Road Traffic figures analysed by the Zambian Road Safety Trust (ZRST) has noted a massive increase in the number of people Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) in road accidents in the past two years highlighting an insignificant impact of current strategies to reduce road accidents in Zambia.
1,000 people were killed in road traffic accidents in 2012, while 1,858 people were killed in 2014 representing a significant increase of 85 percent.
1,650 people sustained Serious Injuries in road traffic accidents in 2012, while 5,371 people were Seriously Injured in 2014 representing a massive increase of 225 percent.
2,000 people sustained minor injuries in 2012, while 7,706 people had minor injuries in 2014 representing an enormous increase of 285%.
And in the first 6 months of 2015, 1,028 people have been killed in road accidents, more than a total number of people killed in traffic accidents throughout 2012.
If the trend continues, traffic deaths this year could exceed 2,000 said Mr. Mailos Mwale, ZRST Press and Communications Manager.
“As a road safety professional, it’s not just disappointing but heartbreaking to see the numbers trending in the wrong direction,” he said.
“We want to call upon the private sector to play a role in reducing accidents by supporting accident preventative measures such as road safety education and knowledge transfer, publicity and awareness campaigns.
“Private companies can also sponsor road signs or reflective markings to enhance the visibility of vulnerable road users who represent over 50% of road traffic fatalities”.
Zambia’s government target is to reduce the number of people killed in road accidents by 50% by 2020.
Too many careless drivers and defective cars on our roads indeed. In addition, pot holes have played its role in killing road users.
@JEVIK ASYCUDA PHIRI I agree with you but what is disheartening is that the roads authority do not even put up signs to indicate pothole areas. We can only assess tyre burst accident causes when the road surfaces are good.
Population is increasing rapidly and this makes sure equilibrium is met
So who cares?
Thanks
BB2014
How many of these accidents are a result of cars not having those 5tupid stickers you harass motorists over? We still need to consider wider roads, clear surroundings along highway sides, especially at curves, as well as a clear indication of where those silly humps are. Some measures are just common sense – oh, and please budget for maintenance for road signage and road markings. Where there are none, put up signs to that effect.
Causes of accidents on our roads: careless drivers, defective cars, pot holes, over speeding, overtaking, poor road markings and signs, unlicensed drivers, corruption on getting drivers licenses, bad truck drivers, etc
The biggest cause of road accidents are the poor signs/street lights, and unsafe vehicles. Humps also go up anyhow. We really need minimum standards for our roads. Right now, every jim and jack can wake up and erect a hump across a public road. This is ridiculous.
I was also shocked when driving along Burma and Chitimbulu Roads. These roads are currently being renovated, and at the same time being used. However, the barriers which the contractors have erected across several stretches of the roads are not even reflective! They are quite hard to see at night.
We need to take road safety more seriously as a country
1,028 killed in road aaccidents in 6 months of 2015. Now contrast that with the mere 4 burried at Mopani where government overspent just to gain popularity. This is why I said the Mopani accident was overdramatised by Kashimba Chimwili just because of his nephew. Just after that overdramatised burial another accident occurred along Sabina-Mufulira road where a learned & experienced lecturer died with four family members. I thought that was more tragic because it took both parents & other family members leaving probably orphans. But upto now they have been buried quitely like nothing happened. The Mopani grief was spread over four families. In fact what was buried must have been human pieces collected from several road accidents.
Lets attach importance to all accidents (road or mine)…
Lets attach importance to all accidents (road or mine). Road accidents are even more tragic 1-70 pipo at once.
Could anyone provide me with the contact details of the ZRST secretariat. These are serious numbers and I think we need concerted effort to bring down these numbers. We all need to get involved and see to it that road safety is improved in Zambia. We need both engineering and social strategies in order to make an impact.
One of the reasons that people die in tyre bursts in Zambia is that there are no hard shoulders & steel or concrete borders in Zambian roads. So with tyre burst the vehicle straight away goes in the ditch which is less than one metre away from the road & ends up flipping. That’s apart from poor driving standards & DUI drivers.
…we cannot have such an appalling road accident statistics meanwhile maintain the same RSTA administrators year in year out….it clearly shows that these guys have run out of ideas on how to help minimise RTAs…..
No second hand cars, no second tyres, we need thorough driver testing, we also need good road signs
Zambians need to learn that drinking and driving dont go together especially in light of all the inadequacies of the country’s road system.