Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Zimbabwe and South Africa have embarked on the second phase of a joint awareness campaign that seeks to reduce road carnage on major highways linking the two countries.

The campaign, which was held last Friday, comes after the first phase was held between December 18 and 19, 2016 on the South African side of the border.

The Zimbabwe Traffic Safety Council, South Africa’s Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency and traffic police are coordinating the programme.

ZTSC director for research and marketing Mr Proctor Utete said they were targeting over 6 000 motorists travelling along roads leading to Harare and Bulawayo.

He said they had opted to carry out the programme between Beitbridge and Musina where the volume of vehicular and human traffic was high. At least 170 000 people, 2 100 buses, 25 000 private cars and 15 000 trucks pass through the border towns every month.

 

 

 

 

“It is sad that we continue losing lives between roads in Zimbabwe and South Africa, where at least five people are killed per week.

“The worst affected victims are those people travelling in public transport vehicles,” said Mr Utete.

“Our main objective here is to engage with motorists and other road users, to promote the adherence to road traffic regulations. We have noted that most of the accidents are a result of human error.”

Mr Utete warned members of the public and motorists to avoid taking unnecessary risks by crossing flooded rivers.

He said most accidents along the major roads were a result of speeding, overtaking errors and non-compliance with road traffic regulations by most motorists.

“We also want to urge pedestrians to avoid crossing roads when they are drunk or when they cannot see clearly on both sides of the road. It is also advisable that they wear reflective clothes when walking along the roads at night,” he said.

South Africa’s Cross-Border Road Traffic Agency director Mr Elphas Mameja said they were worried about the increase of road accidents along the N1 Highway, which links the neighbouring country with Zimbabwe and the rest of the sadc region.

“Saving lives is the main objective of this programme,” he said. “We have a fair share of problems with our counterparts and hence the need to work together in addressing the issues of road carnage.

“We want to advise motorists to take rests and breaks in-between their journeys. Fatigue is a silent killer, and major cause of road accidents.”

Mr Mameja said accidents along the N1 Highway were a result of overtaking errors, stray animals and ignorance.

Zimbabwe’s National Traffic Coordinator, Senior Assistant Commissioner Felicitus Chikowero-Mujanga, said the narrowness of the Beitbridge-Harare Highway was another contributing factor to fatal road accidents.

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