Easter road accidents decrease by a margin

By Shingirirai Muchena

The just-ended Easter holidays have witnessed a marked reduction in road traffic accidents recorded over the Easter holidays.

A period usually reserved for traveling is also marked by an increase in the number of road traffic accidents and with it deaths and injuries along the way but this year efforts by stakeholders including the police and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe have to a certain extent reaped rewards as witnessed by the reduced number of traffic accidents during the Easter holiday period for the year 2024 as compared to the same period last year 2023.

The Easter period of 2023 saw 288 road traffic accidents occurring during this period whereas 2024 witnessed 286 road traffic accidents as shown by statistics released by the Zimbabwe Republic police on their X handle.

However, during the same period under review 16 fatal road accidents took place in 2023 whilst 2024 has seen an upsurge in the number of fatal accidents with 26 being recorded over the recently concluded holiday season.

The period under review also saw a reduction in a number of people killed in 2023 a total of 29 lives were lost on the country’s roads but in 2024 the number was reduced by 2 as in 2024 only 27 perished on the roads.

It should be noted that whilst no life is worth losing the decrease in the number of lives lost should be celebrated as it is a clear indication that efforts by the Police and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development to curb the number of road accidents and deaths have been taken heed of by road users.

Analysis by the police has brought to light that most accidents recorded during the Easter holiday were due to speeding, drivers not paying attention, misjudgment, overtaking error, and failure to observe road rules and regulations all of which have been spoken and advocated against by regulators including police and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) both of whom are the custodians of road rules and regulations.

It should be noted that no major fatal road accidents were recorded as most fatal accidents involved private motor vehicles and in some instances pedestrians became victims.

In one fatal accident on the 30th of March 2024 a pedestrian yet to be identified was killed near a rail crossing after being hit by a Honda Fit along Percy Iboston in Cowdray Park Bulawayo. In another fatal road traffic accident, a yet-to-be-identified man was hit by a Nissan NV 350 vehicle while attempting to cross Seke Road near Delport Road.

Another serious road accident occurred on Easter Monday at the 119-kilometer peg along Masvingo Mutare road 62 people were injured when a Passion Link Coaches bus carrying 72 congregants veered off the road to the left before landing on its roof.

These among other road accidents always increase the volume of calls to have road users observe and respect road regulations whenever they are on the road because turning a blind eye to any of them leads to dire consequences.

Motorists and stakeholders have been urged to have a change of mindset when it comes to road safety during holidays with the police imploring drivers to avoid speeding in situations that are not safe to do so and overtaking when conditions on the road are not favourable to them.