Safety council out to tame traffic jungle

Ivan Zhakata Herald Reporter
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) will be out in full force this festive season to educate motorists on safe driving to reduce carnage on the country’s roads by at least 50 percent.

Over 140 people were killed due to human driving error during the festive season last year and the TSCZ wants to reduce the figure by half this season.

The council has launched a campaign codenamed “Stop Road Carnage, Eradicate Human Error” during which motorists are given advice on how to achieve an accident-free holiday.

In a statement, the TSCZ said: “This time let us all play our part to bring this figure (144) down by 50 percent. Together, we can tame the traffic jungle in Zimbabwe.”

TSCZ spokesperson Mr Ernest Muchena said the campaign was aimed at reducing road traffic accidents by enlightening motorists and the public on dangers likely to be encountered on the road.

“We shall be deploying TSCZ teams on several points on the road, which we are calling the ‘rest zones’ where drivers can pull over and rest for a while before proceeding with their journey,” he said.

“At these points there will be police officers and TSCZ officers who will inspect vehicles and give advice to motorists on how to drive safely. We have also engaged tyre experts to inspect vehicles tyres and rectify problems if need be,” Mr Muchena said.

He warned drivers travelling to rural areas to be on the look out for stray animals as they could also cause serious accidents.

Mr Muchena encouraged the public to report dangerous driving or road collisions to police or nearest road safety agents.

“Avoid night driving, train in defensive driving, avoid speeding, report dangerous driving and crashes. Do not drink and drive, ensure the safety of your tyres before any trip, pedestrians avoid distracted walking and stop and rest after every two hours of continuous driving and whenever necessary,” he said.

More than 90 percent of all road traffic crashes are due to human error, which includes misjudgment, overtaking, inattention, distraction, speeding, drunk driving, fatigue and negligence by drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

Research shows that 94 percent of the total of 41 016 road accidents in 2014 were a result of human error.