09 Oct 2013

Motorists and pedestrians have been urged to be cautious when using roads to avoid unnecessary road traffic accidents which end up claiming lives.

Speaking in an interview this week, Mogoditshane police station traffic officer, Assistant Supt Itumeleng Maruru said his policing area was inundated with cases of road traffic accidents in which lives were sometimes lost. Some of them could have been avoided easily, if road users were vigilant, he said.

Since January this year to date, at least 27 people died from road traffic accidents within the Mogoditshane policing area and the number of pedestrian casualties was leading the statistics as opposed to the number of drivers and passengers, he said.  He stressed that there was need for intensified and continuous public education on road safety and smart ways of using roads.

He noted that the police, together with other stakeholders, have committed themselves to ensuring that people are educated on road safety, thus urged people to take such messages seriously.

Assistant Supt Maruru regretted that on October 5, a combi conductor from Mmopane was knocked down by a vehicle coming from the Metsimotlhabe direction near Mogoditshane Block 9 while he was standing in the middle of the road wooing passengers to board his combi. 

The young man sustained minor injuries. He was rushed to Princess Marina Hospital where he was hospitalised and released the next day. The driver of the vehicle in question reportedly stopped at the scene of the accident and police investigation on the matter continues.  

Assistant Supt Maruru however said while they are likely to lay a charge, people should know that pedestrians can also contribute to road traffic accidents and they too are subject to appropriate charges. Another accident which left two drivers injured, he said, happened just before the entrance to Sir Seretse Khama Barracks on October 6 at around noon when two corolla sedans collided.

This happened  when the traffic lights were out of order and both drivers, one driving from the barracks and one from the Metsimotlhabe direction, failed to negotiate the road, he said. They are both at home recuperating while police investigations continue.

In the past, pedestrians have been knocked down by vehicles as they were trying to cross the Molepolole/Gaborone road in Mogoditshane, especially near Jackie’s Moon Bar where patrons used to cross the road to the other side where there are other bars. Ends