Source: Road crashes: President reads riot act – herald
Debra Matabvu-Senior Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has issued a directive mandating all Government departments and agencies to urgently implement sweeping measures to curb reckless and irresponsible road user behaviour while also ensuring the removal of unroadworthy vehicles from the country’s roads.
In a statement yesterday, the President said Government will speed up the re-establishment of road maintenance units across the country as well as provide adequate resources for work on weather-damaged roads countrywide.
The call comes after 24 people were killed over the past five days in three major road traffic accidents.
“In a space of five days, our nation has witnessed three major road traffic accidents in which 24 innocent lives have perished,” President Mnangagwa said.
“The latest in this bloody trail is a head-on collision involving a bus and a haulage truck along the Gokwe road, which claimed 10 more people only yesterday.
“This grave turn of mishaps on our roads must exercise our collective conscience and spur Government Departments and agencies in ensuring road safety to act with urgency and greater coordination so that the carnage is stopped.
“The latest spate of accidents calls for drastic measures and lasting solutions targeting irresponsible behaviour and unroadworthy vehicles on our roads.”
President Mnangagwa also said resources to ensure “impactful work” on weather-damaged roads and highways will be made available.
“I am also directing Government to speed up the re-establishment of road maintenance units across the country and to avail adequate resources for impactful remedial work on our weather-damaged highways and roads,” he added.
“As I condole with and extend Government assistance to bereaved and affected families, I wish all those injured in the three accidents a speedy recovery.”
On May 23, eight people perished in a Deka bridge/Hwange accident, while on Africa Day, six people died in a fatal accident involving a Honda Fit and a haulage truck near Redcliff.
The latest major accident happened on Wednesday when a bus and a haulage truck collided on Gokwe-Kwekwe Road claiming 10 lives.
According to a recent report tabled by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development, road traffic accidents are the third leading cause of death in Zimbabwe, claiming more than 2000 lives annually.
The report says major contributors of accidents are caused by human error and behaviour, contributing 15,3 percent, excessive speeding, contributing 11 percent, while failure to give way contributes 7,7 percent of the accidents.
System failure, vehicle defects and infrastructure deficiencies are also some of the causes of accidents.
The post Road crashes: President reads riot act appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.