WINDHOEK – By last Friday, about 518 deaths had been recorded on the nation’s roads surpassing the fatality rate of about 502 recorded last year.
According to the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Stephen Tjiuoro, the country is faced with a real challenge as the number of road crashes continues to rise.
“About 90 percent of road crashes are a direct result of human behaviour, which means they could have been prevented. With 518 deaths recorded on our roads by yesterday, we have already surpassed the fatalities recorded last year, and if road users don’t change their behaviour, the reality is that more people are going to die in road crashes this festive season” said Tjiuoro.
He called on road users to play an active role in preventing road crashes by adhering to traffic regulations and taking personal responsibility for their own safety on the road.
In an attempt to curb the increasing number of road accidents, support continues to pour in for the ‘Xupifa Eemwenyo – Save Lives’ road safety campaign as more companies join the fight against road carnage.
On Friday, five more companies, namely, Pick ‘n Pay, Puma Energy, Namdeb, Omatemba Fleet Management and Carlos Catering officially handed donations to the MVA Fund and the Nampol.
This year’s campaign was officially launched on November 21 with the objective to save lives on Namibian roads this festive season, by deploying various interventions aimed at preventing road crashes.
Accepting the donation on behalf of the Namibian Police, Deputy Commissioner Ralph Ludwig thanked the sponsors for the their generous support, adding that they will go a long way in enabling the police to effectively carry out law enforcement intervention.
Ludwig reiterated that the police would be hard at work to ensure that the rule of law prevails on the roads and the safety of all Namibians is secured.
Story by Albertina Nakale