The number of road traffic accidents that have occurred this year during the Christmas season is lower than those recorded last year, police have said.
Last year, police recorded 1 480 road traffic accidents from December 15 to 26. This year, 1 194 accidents were recorded across the country.
The period encompasses Unity, Christmas and Boxing days.
In a statement yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said 125 accidents were recorded on Unity day where five people were killed, while 24 others were injured, compared to 124 accidents which claimed two lives and injured 18 people in the comparative period last year.
Nyathi said on Christmas Day this week, 71 accidents were recorded countrywide, of which seven were fatal, killing eight people and injuring 78 others.
He said in the same period last year, 133 accidents were recorded, with 12 of them being fatal, where 20 deaths were recorded and 48 people injured.
“On Boxing Day, December 26, 2023, 82 road traffic accidents were recorded countrywide in which nine people were killed in nine fatal road traffic accidents, while 36 others were injured. In 2022, 99 road traffic accidents were recorded which include eight fatal, which killed eight people and injured 32 others,” Nyathi said.
He attributed most of the accidents to speeding, inattention, overtaking errors, overloading, misjudgement, following too close and recklessness on the part of drivers.
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Nyathi also confirmed the death of five people at the 64km peg along the Harare-Mutare Highway near Diggleford Primary School turn-off in Marondera yesterday morning.
He said the five died on the spot, while some were trapped when a Blue Horizon bus which was travelling towards Marondera was involved in a head-on collision with a haulage truck and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle which were travelling in the opposite direction.
Nyathi said 40 passengers were injured, 15 of them seriously.
