390 people died out of 7,639 Road Traffic Accidents that were recorded in the first quarter of 2023.
According to Zambia Police statistics, 360 were fatal, resulting in the deaths of 390 people with Lusaka province having the highest number of accidents with 4,186 representing 54.8% of the total accidents countrywide.
In a statement availed to Zambia News and Information Service (ZANIS), Zambia Police Public Relations Officer Godfrey Chilabi says other provinces with significant numbers of accidents were Copperbelt with 1,159, Central with 641, Southern with 429, North-Western with 278, Eastern with 269, Luapula with 215, Western with 178, and Northern and Muchinga with 142.
Mr Chilabi stated that 744 were serious injury accidents, in which 1,119 people were seriously injured, and 1,458 were slight injury accidents, resulting in minor injuries to 2,043 people.
He noted that the statistics show an increase in Road traffic accidents with a decrease in fatal accidents.
“Comparing these figures with the first quarter of 2022, there is an increase in road traffic accidents by 384, but a decrease in fatal accidents and persons killed by 76 and 178, respectively,” he added.
He attributed most of the accidents to misjudging clearance, excessive speed, failing to keep to the nearside and cutting in.
“It is imperative that drivers exercise caution while on the road, obey traffic laws and regulations, and avoid behaviours that may lead to accidents”, Mr. Chilabi said.
He stated that road safety is a shared responsibility and that all road users have a role to play in ensuring that accidents are reduced to save lives.
Even in bad things there good things which we don’t see. Those dreaded road blocks in someway helped in the reduction of traffic accidents.
You don’t know what you are talking about, those road blocks made the situation even worse. Drivers would avoid road blocks at times by driving in the late hours of the night resulting in even more accidents, accidents would occur at road blocks often when vehicles failed to stop in time, many drivers also tend to be angered after being fined at road blocks affecting their concentration when driving. No ways those PF road blocks were terrible.
It’s you who don’t know what you are talking about. There are two things to those road blocks, the bad…. extortion of money by the police from motorists.. the good people are always conscious to the fact that there’s a road block there will take caution in their driving. All you need are intelligent leaders who can modify these road blocks to suit everyone.
Ctn…
No one who is level minded would ever want to go back to those evil PF road blocks that did nothing to curb accidents but only promoted corruption, Traffic Police officers built houses from those ATM road blocks. The problem is our drivers and lack of education and sensitisation. Drivers need to be told on dangers of stopping and parking within the side of the road on highways, not pulling back when being overtaken. Drivers who commit such offences should penalised accordingly. This is where Rtsa must step up and run a road safety campaign. We have drivers who think when you are being overtaken that is when you should accelerate, these are the ones causing many accidents and after they cause the accident they just drive off without being charged.