21 Nov 2022

Members of the public have been called upon to seriously introspect and reflect on all road safety initiatives with the aim of assessing if they are yielding the intended results.

 The call was made by Vice President Slumber Tsogwane on the occasion of world day of remembrance for road traffic victims in Letlhakane on Saturday.

 Reminding his audience that the initiatives were intended to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the roads, Mr Tsogwane observed that the carnage continued unabated.

 Quoting Botswana Police Service,  he stated that for the period January 1-November 8, a total of 244 road crashes claimed 317 lives.

 The vice president said in the same period last year, 252 crashes with 316 fatalities were recorded.

“I feel duty bound to make a clarion call and appeal to all road users, road safety stakeholders and interested partners to work collaboratively and make collectively towards reversing the tragic situation on our roads,” he said.

  Mr Tsogwane said the continued loss of life on the road was unfortunate but avoidable.

 For the goal of saving road users’ lives to be achieved, all road safety structures and stakeholders should identify and implement high impact initiatives, said the vice president. Noting that the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund paid out over P200 million annually in road accident victims compensation,   he stressed the need for collective efforts  in order to reduce financial and human resource losses to the economy.

Mr Tsogwane said with its characteristic high volumes of traffic, the festive season posed a hightened risk for road accidents.

He appealed to all road users, particularly motorists, to exercise restraint and avoid driving under influence of alcohol and drugs, late at night, speeding and neglecting to use safety belts.

Speaking at the same event,  Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale expressed concern that there was no reduction in road accidents, which he said were mostly caused by unlicenced drivers.

The minister however  acknowledged the contribution of road conditions to the carnage saying engineering and design of roads should be of high standard.

He said roads that needed to be prioritised in Boteti were Mmatshumo, Khwee and Makalamabedi-Motopi.

For his part, Boteti East MP, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe cautioned Batswana against using worn-out tyres saying that exposed them to danger.

The day was held under the theme: Justice, a must for road traffic crash victims. Ends