Can road traffic accidents be reduced in Zimbabwe?

Many lives have been lost due to road traffic accidents (RTAs) on Zimbabwe's road networks. It is now a perennial expectation to see an increase in casualties during public holidays especially the prolonged festive season. If we know something is going to happen, then surely we can do something about it. This may involve more public awareness and traffic police presence without harassment. 

Both the drivers of public transport and the passengers must take responsibility for the safety of everyone involved. It is easy to blame government for the date of the roads and unroadworthy vehicles and rightly so but it is equally important that we all take responsibility for the lives of those who travel on the roads. 

Drivers need to ensure that they are well rested before embarking on long distance journeys. They also need to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy and are regularly checked for faults that may endanger lives. Businesses must invest profits back into servicing the vehicles and buying new tyres which are a common cause of RTAs in the hot African weather. Passengers must inspect and refuse to board vehicles that are visibly not fit for purpose. This is a difficult ask as many people consider them fortunate to find transport. Being choosy can be a disadvantage but it could save lives. Long distance bus drivers are sometimes seen drinking alcohol during short breaks at growth points and this does not seem to bother the majority of passengers. 

I drove to Victoria Falls from Bulawayo once and encountered a truck without lights!!! I had intended not to drive at night but left Bulawayo a bit later than planned. When I got to the next roadblock I told the traffic police not to bother me because there was a guy without headlights behind me. They quickly let me pass. 

Talking of roadblocks, I realised that the traffic police don't take great care in choosing a spot to stop cars. There was one roadblock dangerously placed at a curve in the dark. They stand in the middle of a 120km/h highway and expect every car to stop. There have been incidences where some have been unfortunately run over. I've told some that they're wrongly positioned and could potentially cause accidents and they never take kindly to this free advice. 

I just don't want to focus on what government could do to reduce RTAs because that might take decades to get to them, implementation is not their strongest of points. As individuals there are precautions we can take. My brief experiences in August 2014 whilst on holiday made me realise that driving at night is asking for serious trouble. Domestic animals such as cows and donkeys cross or sleep on the warm tarmac and have caused many accidents. Just don't drive at night. If it's not the animals, it's the impatient drivers overtaking on bends causing fatal head on collisions. I witnessed many near misses between Bulawayo and Gweru one evening. There were cows in the middle of the road! The general advice is to avoid driving at night. 

Speeding on the new roads is a problem. Potholes slow cars down but when they get to a clear stretch they seem to want to make up for lost time. The result is over speeding and overtaking even when it is not safe to do so. The newer more powerful models seem to be owned by the more impatient drivers. They want to overtake no matter what. The consequences may be fatal. 

Drink driving also seems to be a problem. Zimbabwe has a number of bottle stores they call watering holes. Historically watering holes are places where animals go for a drink of water. Pubs have become too expensive for most drinkers and the watering holes are the new favourite drinking places. The horrible sight is that of drinkers clearly buying beers and sitting in their cars to drink for hours. Drink driving has caused many accidents on the roads. The responsible thing is to stop getting rides in cars where the driver has been drinking. I lost 3 friends in one accident a few years ago. 

Many of the accidents on our roads are avoidable if we avoid driving at night, drink driving, overtaking unnecessarily, and taking personal responsibility for our own safety by refusing to be driven by a driver under the influence and boarding visibly unroadworthy public transport. Check your tyres and avoid a burst tyre. Fellow passengers on a kombi minibus were not amused when I once raised concern that the driver was dozing off whilst driving. Amazing true story. We've got to start taking responsibility for our own lives.