07 Jul 2025

Men have been implored to lead the change by using the roads responsibly, choosing life and helping build a safer, stronger Botswana where every journey ends safely with every man returning home.

Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) chief executive officer, Mr Michael Tlhagwane made the remarks when giving a key note address at the Men’s Pitso in Maun on Friday, challenging men to introspect, commit to safer behaviours on roads and influence the safety and well-being of the communities.

He expressed concern over the disproportionate loss of male lives on road crashes noting that the country continued to lose a productive workforce, future leaders which he said was regrettable.

Botswana has lost 346 lives due to road traffic crashes last year with an overwhelming 271 relating to 78 per cent being males, the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) chief executive officer, Mr Michael Tlhagwane has revealed.

He noted that statistics were not just numbers but a reflection of shattered and grieving families, diminished communities, and a future tragically unfulfilled.

This is not merely an accident of fate, it is a crisis that demands urgent and collective attention as the socio-economic impact of these losses is profound, creating equity challenges and sociocultural imbalances that ripple through the nation, he said.

“Our country continues to lose a productive workforce and today’s Pitso is so critical. We are gathered not just to talk but to act in order to save lives. Let this gathering be the beginning of change, a platform to redefine what it means to be a man in Botswana not one who races against death, but one who protects life, his own and that of others,” he added.

Furthermore, the phenomenon, he said was more than a road safety issue but a national concern with far-reaching socio-economic consequences as it disrupted family units, devastated communities and placed immense financial and emotional strain on the surviving dependents.

Mr Tlhagwane stressed that it shifted the burden of care and income to women and young children and left gaping holes in the society’s fabric culturally, emotionally, and economically.

Men, he said must confront the uncomfortable reality about the risk factors that made them particularly vulnerable on the roads. 

He said last year, MVA Fund conducted a Road User Risk Awareness Survey aimed to establish the level of road user knowledge being positive perceptions on road safety, and level of compliance to road traffic safety rules and ultimately to determine the overall road user risk awareness index.

The gathering learnt that the survey revealed that males were the ones most likely not to comply with road safety rules particularly with regard to speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, fatigue, and use of seat belt

“Research and experience indicate that there are several contributing factors that make men more vulnerable on our roads and these include risk-taking behaviour where there is driving above the recommended speed limits, reckless overtaking,” he said adding that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs continued to be prevalent among male drivers.

Other factors, Mr Tlhagwane mentioned included occupational exposure citing that men were employed in high-mobility professions such as public transport, delivery services and construction where they spend more time on the road increasing the risk of fatigue and associated road traffic accidents.

He also noted cultural perceptions of masculinity, saying some of the cultural norms glorified aggression and dominance on the road as expressions of manhood.

Understanding such vulnerabilities, he said was the first step toward adopting meaningful behavioural change on the roads noting that they must acknowledge that certain societal expectations and ingrained behaviours might inadvertently contribute to the tragic over-representation of men in road traffic crashes.

“The notion that risk-taking equates to masculinity is a dangerous fallacy that costs us dearly. The impact of these road traffic crashes extends far beyond the individual. Every life lost leaves a void in families, creating emotional and economic hardship,” he said

The gathering was informed that road safety was not the responsibility of government alone but needed all stakeholders to address it. BOPA