The Sunday News
Gibson Mhaka
ROAD traffic accidents are a serious pull back factor in any country’s development discourse as they lead to unexpected deaths and leave others with serious and permanent disabilities, thereby affecting the demographic structure of the country. The economic, social and political sub-total of it all cannot be overemphasised as the country is robbed of the essential human resource base, its social and political future while more money will be needed for the social welfare of those who would have been crippled.
And with the festive season fast approaching, reports by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) that an average of five people are killed and 38 injured on a daily basis in road traffic accidents as a result of human error really makes sad reading.
The country usually records a high number of road traffic accidents most of them fatal each time there is a public holiday and with the fast approaching festive holiday — one of the longest holidays, the situation is not expected to be any better.
The increased volume of traffic as a result of the continued importation of relatively cheap Japanese cars and the bad state of some of the country’s roads has also seen the country having more accidents, but authorities have insisted that most of the road carnage was a result of human error.
Speaking recently at an annual stakeholders meeting in Harare, council managing director Mr Obio Chinyere said 94 percent of road accidents were a result of human error.
“Research show that 94 percent of the total 41 016 road accidents in 2014 were a result of human error and human error is preventable. Organisations have lost human capital while individuals have lost loved ones in road accidents and this called for individuals and corporates to seriously consider partnering in road safety education. These partnerships will go a long way in eradicating human error in road traffic accidents. Partnering in road safety programmes is more than a mere corporate social responsibility, it is a life saving responsibility,” said Mr Chinyere.
It is against this background that the (TSCZ) has adopted the road safety campaign theme: “Eradicating Human Error in Road Traffic Collisions”, as a direct way of addressing the road traffic challenges posed by human error.
Indeed according to the ZRP National Traffic Branch Report 2014, human error manifests in various ways involving all human traffic: push cart operators, rank marshals, vendors, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, animal herders and drovers, horse riders and drivers. The report says drivers’ errors are clearly the major cause of road traffic accidents.
The above statistics are just enough evidence of how road users have failed to protect human life and a wake-up call to drivers to be extra careful, corporative and courteous so as to save lives. Evidence and research show that most of the accidents can actually be avoided, if only drivers could be more careful, observe road signs, observe speed limits and avoid drunken driving.
Bad driving behaviours such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, changing lanes without signaling, driving on the hard shoulder and passing through prohibiting traffic lights and all other forms of reckless driving also contribute to road accidents.
There is no doubt that road traffic accidents can be avoided or at least minimised if the country adheres to the recommendations stipulated in The World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention of 2004, which call for member states to improve their road safety situation and prioritise road safety as a development and public health issue as well as taking measures that are effective in reducing the growing number of deaths and injuries on the world’s roads.
Sadly, because very few practical steps have been taken to reduce carnage in Zimbabwe, the country still suffers the plight of road crashes through continued injury and deaths. It is also important to note that although human error has proved to be one of the biggest contributors of traffic accidents there are also other factors such as poor state of roads, sheer disregard of road traffic rules and regulations, inappropriate and excessive speed, technical faults on vehicles, vandalism of road infrastructure and stray animals. According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police National Traffic Branch 2014 Report, a total of 41 016 road accidents were recorded from January to December 2014. 6, 6 percent of the recorded road accidents in 2014 were caused by stray animals.
From this observation it is clear that the government has a big role to play in dealing with this emerging highway hazard by ensuring that farmers and villagers who live along the country’s major highways erect perimeter fences to prevent their livestock from straying onto public roads.
A section of the society has apportioned the blame to the police and the courts for letting off the victims by merely not arresting the perpetrators saying when they are arrested lenient sentences are given. They therefore called for the courts to give stiffer penalties as a deterrent to would be offenders.
They argue that there seems to be sloppy justice to errant drivers as penalties imposed on them are not tough enough to act as a deterrent to would be traffic offenders and as a result road traffic crimes are committed with reckless abandon.
The need for stiffer penalties including long custodial sentences was advocated for by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
During his recent address at the Africa Safety Day National Commemorations in Gweru he said the ministry was in the in the process of reviewing the Road Traffic Act.
“Deterrent penalties must be meted out to errand road users. If stocktheft courts a minimum sentence of nine years imprisonment, why should a driver killer be fined a mere $100 and get away with murder. Road carnage destroys lives, limbs and property and it is an enemy of economic growth hence the need to punish errant drivers,” he said.
Mr Argus Mlilo from Nkulumane suburb who has been a kombi driver for 10 years said,
“We have seen an increase in road traffic accidents but I blame the police and courts for not doing much in the fight against road carnage. You find that there are road traffic cases that seem fatal but the perpetrators are allowed to walk scot-free after being given non-custodial sentences. Even though we have a host of laws abiding drivers but you find that these laws are meaningless without effective, fearless and sustained implementation by the police, prosecutors and courts against any and every traffic offender.”
Mlilo said corruption was playing an important part in the increase in road accidents, where police officers and court officials were accepting bribes and letting go unlicensed drivers.
A senior Bulawayo magistrate who spoke on condition of anonymity for professional reasons concurred with Vice-President Mnangagwa saying there was need for the courts to come down heavily on traffic violators generally and intoxicated drivers in particular in a bid to improve road safety.
“Magistrates dealing with traffic offences should constantly seek to increase traffic safety through applying tough and deterrent traffic court verdicts against errant drivers and especially those who drink and drive recklessly. This can be done by imposing tough sentences.
“Non-custodial sentences are not achieving in deterring them. The penalties should however, apply to all types of violations no matter how small they are, including not using a seat belt, and should not just concentrate on the obvious breaches. The fines alone are not good enough; people need to be made aware of the choices they make that can change their lives,” said the magistrate.
Last year the Government proposed a move to review the Highway Code with a view to raise the minimum age required for public transport service vehicles to 35 from the current 25 years. The move which sparked mixed feelings was meant to instil discipline in the public transport sector.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joram Gumbo said it was everyone’s responsibility that the country’s roads were made safe and not death traps.
“As a ministry and with the festive season fast approaching we are engaging road authorities such as the police, Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) and Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe so that we can step up our vigorous campaigns highlighting the dangers of speeding, drunken driving, changing lanes without signaling and passing through red traffic lights.
“On stray animals the ministry is doing a pilot campaign sensitising people staying along major highways on the dangers posed by their animals on motorists if they failed to properly look after them. The campaign which is done with the help of traditional leaders is starting in Matabeleland region before it spreads to other provinces. We are engaging chiefs so that they sensitise their subjects on the dangers posed by stray animals.
“As a ministry we are also working hard to have all major highways fenced as a way of ensuring the safety of road users from livestock. After that has been done we are going to engage those people staying along those major highways to see that no vandalism will take place to those roadside fences. Another issue is that drivers should always service their vehicles, and when they commence each journey the one important goal they should focus on is arriving safely,” said Minister Gumbo.
