Thu, 28 Dec 2017 09:51:51 +0000
By SANDRA MACHIMA
TRAFFIC police officers have been urged not to concentrate on targeting motor vehicles with expired licence discs but instead monitor other traffic violations to prevent accidents.
Zambia Road Safety Trust senior communications advisor Mailos Mwale said traffic police officers should avoid focusing on expired licence discs but check for other traffic violations and motor vehicle defects that might cause accidents.
“Too often the police officers are targeting motorists for expired licence discs, which, quite frankly, is never going to lead to a reduction of road deaths.
“These officers need to be deployed on the roads to also monitor traffic violations, such as reckless and negligent driving,” he said. Mr Mwale said his organisation was disappointed at the increased number of road deaths recorded during the Christmas period this year compared to 2016 despite the annual drunk driving crackdown.
According to the figures released by the Zambia Police, about 234 road traffic accidents had been recorded countrywide, from December 22, 2017 at 18 00 hours to 26th December, 2017 at 06 00 hours, out of which 18 were fatal road traffic accidents in which 22 people died, 32 were serious road traffic accidents in which 52 people were seriously injured.
In the same period last year- 2016 from 23rd December, 2016 at 18 00 hours to December, 27 2016 at 06 00 hours, the country had recorded 201 accidents out of which 15 were fatal road traffic accidents in which 20 people died, 12 were serious road traffic accidents in which 34 people were seriously injured.
Mr Mwale said, “we have said it before many times, and we will continue saying that not enough is being done to stop the carnage on our roads, because year in and year out we are being given statistics that either stay marginally similar to the previous years’ figures, or, sadly, are increasing,” he said.
He said unless proper implementable plans were formulated, and put in motion now, nothing much would change in as far as reducing accidents on roads is concerned.
“One of the first steps needed now is for the Ministry of Transport, the Road Transport Safety Agency (RTSA) the police and all stakeholders involved in road safety, including the ZRST, to begin looking at how this situation can be turned around,” Mr Mwale said.
