RUNDU - The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund this week conducted a public passenger road awareness campaign at the Rundu bus terminal.

The campaign target passengers, drivers and roadworthiness of public transport vehicles. 

 It equips stakeholders with information that could help prevent unnecessary accidents on Namibian roads.

“The overall aim is to encourage readiness checks before undertaking a trip to avoid potential enroute road traffic crashes, under the auspices of the Green Dot Road Safety Campaign to ensure self-regulation,’’ said Eliphas Rukambe, the MVA manager for public education.

The MVA’s intervention focused mostly on vehicle fitness, driver fitness and passenger safety in terms of the importance of the usage of emergency exits as well as the need to ensure fire extinguishers are in proper working conditions every time before undertaking a trip.

“As operators, we appreciate the awareness. One thing that stood out for me was the expiry date of tyres; drivers should know the expiry date of their vehicle tyres. Some of us never knew tyres do expire, that is why we have tyre bursts, especially when also buying second hand tyres. We run for cheap and at the end of the day things go wrong,’’ said regional chairperson of the Namibia Public Passengers Transport Association (NPPTA) in Kavango East, Andreas Kindinu.

“The drivers were also informed of their role in the safety of their passengers and were instructed on what to do before departing. Drivers and passengers were also reminded of the MVA emergency number because everyone should know it in case of emergency. Some people don’t know it, so when involved in an accident, they don’t know who to call for help,” Kindinu explained.