THE festive season has started on a bloody note with statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) showing that at least 20 people have died in separate road traffic accidents in the past four days.
On Monday, nine people were killed when two Honda Fit vehicles collided in Mazowe, national police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commisioner Paul Nyathi said.
On December 17, another fatal accident occurred along Mutare-Juliasdale Road.
A Sino truck with three passengers collided head-on with a DAF truck, with one passenger.
The impact sent the DAF truck swerving, causing it to collide with a motorbike and subsequently trap the rider underneath.
In this incident, three lives were lost.
Two victims, Patience Muzarerawetu and Garikayi Charamba, were identified by their next of kin, while the third person remains unidentified.
Another accident occurred along Harare-Bulawayo Highway near the Africa Liberation City in Warren Park where six people died.
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The Harare-Masvingo Highway on Friday also recorded a fatal accident.
Two people died on the spot while 11 others were injured.
“The ZRP urges drivers to observe stipulated speed limits and be exemplary on the roads. Above all, motorists are implored to avoid travelling at night,” Nyathi said.
Zimbabwe Passengers Association president, Tafadzwa Goliati, also urged drivers to exercise extreme caution during this festive season.
“These horrific accidents have cast a dark shadow over what should be a time of joy and reunions,” Goliati said.
“As the representatives of millions of passengers who rely on our nation's roads, we stand in solidarity with the families who have lostloved ones and urge every driver, every road user, to prioritise safety above all else.”
World statistics on road accidents have ranked Zimbabwe as one of the world’s two countries with the most unsafe road networks.
According to the World of Statistics, 41 per every 100 000 people die of road traffic injuries in Zimbabwe.
According to statistics released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency last month, 8 897 people died in traffic accidents between 2019 and 2022.
Approximately 2 079 people lost their lives in 52 585 road traffic accidents recorded last year alone.
