The financial gurus say you need to have a “retirement car.” 

Well, my ‘retirement car’ will just have the basics, automatic transmission, rear assist parking, lights that turn on when it’s dark, and most importantly, an engine that can handle the air conditioner. But no matter how fancy the car, the driver behind the wheel is ultimately responsible not only for their own safety but also for their family and other road users. It doesn’t give you carte blanche to flaunt the rules and laws of the road. This was obviously ignored by the driver of the Audi, who clocked 308km/h in a 120km/h zone. Seriously, “What the hell were you thinking?” Firstly, the car must obviously have been tampered with, as my common sense tells me no car is meant to be a F1 car or the bloodhound that can exceed 300km/h. This really is a danger to all road users. What would have happened if something had crossed the highway at the time and had to either swerve out for it or brake? I doubt if he would have survived, or what he was trying to miss. 

I seriously doubt there were any other cars in the vicinity at the time. Families would have been destroyed because of one reckless driver. 

We have already lost 426 people in car accidents between 1 January 2021 and 14 November 2021. (New Era, Monday, 29 November 2021.) The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund in February 2024 announced that it recorded 158 road crashes, 335 injuries, and 29 fatalities in its year–to–date statistics for the 01 to 28 January 2024 period. How many families have been destroyed as a result of this? Mothers, fathers, caregivers who lost their lives during this time, leaving children orphaned. Recent statistics from the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund paint a concerning picture. Between January and May 2025, pedestrian accidents increased by 8%, injuries by 32%, and deaths by nearly 30%. By the end of October, the Namibian Police Force had already recorded more than 2600 road crashes and over 400 fatalities across the country. 

Namibia has recorded 2 793 road crashes, which resulted in 431 fatalities and 4 565 injuries from 01 January 2025 until 10 November 2025. 

Annually, 500 lives are lost on the National roads. (New Era, 03 December 2025). 

According to a study commissioned by the MVA Fund, 70% of the cause is human factors, which are avoidable. In order to make our roads safer, all road users are compelled to adhere to the provisions of the Road Traffic and Transportation Act, as amended, Act 22 of 1999, at all times, not only when they see a traffic checkpoint or traffic patrol vehicles on the highway, but as a standard throughout. 

The most common offences for which traffic fines were issued were speeding, driving without a licence, driving without a seat belt, driving unlicensed vehicles, and driving with worn tyres. Now combine them. 

Last week, when I was driving back to my business after lunch, I was obviously behind a mom who had just fetched her little one from school. A cute little girl. Now the only reason I know it was a cute little girl is that she was standing on the back seat of the car and waving to me. I was extremely angry at the mother for allowing this little girl to stand on the seat without being restrained. Secondly, the mom was driving really fast. At one point, I was going 71 km/h, and I couldn’t keep up with her. Now, as in the case of that Audi driver, what would happen if she had to brake or swerve for an obstacle suddenly? In conclusion, although Namibia has the best roads, one of the best roads in our continent, we must take responsibility for our actions, the lives of our family and other road users count. The festive season is coming up; let’s see if we can reduce the death toll even further. 

*Reverend Jan A Scholtz is the former chairperson of the ||Kharas Regional Council and former! Nami#nus constituency councillor. He holds a Diploma in Theology, B-Theo (SA), a Diploma in Youth Work and Development from the University of Zambia (UNZA), as well as a Diploma in Education III (KOK) BA (HED) from UNISA.