THE Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) and its partners have intensified awareness programmes as it moves to end road carnage.
The Vehicle Inspectorate Department, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe National Roads Authority have been unleashed on all major highways with a specific mandate to interface with road users to encourage them to drive safely.
This year, TSCZ has roped in Discovery Ambulance Services, an emergency services provider, with the goal of raising road awareness.
The campaign was launched recently with TSCZ managing director Munesu Munodawafa saying as has become tradition, they would be camped on all roads leading out of main cities alerting drivers to maintain regulated speeds.
“We are saying for everyone to enjoy safer roads, you need safer vehicles, but the bigger responsibility lies in the hands of the drivers, so you also need safer drivers to arrive alive,” he said.
Last year, 15 people lost their lives in road traffic accidents during the Heroes and Defence Forces holidays.
This is a marked decrease, considering that in 2004 29 people lost their lives.
Most highways have been rehabilitated, bringing a sense of hope that accidents will be reduced. However, with a better road network, more drivers have become reckless, speeding and overtaking on blind spots causing accidents.
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Munodawafa said while the campaigns and awarenesses had proved to be effective in reducing chances of accidents occurring, there were always a few that occurred.
On their part Discovery Ambulance Services founder and chief executive David Munowenyu said they had adequately prepared for the holidays and would be operating from the highways.
“Our motto is that every life matters, every second counts and we are living by it. We are strategically positioning ourselves so that in the event of any road traffic accident, we are on the spot as soon as possible to save lives because remember it is the first 15 minutes after an emergency occurs that matters most,” he said.
Munowenyu said they were able to spread their wings in the past two months, stationing ambulances in Bulawayo, Bindura, Mutare, Kwekwe and Masvingo.
"We have created a network of ambulances with highly-trained staff as well as well-equipped ambulances, with medicine and life-saving machinery to make sure no life is lost unnecessarily especially during holidays when most road traffic accidents occur. We have enough ambulances to attend to emergencies and yes if you will be attended to,” he said.
Munowenyu bemoaned that the general public had lost confidence in the ambulance service system, something that needs to be corrected urgently.
“The advantage of calling an ambulance to an emergency is that ambulance attendants are registered health practitioners, who will stabilise the patient first before rushing to hospital, whereas if you rush with a patient in your car to hospital they will probably take a long time to be admitted.
“So I want to encourage my fellow countrymen to embrace the improved culture of emergency services and save lives,” he said.
Pastor Charles Charamba, who was part of the campaign launch said as an influencer he hoped drivers would heed the call to drive cautiously at all times.
He also took the opportunity to debunked the notion that most accidents which occur in August have something to do with supernatural powers.
“While we plan everything, we must always remember that God has the final say. But at the same time we must do our part as humans to make sure that we can avoid what is avoidable and stop blaming the supernatural for over-speeding,” he said.
Police national spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police were doing everything in their power to bring road offenders to book, adding that the law could only do so much.
