Mutorwa urges drivers to abide by road rules this Easter

WINDHOEK – The Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, has cautioned drivers, who will be heading to various destinations for the Easter long weekend, to slow down, stick to the speed limit and take regular breaks to ensure that they stay safe on the roads.

Mutorwa, who spoke to New Era last Friday on the sideline of the inauguration of members of the new Road Transportation Board, said “vehicles that run on our roads are driven by human beings, first and the driver has an extraordinary responsibility in managing driving that particular vehicle and therefore abide by all the rules of the road”.
“The same applies to passengers. Passengers are not drivers but they have an influence on the driver. Passengers should also behave, work closely with the driver, and abide by the rules so that we can diminish or eradicate accidents on our roads” Mutorwa said.

He said sometimes “we have unnecessary accidents, accidents that can be avoided and it is only through abiding by the rules of the road that these unnecessary road accidents can be avoided”.
“Let us abide by the rules of the road so that we can reach our destination and meet our family and our friends safely,” the works and transport minister added.

Road traffic accidents in Namibia have become the third biggest cause of death, trailing behind HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Last year during the Easter weekend, the Namibian Police Force recorded 66 crashes with five recorded deaths and 70 injuries.

In 2017, the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA Fund) recorded 50 vehicles crashes, 147 injuries and nine fatalities over the Easter weekend.
In 2016, eight people died in accidents over the Easter weekend.