THE country has so far recorded 19 accident-related deaths since the beginning of the festive season with the latest incident involving 11 people who perished along the Harare-Bulawayo highway in two separate accidents.
On Monday, six people died on the spot while seven others were seriously injured when a Honda Fit was involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota KZ twin-cab at the 111km peg along Harare-Bulawayo highway at around 10am.
Seven hours later, five people died when two cars, a Toyota Hilux and a Nissan Magnite, were involved in a head-on collision at the 379km peg along the same road.
On Saturday, four people died on the spot while five others were seriously injured in an accident involving a bus and two small vehicles at Stanmore, 40km from Gwanda in Matabeleland South Province.
The pile-up along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge highway occurred when a Toyota Quest allegedly encroached into the oncoming traffic lane and collided with a Delta bus that was en route to South Africa.
A Mazda Sedan that was travelling closely behind the Quest, rammed into the two vehicles.
Four passengers in the Toyota Quest died on the spot.
Five members of the same family, including a three-year-old girl, who were travelling to Plumtree from South Africa in the Sedan were severely injured.
Police attributed most of these accidents to reckless and drunken driving.
In an interview yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said they were concerned about reckless driving among motorists during the festive season.
“It is quite worrisome that whenever we approach the festive season, people adopt a culture that is not safe and conducive for society. It is disappointing to note that most of the accidents that have taken place are due to reckless drivers who either encroach to another lane or overtake where it’s prohibited,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said they are conducting nationwide campaigns to raise awareness on the need to be extra-cautious during the festive season.
“As police, we have partnered with other stakeholders who including the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) and the Zimbabwe National Road Authority (Zinara) and embarked on nationwide road safety campaigns,” he said.
“This is being done to raise awareness and urge members of the public to practice caution and safety measures when using our roads to avoid road traffic accidents.
Last Friday, Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga issued a statement saying that the police had launched a campaign dubbed, “Join Hands in Preventing Crime and Road Carnage” which will run from December 15 to January 15.
The campaign is aimed at ensuring that all criminal activities in communities and reckless driving conduct on the roads are decisively dealt with. – The Chronicle
