By Dr Grant Murewanhema
Road traffic accidents have become a problem of major public health concern in Zimbabwe over the past few years, competing or surpassing some of the serious diseases in claiming the lives of people. More often than not, they claim the lives of young and able-bodied people with the potential to contribute significantly to the economy of Zimbabwe, and who have families to look after. Statistics wise, when looking at private motor vehicle accidents, more males than females are involved; these are often fathers who are either seriously injured or die, leaving their young children to suffer.
Road traffic accidents are an example of a ‘wicked problem’, meaning a complex problem with many factors involved, including bad roads, poor weather conditions affecting visibility, poor lighting, hitting animals crossing the roads especially at night, mechanical vehicle failures etc, but human error/poor judgements is often the major contributor to these, or to compounding the damage, morbidity and mortality resulting from the accidents. Overspeeding, failure to observe simple/basic highway code rules, poor road etiquette, not wearing safety belts, driving under the influence of alcohol/substances etc are some of the behaviours that lead to or worsen the damage from motor vehicle accidents. Most of these are avoidable, meaning that a lot of deaths and injuries from accidents could be prevented, or the impact reduced if people observed simple precautions on the road.
Speed thrills, but can kill. Our roads are generally not very safe for high speeds regardless of the machine one drives. They have sharp bends, blind spots, animals crossing the roads all of a sudden, unexpected potholes or poor sections of the roads. In this rainy season, very big potholes may be filled with water, and plunging into these could suddenly cause accidents, sending vehicles off road or into collisions with other vehicles. Drivers in the country have very little respect for lanes and road markings, and driving along the Harare-Masvingo highway will reveal to you how careless some drivers are when overtaking, sometimes totally disregarding clear road signs/warnings not to overtake.
People with busy/tight schedules must plan their journeys well ahead of time, taking off early instead of compensating by speeding. Busy professionals and business people can try and employ sober and professional drivers, avoid driving whilst exhausted or taking calls. Cellphones are a huge risk factor for accidents, even when using hands-free kits/devices as they can tend to reduce concentration. Texting whilst driving is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. There is absolutely no need to send a joke or tiktok video whilst driving, and most of the messages can wait until one reaches their destination or a recess.
Whilst over-speeding is dangerous, very slow speeds we notice on our roads are also another problem, especially on busy highways, as they frustrate other drivers, causing them to overtake recklessly at unsuitable points. One’s speed should certainly consider other people driving on the roads, and those not confident enough should let others drive their vehicles or avoid going on major roads. Road rage is becoming more and more concerning from frustrated drivers, leading to dangerous behaviours and accidents.
Public transport vehicle drivers are becoming more and more dangerous, disregarding most road rules, causing serious accidents and leading to many unnecessary losses of lives. When it comes to public transport drivers, very serious punitive measures are needed to deter reckless behaviour, and serious measures are needed to censor drivers of the public. The state of public transport vehicles also needs to be seriously monitored, and these cars must produce proof of service from reputable dealers regularly. Authorities in Zimbabwe need to be more stringent to avoid continued unnecessary losses of precious lives on our roads.
