07 Nov 2019

 Youth have been cautioned to value and understand that life is priceless and irreplaceable. 

Officiating at the Botswana Police Services (BPS) road safety one-day outreach programme workshop for young people in Tutume on November 6, Divisional Traffic Officer north, assistant commissioner Mr Modisaotsile Bonang urged the youth to take responsibility for their lives and those of others.

He stated that national statistics indicated that young people, aged between 18-40 years, continued to be highly represented in accidents that result in serious injuries and/or death. 

He noted that this was worrying, hence last year October, the BPS came up with a ‘Youth Drivers Outreach Programme’, to sensitise young people on road safety by having conversations with them to appeal to their consciences to be responsible drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

Briefing the participants on the statistics, Mr Bonang said in 2016, 450 people lost their lives through road traffic accidents country wide, adding that from the figure, 268 or about 60 per cent, were youth in the 18-40 age bracket. 

In 2017, 444 road accidents deaths were recorded, where 247 or 55.6 per cent were young people,  he stated, further noting that for period of January to September 2018, 283 fatal crashes were recorded, which took the lives of 347 people while in the same period this year, 256 fatal crashes were recorded claiming 327 lives. 

He said the numbers raised concern, as not only did they affect the victims, but many other people since some of the victims were bread winners and them being gone, the burden turns to the government. 

Mr Bonang observed that young people tended to ignore road signs and drag race, leading to fatalities. In addition, he highlighted that the use of mobile phones whilst driving as well as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol were others factor that caused fatal accidents. 

He said the BPS has thus decided to run a robust outreach programme targeting this road users’ group.  ENDS