Story by Farirai Mutumburanzou
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe launched the Festive season awareness campaign at the Tile Factory (Sun ye Feng) in Norton yesterday under the theme ‘Normal Speed, Meets Every Need’.
The launch which was attended by government officials called on all motorists, public service vehicles and transporters to be responsible and bear in mind that road safety is a collective effort.
Speaking at the launch the Guest of Honor, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Honourable Felix Tapiwa Mhona highlighted that Africa have least of cars but have more accidents, hence the need to enforce the law to reduce road carnage.
“Research shows that Africa is the least motorised continent, possessing 2% of the global vehicle population, but it contributes 16% of the recorded global road traffic fatalities.
“It is in this context that last month, Zimbabwe and South Africa launched a joint road safety awareness campaign, dubbed Cross Alive Campaign,” he said.
Hon Mhona denounced the mushrooming of Driving Schools and Drivers Associations and urged them to take the proper course and register their companies.
Hon Mhona later on conducted vehicle inspection along Bulawayo road and a number of vehicles were found wanting, they had no proper documentation hence the Vehicle Inspection Department impounded the vehicles on the spot.
The board chairman of TSCZ Mr K. K Sibanda said poor behaviour on the roads needs to be addressed and it is worrying and deeply shocking about the recent crashes involved in public transport.
“Road traffic crashes are the biggest issues particulary for young people, not only in Zimbabwe but across the globe.
“The poor behaviour displayed on our roads have direct and indirect impact on road safety.
“There is a significant opportunity to save lives on the road and to break cycles of poverty by building capacity to address key risk factors associated with poor road user behavior, such as speeding and the failure to use safety devices, as well as the presence of inferior safety standards for vehicles,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Hon Chido Sanyatwe said,”There is no doubt that road safety is a collective responsibility and requires all hands on deck and synergies among key stakeholders and the citizens themselves.
Commissioner Dube outlined accident statistics which are saddening.
In 2022 a total of 50 263 road traffic accidents were recorded compared to 51 124 recorded in 2023 depicting a 1,7% increase.
Among the road traffic accidents in 2022, 1 706 fatal accidents were recorded and in 2023 a total of 1 608 were recorded depicting a 6% decrease.
A total of 2 128 were killed in 2022 compared to 2 204 deaths recorded in 2023 reflecting a 1,1% increase in 2022. 10 028 people got injured compared to 10 373 recorded in 2023 depicting a 3% increase and most of these accidents were contributed by human error
