Freeman Razemba in MUTARE
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) launched the Driver of The Year awards competition in Manicaland Province this morning.
The competition seeks to enhance driving skills among bus, truck and kombi drivers in order to curb road carnage countrywide.
Since last year, several drivers in Harare and Mutare have participated in the Driver of the Year competition and won various prizes.
TSCZ managing director, Mr Munesu Munodawafa said the Driver of the Year competition has a long history across the globe, adding that since the 1960s, awards were presented to drivers competing in motorsport.
“The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has previously held Driver of the Year competitions as a means for standardising and improving driving. However, the competitions also serve as a yardstick for us to check whether drivers know the basic driving rules and how to apply them,” he said.
The Driver of the Year competition was last held in 2018, after which they were disrupted by the Covid’19 induced lockdown.
The competitions involve rigid lorries, articulated trucks, kombi and bus drivers.
Mr Munodawafa said Driver of the Year competition is a great way of enhancing the already exciting Defensive Driver Improvement Programme, commonly known as the Defensive Driving Course (DDC).
He said by raising awareness about road safety and the efforts being made to improve it, the competitions go a long way in creating a culture of safety on Zimbabwean roads and help to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities.
Secretary of State and Devolution for Manicaland Province, Mr Abiot Maronge applauded TSCZ for launching the competition in the province.



