Rising number of accidents involving men worrisome
16 Aug 2025
The high number of men involved in road accidents, some of which have resulted in fatalities and serious injuries, is a serious national concern.
According to Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund chief executive officer, Mr Michael Tlhagwane, out of 346 people who perished in road accidents last year, 271 of them were men, translating to 78 per cent.
Speaking at the MVA Men's Road Safety Pitso in Francistown on Thursday, he said every year, more lives of men were lost on the roads.
Mr Tlhagwane therefore said these numbers had prompted MVA to have a Men’s Road Safety Pitso initiative for men to discuss and develop strategies aimed to address the issue.
He said since the initiative was launched in Gaborone last year, they visited places like Kanye and Maun with the aim of encouraging men to change their behaviour and be more mindful on the roads.
“We are here now in Francistown to plead with you gentlemen to sensitise you and raise awareness about our mandate, which is to promote road safety,” he said.
The initiative, which is driven by the theme: Borra! Imagine A Life Without You, conveys a strong message to men indicating that the absence of men in society brings dire consequences.
Such consequences leads to orphans who are left without fathers to care for them.
“We lose our dear brothers, husbands, fathers, uncles, community leaders, and even employees in different work environments as there are more men in workplaces such as mines,” he explained.
In 2014, Mr Tlhagwane said they carried out a Risk Awareness Survey aimed at assessing how knowledgeable road users were about road safety and how they obeyed road signs.
He noted that the survey showed that men, in most cases, did not obey road signs or exhibited risky behaviour while using the roads.
The risk-taking behaviour associated with men, Mr Tlhagwane said, included driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, destructive driving such as cellphone usage, reckless overtaking and failure to use the seat belts.
However, Mr Tlhagwane urged men to change their behaviour and the way they approached things on the roads so that they could preserve lives.
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Divisional Traffic Officer, Mr Modisaotsile Solomon commended MVA Fund for hosting such an important event, saying as the police, they were also concerned about the rising number of deaths caused by road accidents.
He mentioned that as Botswana's population had fewer men compared to women, it was disheartening that men continued to lose their lives at a higher rate on the roads.
“This year from January up to August 15, 29 people died in road accidents and 23 were men and six were women," he said.
In 2024 during the same period, Mr Tlhagwane indicated that out of 44 people who died due to road accidents, 36 were men and eight were women.
Furthermore, he noted that in 2024, there were 75 men who suffered serious injuries compared to 19 women.
This year from January up to August 15, 51 men suffered serious injuries compared to 30 women.
As for minor injuries, he stated that in 2024, a total of 271 cases were registered for men and 71 for women.
In 2025 from January up to August 15, minor injury cases showed that there were 147 men compared to 38 women.
“This shows that it is important for men to introspect. Men still need education on how to avoid such statistics; we still need behavioural change regarding road safety,” he said.
He emphasised that men played a significant role in their families and communities and it was essential for them to take responsibility for their actions on the roads.
He urged them to share driving tips, adhere to speed limits, and obey road signs.
City of Francistown Mayor, Mr Gaone Majere applauded MVA Fund for the noble initiative of Men’s Road Safety Pitso, which called for men to pause and introspect regarding road accidents.
Mayor Majere expressed that it was unfortunate that road accidents often took away breadwinners and family leaders whose absence left families wounded.
He encouraged men to heed the message from the Pitso and come up with solutions to the problem to avoid road accidents and preserve lives. ENDS
Source : BOPA
Author : Kelebogile Taolo
Location : Francistown
Event : Road safety Pitso
Date : 16 Aug 2025
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