The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has revealed that road accidents occur every 15 minutes in Zimbabwe, and that the country loses up to 2000 people to road traffic accidents each year.
These figures were shared by TSCZ’s Director of Administration and Finance, Mr Clifford Gobo, at a Road Safety Champion Training graduation ceremony in Mount Darwin on Friday 15th March 2024.
The Road Safety Champion training is part of the TSCZ’s efforts to reduce the number of road traffic accidents and the loss of life associated with them.
“The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe was birthed out of a need to plan and execute programmes that are aimed at improving the public’s road safety awareness. The Council does this through safety education, training, publicity and research.
The ‘Road Safety Champion’ initiative is a manifestation of this mandate and is an extension of our efforts to disseminate road safety messages to people across the country,” said Mr Gobo.
Mr Gobo stated that the ‘Road Safety Champion’ initiative was established to align with the Fourth Pillar of Road Safety, which focuses on ‘Safe Road Users’ and emphasized that the Traffic Safety Council recognizes the fundamental role of safe road users in ensuring overall road safety in the country.
“The ‘Road Safety Champion’ initiative was created in line with the Fourth Pillar of Road Safety, that is ‘Safe Road Users’. The Traffic Safety Council understands that safe road users are at the core of total road safety in our country, and that is why we are gathered here today, joining forces with the ladies and gentlemen gathered here today to train them to be ‘Road Safety Champions,” he said.
He expressed that ‘Road Safety Champions’ are individuals who passionately advocate for an organization’s cause, mandate, or principle, specifically in this case, the road safety education and awareness mandate of the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe.
“Road Safety Champions’ are individuals that vigorously support or defend an organizational cause, mandate or principle. In this instance, it is the road safety education and awareness mandate of the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe. We hope that all present here today will take the vision of the Traffic Safety Council and run with it. We hope this training will contribute to the saving of lives on our roads,” he said.
The group of 173 that graduated received training in essential aspects of road safety, encompassing passenger safety, pedestrian safety, cyclist safety, and ensuring the safety of vehicles used for church or group travel.
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe pointed out that the most concerning fact is that the majority of road accidents are caused by human error.
“According to research, an accident occurs in Zimbabwe every 15 minutes, approximately five people die as a result of road traffic accidents and each year up to 2000 people perish on our roads. We need to keep in mind that these are not just mere statistics, but someone’s father, mother, brother or sister. Even more daunting is the realization that the lion’s share of all accidents on our roads are because of human error,” said the statement from the Finance Director.
He also mentioned that certain cases of road tragedies in the country were linked to insufficient enforcement of traffic laws and the use of faulty vehicles, while the majority of incidents were attributed to reckless behavior.
“Some incidents of road carnage in the country have been attributed to inadequate enforcement of traffic laws and the use of defective vehicles, while the majority of incidents are attributed to reckless driving,” he said.
Mr Gobo emphasized that there is a crucial need for collective efforts in combating road tragedies and urged the Road Safety Champions to actively advocate to the public that the roads are a shared space, therefore, a collective change in behavior on the roads can substantially reduce road traffic accidents.
“It is in view of the forementioned that the significance of road safety champions in Zimbabwe cannot be understated. The country faces significant challenges regarding road safety, with high accident rates and limited awareness about safe practices. By training road safety champions, awareness and knowledge can be disseminated effectively and reach a wider audience within communities.
Considering the forementioned it becomes apparent that we need all hands on deck in the fight against road carnage. We need you, our Road Safety Champions to go out and highlight to the public that our roads are a shared space and a collective change of behaviour on our roads can significantly decrease road traffic crashes,” said Mr Gobo.
He highlighted that during the Easter period, there is a significant increase in travel in Zimbabwe, with numerous people attending religious events and visiting family members across the country, as a result, there is a substantial rise in traffic on highways and rural roads, leading to an increased potential for road accidents.
“It is also befitting that this ceremony is taking place just before the Easter holidays. In Zimbabwe, the Easter period sees a surge in travel, with thousands across the country attending religious gatherings and visiting their loved ones. Resultantly, this greatly increases the volume of traffic on our highways and rural roads. This ultimately increases the potential for road traffic accidents. Therefore, we need to intensify road safety awareness efforts to reduce road carnage.
We need all 173 of you present here today to impart the knowledge that you learnt in this course to your loved ones, to members of your community, your church members and peers. The knowledge that you share might save a life, and the life you save might just be yours.
We urge all people gathered here today to use their influence and reach to disseminate road safety messages in their respective communities and conscientize their people on how to be safe motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and passengers,” he said.
In recent times, there has been a concerning increase in road accidents, as evidenced by the loss of 13 Zimbabweans in South Africa following an accident involving a Simplex bus, and the tragic death of 9 individuals in a head-on collision in Beitbridge involving a Blue Circle and City bus
