Friday, March 29, 2024

Road accidents have claimed 400 since January-RTSA

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Zambia Botswana bus from Lundazi that was involved in an accident at Mnoro area about 10 kilometers to Chipata on the Chipata-Lundazi road
Zambia Botswana bus from Lundazi that was involved in an accident at Mnoro area about 10 kilometers to Chipata on the Chipata-Lundazi road

The number of people who have died on Zambian roads since the start of 2012 has hit a record 400 from 6,000 road traffic accidents recorded.

Road Transport and Safety Agency Spokesperson Mercy Mwila-Khozi said in an interview in Lusaka that by end of July this year, road carnage had claimed 400 people mostly due to human error.

Mrs. Mwila-Khozi said the number of people dying on Zambian roads had continued to rise despite numerous efforts by stakeholders to improve road safety.

She said road traffic accidents is now one of the top three causes of death in Zambia which needs to be reversed.

“We have continued losing many lives due to road accidents and we have suddenly seen a rise in the numbers since the start of 2012,” Mrs. Mwila-Khozi said.

Mwila-Khozi also revealed that RTSA has since submitted a report to the Office of the Vice President on the increase in road accidents in Zambia.

“The report is ready and has been submitted to his Honour, the Vice President’s office and we have detailed strategies we hope if implemented could help reduce the number of people we are losing on our roads,” she said.

The RTSA Spokesperson also called for increasing support from all stakeholders in efforts aimed at improving road safety.

“Road accidents are now an economic issue. It is becoming costly for Zambia to lose so many people on our roads. It is also affecting our GDP and thereby increasing poverty levels.”

“This is not a RTSA issue alone and this is why at the beginning of this year, the RTSA, Zambia Police Service, Road Development Agency (RDA) and the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) in recognising that road traffic crashes were a scourge that needed concerted effort created a joint enforcement strategy, which has resulted in these organisations working as a team,” Mrs. Mwila-Khozi said.

She also defended the performance of RTSA in administering road safety in Zambia.

“As an agency, together with collaborating partners we have done very well in accordance with our mandate although we have faced some challenges such as inadequate human resource.”

“Zambia’s total network of 67,000 km and a core road network of 40,000 km, the difference if road safety was left to RTSA alone is that (1) RTSA officer is expected to enforce at least 200 km of the road network daily because the agency’s current set up is only 197 members of staff since inception,” she added.

She said the 197 members of staff are distributed to over 25 RTSA stations countrywide making it difficult to police the entire road network in the country.

“Infact the 197 approved staff establishment is comprised primarily of the administrative staff and only three Road traffic inspectors and those are expected to enforce the entire road network in Zambia.”

The RTSA Spokesperson however noted that the government is committed to changing the landscape and in July 2012 approved increasing the Agency Structure to 370 staff.

22 COMMENTS

  1. This is sad. The reason for the high road mortality rate is obvious: many Zambian motorists disregard the law. How often do we hear of driving licences being obtained without tests? How many times do motorists bribe their way out of legal consequences when stopped by police? How many times do we see mini-bus driving wrecklessly? How often do people drink and drive?

    It all adds up to miserable statistics. The law exists to protect citizens but many of our people treat it with contempt.

  2. RTSA IS IT A ZAMBIAN COMPANY? RTSA IS SECOND FROM ZRA IN TERMS OF COLLECTION OF REVENUE, SO RTSA CAN EMPLOYER MORE THAN 1000 TRAFFIC OFFICER TO CONTROL ALL THE PROBLEM WE ARE FACING ON THE ROAD.

  3. RTSA is crap, if u have have tried to put up measures to reduce death then getting negative results en u r jst another banch of PF ball bags.

  4. The major factor is increased traffic on our same 1964 road network and since we have no railway system worth mentioning, everything including heavy industrial and mining equipment is transported and hauled on our poor road network. Most of these accidents are head-on-collisions on major intercity roads and not the inner city ones.
    I visited my country last yr drove on these roads and witnessed near mishaps. One is driving and then suddenly there are 4 heavy duty trucks ahead moving at 35km/h on a 70km/h road and he wants to pass them. Most risked passing and half way in the process another truck emerges from the opposite direction.
    Make these intercity roads dual carriage and this needless road carnage will reduce substantially. In their current state, our Zed roads are simply not safe

  5. Zambians are being sacrificed by satanists whose names are derived from SATAN father of covetousness. The country need to know that the 90 days covenant was a satanic one. This is why even Satan could not move into statehouse immediately because his covenant was to stay at his Rhodespark House for 90s or else. And as soon as that was observed he moved now let the sheep be slaughtered. To all Zambians of deep intercession, note that you need spiritual contentment like never before because contentment moves us away from idolatry the nation has sadly risked with and closer to the heart of God. Covetousness distances humanity from God and drives us to the altars of idolatry as PF is pushing hard. See the kidnapping under darknesss and deportation of a man of God for talking on social justice.

  6. Just in 2012, a staggering 874 Zambian lives have been sacrificed in ritual murders and accidents. Are Zambians safe under this web of satanists? Be the judge.

  7. Just in 2012, 874 lives lost?I dont think Zambian has ever recorded such high number of death through accidents. My God, Zambia has just become a failed State!

  8. Trying to sound academic when infact talking crap. Tell us how this has affected the GDP since you have statistics. Can you show us the correration and how this translates into % decrease in GDP as per your claim. Surely having a RTS mortality of 40 per month is unprecedented. But the you so called RTSA are as much to blame. How many licences have you sold to drivers? Are you not top on list on corruption together with your cousins ZP. I remember how back then i would staty on queue for hours on age to get musoknko for my rech while others wud spend only seconds thru bribes. RATSA is rotten and stinks to the core and no amount of dull blubbing from you will change things. Just a little restraint on corruption would go a long way not ve uingo bwatabwata iwe ka Mercy, i thought you stopped

  9. Road safety is more than just policing. Its also about inproving infrastructure. Most of our roads are bad, signs have been stolen and road markings are non-existent. Fix that then start policing!!!

  10. Infact this number is way too low compared to the number of road accidents. 400 fatalities from 6000 accidents is not bad, coz it could have been 3000 looking at probability ratios. Expect the number to increase unless otherwise.

  11. We accused Levy of sacrificing Kawambwa youths, now should we admit that Ukwa is also sacrificing? I remember Ukwa rushed to Nyimba bus crushed and used the deaths as campaign material. He promised dual carriage from Chipata to Lusaka during those funerals.

  12. Ba Mercy, you don’t know what you are talking about. There’s more traffic on the roads. Done well! My foot! The roads are just being resurfaced or being tarred. What RTSA should do is carry out a feasibility study to assess the road network capacity and stop issuing corruption tainted licences. Clean up your house before you talk.Yes, I ll go there…….the dual carriage way between Ndola and Kitwe was constructed way back in the UNIP era. All main roads in the country need motorways. Your duty is to recommend to the government with properly researched data. Not telling us rubbish which even a bushman wouldn’t even listen to. In short our road network is not coping with increased traffic. We knew that 4 decades ago. Ask KK. Fake licenses from your department have come home to roost.

  13. ADOPT THE BRITISH WAY OF DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) OF TEACHING DRIVING. I THINK THE BRITISH ARE THE BEST IN THIS. ONE SHOULD BE A CHINAMA TO CARELESSLY CAUSE A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHEN IT ALSO COME TO THEIR LAWS ON DRIVING. PEOPLE WHO GO THROUGH THE DVLA TRAINING AUTOMATICALLY BECOME VERY RESPONSIBLE ON THE ROAD EVEN IN GENERAL PUBLIC LIFE. I HAVE ATTENDED PARTIES WHERE EVEN ZAMBIANS SIMPLY AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL CITING THAT, “I AM DRIVING”, WHICH IS UN USUAL IN ZAMBIA BECAUSE EVEN A TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICER WHO IS BREATH-TAKING YOU WAS JUST IN SWIMMING POOL OF ALCOHOL B4 REPORTING FOR DUTY. SO, BRITISH WAY IS THE BEST- A WRITTEN TEST AND AFTER YOU PASS IT, THEN A PRACTICAL TEST.

  14. This is shallow! The contributing factors are;
    1. Overloading of our poorly maintain road network. This is mainly due to Trucks going to Congo DR which make-up more than 80% of the heavy goods traffic
    Possible solutions
    1. Force Congo DR to repair our roads just as they do for mufulira-Mansa road
    2. Force DRC to use our rail network
    3. Triple the transit trucks fees to raise enough money for maintenance of the roads 

  15. The first point: a vehicle is a piece of engineering architecture which PEOPLE who interact with it should learn; drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike. it is time we took a scientific approach to solving the road accident problem in Zambia. The driver – vehicle – road (environment) interaction is a complex interaction which must be investigated scientifically and recommendations made to practically reduce accidents. Submission by Vehicle Safety Expert.

  16. If I was director of infrastructure planning at RDA, this is what I would do:
    (i) Call for a meeting with RTSA and Police to Identify and List priority areas or shall I say “blakc spots”; E.G. all up-hill areas be given 2 lanes (slow and fast lanes)
    (ii) Give contracts for road widening 10km of all black spots
    (iii) Repeat this process every year for the next 10 years
    (iv) You will have a minimum dual carriage on all roads.
    (v) Then pray to God that RTSA can train drivers properly.
    If you cannot do these things; stop crying and continue praying to a wrong god who will not listen to your prayers. The true God (Jehovah) requires that we Plan; Implement; Monitor; and Control; and continue doing the same till paradise comes.
    Free knowledge for you.

  17. I hope your life more wonderful’s a I??m very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there. post.

  18. Number 17, Kibinda waba kabwa: You would be the dullest planing manager at RDA with your useless strategy, thank God you are not closer to being one and u cannever be including ur uneducated clan, even from your name one can tell that you are called “Kabwa” in shot kagalu, no wonder u vomit rubbish.

    • Mmmm on what basis have you called my suggestion the “dullest planning” manager Akulu Mphuno? I think you did not understand the strategy. Baba, when you have a big problem you need to identify areas of reducing the problem into smaller ones. Zambia’s high rate of accidents is not due to “human error alone” rather; due to poor road network. So you widen the roads by creating a dual carriage way in specific areas; say, 10km for every 40km. Have you ever driven Chingola-Kitwe road recently? If you have, you will realise that my suggestion would be most welcome in the short term. anyway, this is a blog and you do not come here to call your friends “galu”; Kibinda waba kabwa does not mean what you have said; but its your right to insult; so go ahead.

  19. #19: Akulu Mphuno – yes i vomited and am happy to be called a kabwa. your comment will never take away my suggestion. LT is not a place to come and show off your stupidity or your ignorance by insulting. RDA has never produced any work worth being proud of except allowing massive pilfering. If my suggestion is stupid, then why give a contractor advance of 50bln ZMK on fake papers only do discover that the contractor has vanished? why give a road ontract to a “materials testing company” only do discover that it cannot perform? Ati ba educated!!

  20. RTSA IS TALKING CRAP. WHY CANT YOU BELIEVE THAT 90% ARE ALCOHOL CASES? INCLUDING TRAFFIC AND RTSA OFFICERS ALSO DRINK ON DUTY. CANT THIS SIMPLY SINK TO YOU GUYS? THE FAMILY TO FAMILY 24 ACCIDENT MUST SUE LCC FOR NOT PAINTING THE ISLANDS IN LUSAKA, AND RTSA FOR ALLOWING THAT DRUNK DRIVER TO KILL PEOPLE. JUDICIARY PLEASE HELP US HELPLESS PEOPLE!!!!!

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