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Painful stream of consciousness

On April 3 2003, a careless T35 truck driver ran over Tinotenda Machoko, right at a Zebra Crossing, at Lomagundi / Gayton roads intersection, and died two hours after admission at Parirenyatwa Hospital. 

He was seven years old, doing Grade 2 at Hallingbury Primary School. 

Sarudzai and her two daughters were killed by a car at yet another Zebra crossing in Warren Park D while they were travelling back home from the 2013 Independence celebrations that were held in the National Sports Stadium.

 In Masvingo, seven — year — old, Primrose Chiparapata, died on the spot after being hit by a car near Christian College in Mucheke suburb on February 28, 2014. She was buried with her satchel at Mangwandi Cemetery, Masvingo. 

On May 26 2014, Lance Corporal Vimbai Primrose Nyagande, a member of the Zimbabwe National Army, died on the spot after she was run over by a commuter omnibus at 2 Presidential Guard in Dzivarasekwa.

It is alleged that the kombi driver wanted to overtake another vehicle on the wrong side, lost control of the commuter omnibus hit the woman in the process. 

May the departed innocent souls continue to rest in power, and the bereaved be consoled by the assurance that we are galvanising our efforts towards accelerated collective road safety action. 

This saves lives, limbs and property much needed for Zimbabwe to grow her economy into a sustainable and prosperous upper-middle income status by 2030.

Sustainable holistic heritage – based pedestrian safety

Against such a tragic background, it is essential to incubate sustainable holistic heritage – based pedestrian road safety strategies collapsing on the strength of collective consciousness lined on a multi-sectorial model. 

We are all aware that this is as an international best practice and a must. Our Government and related stakeholders are and must be seized with the matter. 

A heritage — based solution seeks interventions from what is existing and how such existence of matter can be transformed into evidence – based interventions. 

We are at war. Road carnage is the battle. We must all commit our minds, put our hands on the deck, shoulders on the wheel, and fight against it. 

Everyone at every level must play their part. 

Vehicle — pedestrian collisions are predictable and thus, preventable. The most critical capital needed is collective commitment, partnership, collaboration and coordination.

The driver behaviour and attitude

The driver of a vehicle is the main actor in the prevention of a vehicle — pedestrian collision. The traffic law requires that the driver must, at all times, exercise due care and take proper precaution to avoid collision with a pedestrian. 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2013, in its pedestrian safety manual, the dramatic growth in the number of motor vehicles makes pedestrians increasingly susceptible to road traffic injury.

Indeed, drivers hold the key to pedestrian safety.

While there are traffic rules and regulations for pedestrians [like jay-walking is an offence in some developed nations], some of them are children, touts, vendors, beggars, elderly, people living with disabilities, suicidal, drunken and even mentally challenged. In such states, least compliance, if any, must be expected by a mentally alert driver.

When driving along residential areas, where streets like Chesvingo in Mucheke suburb of Masvingo are densely populated in terms of human traffic, humps or no humps, common sense should inform the driver to slow down.

 Surely, if the driver of any vehicle is travelling at 40 km/hr, such a low speed allows him or her enough braking distance to avoid collision with a pedestrian, should the situation so requires. 

The blame — game by drivers about a negligent pedestrian who did not heed their hooter or who suddenly appeared in the path of their vehicle is neither here nor there. 

The driver should also observe that there are some pedestrians with suicidal tendencies who may jump onto the roadway to die because of their psychological instability. 

This still should be prevented by an alert driver. 

Knowledge, alertness, foresight, judgement and skill are some of the elements of defensive driving which become handy. 

All these elements optimise the driver’s concentration to avoid collisions.

Everyone’s responsibility

Peers, siblings, parents, guardians, politicians, churches and teachers should be actively involved in their safety and that of their people and their children, especially to and fro school. 

This is never Government’s task alone. 

The first critical step is for the peer, parent / guardian / teacher to be an exemplary pedestrian. 

Children imitate the behaviour of their immediate adults. The second step is the need for the parent / teacher / church to be road safety conscious and educate children about it too, so that they develop a road safety culture at such tender ductile ages. 

When caught young in the road safety milieu, our children will know where, when and how to cross the road, how to walk along the road, adult accompaniment and safe places to play. There are also stubborn adult pedestrians who think they can compete for road space and swag with moving vehicles.

They also concentrate on their phones while walking along and crossing the road. 

Some could be under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. 

This distracted walking often results in tragic consequences. The tragedy with death is not that things are broken but the broken things cannot be resurrected!

Easter Holidays are beckoning. It is possible to achieve zero pedestrian deaths on our roads, especially if we unite against speeding, jay-walking, distracted walking, day dreaming, vending and begging at undesignated zones, drug and substance abuse, distracted driving and allowing children to play along the roads.

Tatenda Chinoda, is a Defensive driving instructor and a Roads4Life Champion for the African Region. 

Feedback: 0772966075 or email [email protected] .