August road carnage avoidable

The carnage on the country’s roads has almost become traditional during each holiday season.

Most of these accidents are avoidable as they have been attributed to human error, that is speeding, overtaking errors, lack of judgment and failure to give way.

As the nation meanders towards the August festivities, what quickly comes to mind is the 1991 Nyanga bus disaster in which 83 students and 5 staff members from Regina Coeli Mission School perished on their way from a sporting event in Rusape.

Investigations later attributed human error as the cause of the accident.

According to details released by police over the last three years, the two days of the August festival has proved to be the bloodiest on the country’s roads.

Last year, 40 lives were lost during the Heroes and Defence Forces holidays in 232 accidents recorded countrywide, while 139 were injured in accidents during that period.

In 2013, 43 people died, while 189 were injured in 218 accidents recorded nationwide.

These figures alone prove that August is the bloodiest month of the year, considering that at its festivities are only centred around two days as compared to other festivities such as the Christmas holidays, whose period spurns from 15 December up to 30 December. Last year, 86 people were killed during the December holidays (from 15 to 28 December) while 600 were injured in 1 054 recorded accidents.

In 2013, during the same period, 81 people died, while 461 were injured in 880 road traffic accidents.

However, it is the prevalence of these road traffic accidents which have left an orgy of destruction both in economic and human capital, prompting stakeholders to call for the establishment of a Road Traffic Fund.

Experts say the establishment of the fund would cover for losses both in human and economic capital.

What necessitates the establishment of the fund are the numerous cases of road traffic accident victims, some of whom die while some are maimed permanently and are left to foot their own medical expenses.

Mr Isaac Tiki from Mutoko, one of the survivors of the Zupco bus accident that occurred along the Mutoko-Nyamapanda highway which took 26 lives in January, is a typical example of how those injured on the country’s roads need a fall-back plan in the unfortunate event of a mishap.

He said unlike some survivors of the accident who were quickly discharged from the hospital, he had to endure more time in the hospital as a result of a fractured leg which needed constant monitoring.

“I began to get frustrated as a result of the ballooning medical bill, which I was to foot at my own expense,” he said. He said he was told to pay US$400 upfront. Fortunately, his sister was around to assist with the payment.

To his astonishment however, he had to fork out more money for further surgery before doctors could operate his leg.

Proponents of the Road Accident Fund argue that the scheme is a three-pronged approach which will support and directly contribute to the growth of the economy, at the same time providing cover in the form of indemnity insurance to persons who cause the accident, as well as personal injury and death insurance to victims of motor vehicle accidents and their families.

“Road accidents have a negative consequence on economic growth as they affect economically active members of society,” said insurance expert Mr Luckson Mhembere.

He said the Road Accident Fund will provide a social security safety net to the country and economy by making available compulsory social insurance cover to all road users in the country.

The continued suffering which victims of road accidents endure has also prompted passengers to come up with a body, which is specifically meant to champion and protect the right of the passengers.

Recently formed Passengers Association of Zimbabwe co-ordinator, Tafadzwa Goliati said their association was formed to provide a unified voice and effective action towards protecting the rights and ensuring the safety of public vehicle transport passengers in Zimbabwe.

“We aim to ensure that there is a reduction in the death and injuries of public transport vehicle passengers due to bus disasters and also that bus and kombi fares are kept reasonable and are consistent, irrespective of peak and off-peak hours,” he said.

Mr Goliati said they also seek to have legal representation for passengers involved in road accidents and to foot medical expenses through group insurance schemes.

However, amid the continued increase in accidents on the country’s roads, some sections of the society have attributed this rise to incompetent and ill-equipped drivers allegedly being churned out from the country’s vehicle training and licensing system.

There is alleged rampant corruption within the vehicle training and licensing systems where officials and driving school agents are said to be behind the issuance of sham vehicle drivers’ licences.

It has also been suggested that some vehicle and licensing officers are operating driving schools, which is a clear violation of the conflict of interest rule.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Transport and Infrastructural Development, Johannes Pedzapasi, the chief vehicle inspector in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, said they had taken up the matter of fraudulent acquisition of drivers’ licences to the Zimbabwe Traffic Safety Council which superintends over driving schools.

Pedzapasi said 20 staffers had been fired for corruption since 2009 while more than 140 driver’s licences have been cancelled. At one stage, the Chiredzi depot was closed for the same reason.

Whilst the minimum age requirement for public transport drivers is 25 years, drivers below that age continue to navigate the country’s highways.

Police say as the holidays begin, they will be out in full force to ensure that strict stipulated road regulations are adhered to.

National Police spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, said police will maintain a heavy presence on the road to reduce carnage and curb criminal activities during the holiday festivities.

“I would also like to urge motorists to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy,” he said.