Angelah Nothando Mlotshwa
Every year, each Easter Holidays has become synonymous with many people losing their lives or getting maimed due to traffic road accidents(TRA).
This year, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has reported that there has been an increase in the number of accidents compared to last year.
The police reported that most of these TRA are caused by negligence driving and the ZRP has always tried to ensure that such accidents do not occur by increasing the number of police traffic stops in order to encourage drivers to try and adhere to traffic rules.
This year a total number of 288 road traffic accidents have been recorded and 16 were fatal with 30 people losing their lives while 153 left injured.
Last year the ZRP recorded 264 road traffic accidents and 32 fatal with 72 being dead and 202 having been injured.
“It is disturbing to note that some of the accidents recorded during the period are attributed to human error, which includes speeding, inattention, misjudgment and failure to observe road rules and regulations by drivers”, reads the ZRP statement.
“Most fatal road traffic accidents recorded occurred during the night where travelers were moving in numbers with vehicles overloaded, mixing goods and passengers in the process ignoring safety measures”
It is during the long Easter holidays when people will be traveling to various destinations to be with family that such accidents claim lives and leave many maimed.