NOT a week passes without screaming headlines and distressing news stories on the needless and avoidable loss of lives on our roads due to bad driving behaviour.
No matter how many times and how vociferous we commit to act to end the scourge, the carnage continues regardless.
Worryingly, we risk the danger of becoming inured to such bad news.
Scientists call this phenomenon “emotional numbing” or “desensitisation”, which is a process of gradually becoming less sensitive or responsive to stimulus or situations due to repeated exposure.
It often leads to feelings of detachment or apathy.
It is believed that when people are frequently exposed to bad news, the initial shock or emotional impact diminishes as a natural coping mechanism.
They also say over time, bad news begins to feel normal or expected, leading to a sense of resignation or apathy.
Furthermore, through cognitive dissonance, people tend to reduce the discomfort of constant negativity by unconsciously downplaying the severity of the news in order to distance themselves emotionally.
But whatever and whichever the case, we cannot afford to be apathetic.
At various fora, President Mnangagwa continues to reiterate that “we must do everything possible to prevent this unjustified loss of life”.
It is, therefore, comforting to hear that the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) — a statutory body mandated to promote road safety — has begun clamping down on driving schools, with five having been deregistered since the beginning of the year.
If bread is poorly baked, we can only blame the baker.
The quality and attitude of most of our drivers are a manifestation of something that is awfully wrong with how they are moulded by driving schools.
Even the behaviour of the driving instructors, evidenced by the flagrant disregard for road rules when they are behind the wheel, leaves a lot to be desired.
So, the TSCZ should in fact double down on ensuring that driving schools strictly follow laid-down rules and regulations.
That driving school instructors have been colluding with Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) officials to guarantee driver’s licences upon the payment of an “inducement” has always been a public secret.
This is perhaps because the road test seems to be discretionary, with a pass or fail mainly dependent on the whims and caprices of the VID officer.
This leaves prospective drivers at the mercy of VID officers.
Surely, a lifestyle audit of these officers will suffice.
But the duty to save lives is not Government’s alone — everyone should play their part.
Far too often, we see maniacs masquerading as drivers of private companies.
If only these firms could use technologies to monitor and regulate the behaviour of their employees, they could, in their own small way, save lives and their assets as well.
Recently, the Government, through Statutory Instrument 118 of 2023, made it mandatory for all public service vehicles to be fitted with speed-limiting devices to ensure that they could not exceed 100 kilometres per hour.
This was after revelations that bus accidents were mainly caused by speeding.
But even after this intervention, we continue to see buses that are speeding on our highways, which means the law is being disregarded.
But the onus is on bus operators to ensure compliance with the rules because they also stand to lose the most.
Even passengers have a role to play, too, simply because they also stand to lose what is most dear to them — their lives.
In many instances, we only hear passengers complaining of bad driving behaviour after the fact.
It is their duty and responsibility to report rogue drivers.
So, the trinity of the Government, bus operators and the public has a role to play to safeguard precious lives.
Again, we cannot afford to be apathetic about the daily tragedy unfolding on our roads.
We should remember that beyond those statistics is a loved mother, father, brother, sister and relative.
The time to act is now.
Govt should increase scrutiny on driving schools
NOT a week passes without screaming headlines and distressing news stories on the needless and avoidable loss of lives on our roads due to bad driving behaviour.
No matter how many times and how vociferous we commit to act to end the scourge, the carnage continues regardless.
Worryingly, we risk the danger of becoming inured to such bad news.
Scientists call this phenomenon “emotional numbing” or “desensitisation”, which is a process of gradually becoming less sensitive or responsive to stimulus or situations due to repeated exposure.
It often leads to feelings of detachment or apathy.
It is believed that when people are frequently exposed to bad news, the initial shock or emotional impact diminishes as a natural coping mechanism.
They also say over time, bad news begins to feel normal or expected, leading to a sense of resignation or apathy.
Furthermore, through cognitive dissonance, people tend to reduce the discomfort of constant negativity by unconsciously downplaying the severity of the news in order to distance themselves emotionally.
But whatever and whichever the case, we cannot afford to be apathetic.
At various fora, President Mnangagwa continues to reiterate that “we must do everything possible to prevent this unjustified loss of life”.
It is, therefore, comforting to hear that the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) — a statutory body mandated to promote road safety — has begun clamping down on driving schools, with five having been deregistered since the beginning of the year.
If bread is poorly baked, we can only blame the baker.
The quality and attitude of most of our drivers are a manifestation of something that is awfully wrong with how they are moulded by driving schools.
Even the behaviour of the driving instructors, evidenced by the flagrant disregard for road rules when they are behind the wheel, leaves a lot to be desired.
So, the TSCZ should in fact double down on ensuring that driving schools strictly follow laid-down rules and regulations.
That driving school instructors have been colluding with Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) officials to guarantee driver’s licences upon the payment of an “inducement” has always been a public secret.
This is perhaps because the road test seems to be discretionary, with a pass or fail mainly dependent on the whims and caprices of the VID officer.
This leaves prospective drivers at the mercy of VID officers.
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Surely, a lifestyle audit of these officers will suffice.
But the duty to save lives is not Government’s alone — everyone should play their part.
Far too often, we see maniacs masquerading as drivers of private companies.
If only these firms could use technologies to monitor and regulate the behaviour of their employees, they could, in their own small way, save lives and their assets as well.
Recently, the Government, through Statutory Instrument 118 of 2023, made it mandatory for all public service vehicles to be fitted with speed-limiting devices to ensure that they could not exceed 100 kilometres per hour.
This was after revelations that bus accidents were mainly caused by speeding.
But even after this intervention, we continue to see buses that are speeding on our highways, which means the law is being disregarded.
But the onus is on bus operators to ensure compliance with the rules because they also stand to lose the most.
Even passengers have a role to play, too, simply because they also stand to lose what is most dear to them — their lives.
In many instances, we only hear passengers complaining of bad driving behaviour after the fact.
It is their duty and responsibility to report rogue drivers.
So, the trinity of the Government, bus operators and the public has a role to play to safeguard precious lives.
Again, we cannot afford to be apathetic about the daily tragedy unfolding on our roads.
We should remember that beyond those statistics is a loved mother, father, brother, sister and relative.
The time to act is now.
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