26 May 2021

Drivers will now be required by law to observe a 30 kilometers per hour speed limit around school zones to protect pupils from getting hit by vehicles when crossing the road.

This was said by No. 4 District Traffic Officer, Superintendent Member Machola during unveiling of the 30 km/hr speed signs around Bothakga Primary School zone in Woodhall in Lobatse recently. 

The speed signs unveiling was part of the sixth United Nations (UN) Road Safety Week commemoration activities in Lobatse.

Supt Machola explained that UN Road Safety Week was commemorated biannually around the world because millions of lives were lost globally in road carnages.

He said every country had been given a target to reduce road accidents every year. 

Supt Machola noted that Botswana so far had managed to meet the target of reducing road accidents.

“However, no one can be happy about that because people continue to die in road accidents. The idea is to eliminate death in our roads,” said Supt Machola.

He said to address the issue of learners getting hit by vehicles, authorities had decided to introduce a speed limit of 30 km/hr in built up zones around schools. He said that speed limit would be inserted in the Road Traffic Act.

“We are going to have a law that regulates a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour around school zones,” emphasised Supt Machola.   

He said commemoration activities, which started last week, also included sensitising pupils and members of the public about road safety.

“We decided to target places where there is mass movement of pedestrians to share information on road safety. So, we focused on schools, bus ranks and other places where there is a risk of pedestrians being hit by vehicles,” he said.

Ms Kelebogile Motsumi, from the Department of Road Transport and Safety in Lobatse, explained that the commemoration was held under the theme: Street for life #love30.

“The theme focuses on the introduction of 30km/hr speed limit in cities and build up areas such as school zones,” she said.

She said the UN Global Road Safety Week (GRSW) was similar to the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and it offered governments worldwide the opportunity to mobilize stakeholders, NGO’s, private sector corporations and citizens to raise awareness and advocate for road safety and make changes that would reduce the number of road deaths and injuries.

Bothakga Primary School head, Mr Justice Kgabeng said they were happy to see action taken to protect pupils from being hit by vehicles. Ends