07 Dec 2015

Youth in Botswana including school going children are amongst the high accident statistics recorded every year, Kgosi Puso has said.

Speaking at the day of remembrance for road traffic victims in Mogoditshane on Friday December 3, Kgosi Puso  said by losing the youth to road accidents, the nation lost brains and workforce that could advance the administration and economic gains of this country.

He indicated that statistics showed an increase in the number of fatalities as this year alone 352 had died as at November 3 compared to 309 fatalities in 2014 during the same period.

Therefore, Kgosi Puso explained that it  was against this background that road safety needed a robust approach so that “we can realise dividends and reduce the atrocities that befell the victim’s families.”

He continued to state that many countries had started implementing plans, revising and enforcing legislation, and strengthening trauma cares.

Through newly established assessment programmes, he said countries were also paying increased attention to the quality of their roads and vehicles.

However, he said, Botswana had not lagged behind in some of the interventions that other countries had embarked upon. Among other things that this country had done vigorously was enhancement of legislation, both the Road Traffic Act and Road Transport Permits Act.

Likewise the national road safety strategy had been launched as well.

He further implored all to strive to implement every strategy at their disposal to reduce accidents and save lives.

Kgosi Puso stressed that the loss and injuries of people through accidents came at a huge social and economic cost to the country as resources were being diverted from other social and economic needs of the country to address the aftermath of accidents.

No 13 district traffic officer, Mr Member Machola said the number of road fatalities over the past five years had been fluctuating while general accidents had declined. In 2011 to 2015, the following number of fatalities had been recorded. 483, 404, 411, 377 and 309 in 2015.

Among the many causes of road accidents, it had been recorded that over speeding has been the major cause of accidents with 6789 recorded cases in 2013 and 8906 in 2014. Still in 2015, from January to September, over speeding tops the chart with 5438 cases followed by traffic lights cases standing at 1373 while drunken driving recorded 1018 cases among others.

Mr Machola said that the most affected people in road carnage were people ranging from six years to 40.

He highlighted that cars led in fatal crashes followed by pick ups, while the accident prone roads were KT Motsete, A10 road road known as Gabane/Kanye road and A12 known as Molepolole road.

For his part, road accident victim Mr Kabelo Malongwa who is wheelchair bound said that it high time legislature involving traffic offences was enforced.

Hence he decided to become a road safety advocate to the youth by registering a non-profit organisation; Zero Road Accident (BW-youths) .

Through this organisation, he intended to use his unfortunate situation to advocate for his nation. He cautioned the public saying “disability does not discriminate.”

He became a victim in 2007 when together with his friends were involved in a tragic car accident that left him wheel chair bound while his friends survived the crash with minor injuries. He got his spine injured as a result he will never walk again. ENDS