The Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) is saddened by the loss of 17 people who died when a light Canter truck they were travelling on plunged into Shoprite Checkers Mazabuka branch in the early hours of today.
Southern Province Police Chief Mary Chikwanda confirmed that the accident was caused by excessive speeding by the driver.
ZRST Chairman Daniel Mwamba has since urged transporters to be equally responsible for road safety.
Mr Mwamba called on government and other stakeholders to immediately offer suitable training to all their professional drivers as part of a broader risk management system to help in reducing accidents in Zambia.
He disclosed that the Trust would develop a practical organisational road safety guide in consultation with the Road Transport Safety Agency (RTSA).
Mr Mwamba said the guide would help the road users to act accordingly when accidents occur.
“We’re upset by this senseless tragedy and I’m calling upon all transporters or truck owners to immediately offer suitable training to all their professional drivers as part of a broader risk management system, which would help in reducing accidents in the country,” he said.
This was contained in a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
Mr Mwamba observed that professional drivers have a higher risk of being involved in a traffic accident because most of their working time is spent on the road.
According to the Police in Zambia, statistics indicate that over 2000 people are killed every year and tens of thousands seriously injured.
The figures further state that Zambia is one of the worst performing countries where road safety is concerned.
But Transport, Works, Supply and Communications Deputy Minister Richwell Siamunene said government was concerned about the high number of road traffic accidents in the country.
Mr Siamunene recently said road carnages and injuries have become the third major killer after HIV/AIDS and malaria.
He said road accidents have also become a drain to national resources because of the cost associated with attending to the injured and dead people.
And Southern Province Police Commissioner Mary Chikwanda told AFP that the Canter truck carrying mainly fishermen from Lusaka to Monze failed to stop at a traffic light and hit a Shoprite store in Mazabuka before overturning.
The driver, who also died on the spot, was speeding and so he failed to stop at the traffic light and went straight into Shoprite.
The first time I visited mazabuka in2001 I point out about that road which just curved straight in the face of the shops as a biggest hazard in mazabuka town centre. Why cant you detour it so that we completely eliminate the hazard. That is not the first or last accident to have occurred at that spot. The earlier the town planners move in quick the better otherwise we will be talking about it forever.
Sure Shoprite for building in the road
TRANSPORTERS NOT TO TRANSPORT PEOPLE ON LORRIES BUT CARRIAGES (BUSES, TRAINS, ETC) AND NOT:
“Zambia Road Safety Trust urges transporters to be responsible on roads”
@3 ZAMBIA POLICE IT WAS REPORTED IN ZAMBIA IS THE MOST CORRUPT INSTITUTION IN ZAMBIA. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT A LORRY LADEN WITH HUMAN BEINGS PASSED THROUGH POLICE ROAD BLOKE. EACH PASSENGER REPRESENTED AN AMOUNT BRIBED TO THE POLICE OFFICERS ON THAT ROAD BLOKE. EVEN TOMORROW A SIMILAR ACCIDENT WILL HAPPEN- YOU CAN CUT MY FINGER ON THIS.
How did that truck over loaded with people pass that roadblock at kafue. This shows how collapt our police are. So they were given a k50 and it has caused the loss of 18 our precious human resources. Ratsa must follow up this issue and charge the police who were maning the check point that night. And carrying of people on light trucks should be banned, if iam not mistaken it was banned that time of kawambwa accident. This means our law enforcement don’t take serious these directives. How i wish this will be an eye opener to police, not ukufimonela fwe mudalama. When you see such trucks with people charge the driver and remove the people from the truck. I t also goes to us passengers who don’t value our safety, just because it is cheap to use these trucks and we risk our lives. MSORIP
Hello this is new educated zambia. I am an official representative of the upnd working with that party to mobilize support via social platforms. Most of you who blog on tumfweko will know me as i have been very successful in convincing many followers to join the winning team UPND. I am now hoping to do the same here. I know i will face alot of criticism as i did on tumfweko but i can assure you that i will not leave any stone unturned. i can already see a cretin called senior citizen seems to be a lost cause. I know that he was mmd before and seems to be a political prostitute. Good evening zambia. NEZ x
Hello this is new educated zambia. I am an official representative of the upnd working with that party to mobilize support via social platforms. Most of you who blog on tumfweko will know me as i have been very successful in convincing many followers to join the winning team UPND. I am now hoping to do the same here. I know i will face alot of criticism as i did on tumfweko but i can assure you that i will not leave any stone unturned. i can already see a cretin called senior citizen seems to be a lost cause. I know that he was mmd before and seems to be a political prostitute. Good evening zambia. NEZ the one and only
President Lungu shall overhaul all boards. Let there be people with experience in relevant fields on all boards and not party cadres or relatives. Get the best brains with integrity to sit on the boards and committees to deliver the best for the people of Zambia. Anybody can yap after an incident.