BY METHEMBE SIBANDA
THE Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has launched a campaign targeting motorists to reduce road carnage ahead of the Easter holidays.
Zimbabwe witnessed an increase in traffic accidents during the Easter holidays last year compared to 2020, according to official statistics from the police, with 231 accidents compared to 128 in 2020, with fatalities rising to 26 from eight over the same period.
TSCZ director for finance and administration, Clifford Gobo, said they were taking measures to help save human lives in the country.
“People travel a lot for religious gatherings during Easter. The issues that we normally face during this time are overloading and unlicensed drivers. We have sent out teams to then educate on the essence of being driven by a licensed driver,” Gobo said during a stakeholders meeting on revenue collection, operational activities and road safety activities for Easter held on Friday in the capital.
“The issue of vehicle fitness also has to be looked at in order to save human lives. We are not only working alone. We also have Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) that will help by providing bi-cars to complement our efforts. Most road accidents are as a result of human error, which can be avoided if dealt with earlier.”
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Road accidents usually spike during holidays as many will be rushing to their destinations, while some will be driving under the influence of alcohol.
Gobo said the TSCZ was working on translating the highway code into local languages to enhance road safety and reduce road accidents.
“The language issue should not be a barrier. Teach them in their own language, then they will be able to apply. So we are doing it for Highway Code, then we will do it for VID [Vehicle Inspectorate Department] also,” he said.
“We started with the major languages in the country, Ndebele and Shona, but we will move into other languages so that other communities are not left behind.”
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