A DRIVER of Ticklays Coach Service has died while 33 passengers sustained injuries after the bus on which they were travelling collided with a truck laden with copper concentrates on the Kitwe-Chingola road.
Copperbelt deputy commissioner of police Byemba Musole said yesterday that the accident happened on Sunday around 20:40 hours.
Mr Musole identified the deceased as Augustine Phiri of Lusaka’s Chelston.
He said the accident happened opposite the Food Reserve Agency depot in Chambishi.
“Mr Phiri suffered multiple head injuries and was taken to Kitwe Central Hospital where he died,” Mr Musole said.
He said 25 out of the 33 injured passengers were treated and discharged.
What a waste of lives & resources? How can these accidents be happening like this? Was beer and speed involved? was one of them trying to overtake? Why can’t people entrusted to maintain the roads put up overtaking lanes to avoid these accidents?
I have driven on this road while on holiday and its simply a death trap.
There’s heavy traffic with trucks ladden with all sorts of materials literally crawling in either direction, while cars and buses with passengers are i a hurry to reach their destinations.
The impatient ones take risks, overtaking a convoy of 3 or 4 trucks at once and sometimes drive into a curved part of the road risking a head-on collision.
There are potholes and in some sections huge chunks of the road are erroded creating huge pits forcing motorists to swerve right onto oncoming traffic.
You have to figure out as there are no warnings put up by RTSA, RDA or Police and in Zambia we accept this as normal until tragedyhits family or loved one.
Warning: Never drive on Zed roads at night
Gen,
Very true man. Those ma ridges formed on roads due to trucks digging in poorly constructed roads. If you are driving at 100km/hr on these ridges the car just moves side wards without your control. And I am sure many of such head on collision are because of the ma ridges. I found that the road blocks also have contributed to these ridges when trucks stop on the road.
I actually told people I was driving ati this road seems to push me towards the on coming vehicles.
Please bwan GRZ let us make sure these contractors build proper roads.
Kapiri to kabwe road is very impressive.
Too sad. RTSA should by now have conducted a detailed research/investigation into the causes of the many accidents. Theories could have emerged or some hypotheses tested, and on that basis begin to address common specific causes of accidents identified by research. Otherwise, fatal accidents involving loss of many lives have slowly been “accepted” by RTSA as just “part of normal”, and therefore after a fatal accident life continues.
This road does not need statistic data to conclude what the cause of accidents. Drive on this road you will not waste your time doing statistics. The road is bad and has too much traffic to and flo and the number of trucks carrying copper and other items are in huge numbers.
First this is how dumb we Zambians are we have a rail line and ZR is making record loses but we are using the roads to transport copper which is a very heavy material causing damage on the road. Here man you don’t need RTSA to do any statistics which will cost tax payers. Dual road should be finished urgently. Actually dual road should run from chingola to Lsk.
This is one of the deadliest roads. 3 weeks ago I drove on this road and I concluded that is one dangerous road. Please Edgar Lungu minimize on trips and work on this road urgently please. No politics please bwana president.
One would be very sirprised to see what isaw yesterday on traffic accident involving tickly and mining haulage truck as the area where it occured is a very wide area where under normal circumstances the accident could have been avoid at all times. My daughter was involved in this accident and a person who drives between soowezi and chingola have noticed that our drivers dont like giving each chances when on the road, especially, these buses like jitotwe, tickly, jordan and trucks carrying coper. They think they have the right of way at all times.
I was wondering how that accident happened there. I grew up in Chambishi and I know quite well the location of the FRA deport. Its puzzles me that the accident took place there, because after Chambishi going to Chingola then the road becomes a death trap. If you haven’t been to Chingola I will sternly warn you not to overtake after Chambishi turn-off.
We are always competing on the road. The Kalulushi- Kitwe road is clearly marked where NOT TO OVERTAKE, but our mini bus drivers don’t seem to see these signs: they just speed and overtake. Yesterday a cyclist was killed on this road by an over speeding/overtaking mini bus. They even speed over humps not caring what happens to the vehicle suspension. Blame is on the police- they have taken to money more than preventing accidents
Coach bus drivers and these truckers carrying copper are a nuisance on Solwezi and Chingola/ Mufulira roads, can some one take charge to cane these notorious drivers?
Zambia twa sebana, copper rich nation blah blah blah!!!
I use this road alot, and just last week on thursday i used Sabina route when coming from mufulira to kitwe then Ndola, its true some ridges, move the vehicle sideways, without realising one can easily be moved to the lane of the on coming traffic….. its very dangerous, please finish the roads quickly, I noticed the works on this road have even paused why?
As long as the leadership does not priritise the needy areas for road improvement, this will continue to bog Zambians. There is always a tendence to sideline research. As a nation let us for once listen to the researchers it be on roads and people movement. A lot of papers have been written pinpointing at some very needy roads that require more attention, but the powers that be always work on appeasing other areas that are not even in any danger as regards movement of peple. I am also wondering why the mine conglomorated never invest in improving the sizes of these roads, all they do is exploiting the resources. In the past at least they used to put up schools and good roads. RDA is just too broke to look into such issues alone. Death trap indeed these roads are and this we all know, so wh
That is a very busy road and there must be serious caution at all time. The speed limit must also be adjusted in that area and more road lights put. It is good that many lives were spared even though the driver died. MHSRIP
We are always competing on the road. The Kalulushi- Kitwe road is clearly marked where NOT TO OVERTAKE, but our mini bus drivers don’t seem to see these signs: they just speed and overtake. Yesterday a cyclist was killed on this road by an over speeding/overtaking mini bus. They even speed over humps not caring what happens to the vehicle suspension. Blame is on the police- they have taken to money more than preventing accidents. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE OLD TYPE POLICE FORCE?
I am on this road every day. The area where the accident happened is so wide. One would wonder what exactly was in the driver’s minds. First there are pot holes, next a turn into ZCCZ economic zone, a few meters FRA Depot turn off, another few meters, a turn into NFCA that’s just before the rail-road crossing. We are talking about less than a kilometer. How/what speed to have such an impact mwebantu?
Its is quite sad to lose people in a situation which could have been avoided,may the affected families be strong in this trying moment and look up the Almighty to calm and comfort their hearts.
I strongly encourage cabinet ministers and even the president to frequently travel by road between Kitwe and Solwezi, especially at night. This way we may have something done about these roads!