The Sunday Mail
Government should seriously consider banning use of public service vehicles at night as part of measures to reduce road traffic accidents, a senior police officer has said.
This follows a series of fatal accidents involving long-distance buses in 2017, with last Wednesday’s King Lion crash, which killed 43 people, among the deadliest.
On the night of April 5, a haulage truck side-swiped another cross-border passenger transporter along the Harare-Masvingo Road, killing 31 people.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said, “In Zambia, no public service vehicle is allowed on the roads at night. We need similar measures here as a means to manage this problem.
“It is an area our Government needs to look at. It is proven that night-driving has many disadvantages, especially regarding visibility. Visibility is at a minimum during the night, and this usually results in drivers making a lot of mistakes that can, at times, result in serious accidents.”
In 2016, Zambia banned driving long-distance haulage trucks and public buses at night (from 9pm to 5am). Violation attracts three months’ imprisonment or a fine of K300 (US$32).
Snr Asst Comm Charamba added: “We have set up 24-hour call centres where members of the public can call in and report instances of speeding on the roads. You can call any of these numbers whenever you notice a speeding vehicle on the roads: (04) 703631 or 748836.
“We have a mechanism that enables our officers on the ground to stop the offending driver at the next tollgate whenever such a report is received.”
Government is preparing to introduce new road regulations that will see serial violators’ driver’s licences revoked.
