accidents in the country.
According to WHO (2016), more than 1,3 million people are killed and more than 50 million are injured in road crashes on the world’s roads annually.
About 90 percent of these deaths occur in developing countries. -@irielyan
Online Reporter