Road safety takes centre stage

With the annual end-of-year holiday season already in full swing, Namibia is pulling out all the stops to rally partners in escalating the interventions to ensure lives are saved, injuries are minimised and road accidents are avoided.

Today, the Namibia Police (Nampol) in the Khomas Region will host their road safety activation exercise at the Okapuka checkpoint between Windhoek and Okahandja.

According to the executive secretary of the Namibia Road Safety Council, Eugene Tendekule, today’s activation is part of pillar four of the national road safety campaign launched on 17 November in Swakopmund.

This campaign brings together key stakeholders in the sub-sector to support the campaign from different government departments, public enterprises, the private sector, civil society and faith-based organisations.



Do the right thing

This year’s campaign takes place from 17 November to 16 January and is being rolled out across the country, with a special focus on the notorious B1 and B2 highways. In other parts of the country, traffic laws will be enforced as and when necessary, depending on the prevailing circumstances. The campaign tagline is #DoTheRightThingAndSaveLives.

The five pillars of this year’s interventions are road management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash care, Tendekule explained. Police officers across the country will be more visible to encourage excellent road user behaviour among all of Namibia’s road users.

Supporting this national effort, the Road Fund Administration (RFA) donated a total of 22 traffic vehicles and other traffic-related equipment to the police.

The handover ceremony was held last week at the Police National Headquarters.



Safe passage

This past weekend also saw the completion of the thirteenth Trans Kalahari Corridor Management Committee (TKCMC) Joint Law Enforcement Operation from 21 November to 26 November.

The operation was hosted in Swakopmund by the three member states: Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. The purpose of the enforcement operation was to ensure seamless movement of goods and passengers in the corridor, management of the corridor and ensuring that the corridor is secure and safe.

For his part, the executive director of the Trans Kalahari Corridor Secretariat, Leslie Mlungisi Mpofu, said the operation sought to promote compliance with law enforcement along the Trans Kalahari Corridor and to increase law enforcement visibility on the corridor while promoting safety and security. Mpofu further said law enforcement would identify areas that need harmonisation between the member states.

A report from the operation was shared with Swakopmund residents on Sunday and is being compiled by the secretariat for further dissemination.

The report identified a number of road safety challenges on the Trans Kalahari Corridor, including narrow roads at places, reckless overtaking, speeding, and overtaking at blind spots, coastal mist and potholes, congestion of trucks, dark roads, and bad driver attitudes.



Risk factors

Drivers have been advised to take special care when encountering trucks in convoys, high winds and sand on the road, and poor visibility, while a vigilant lookout should always be kept for reckless drivers overtaking at blind spots. Another concern is trucks not giving other road users enough space, which may lead to accidents and sudden manoeuvres.

Younger drivers between the ages of 18 and 25 are involved in a disproportionally high number of road accidents, according to the information collected by the secretariat, often due to a lack of experience, more distractions, and more risk-taking behaviour.

Drivers older than 65 are also at risk due to reduced vision and impaired hearing, slower reaction times, and other underlying health conditions. Drivers aged from 35 to 54 had the lowest accident rates, with those between 55 and 64 found to be more prone to left-turn and rear-end collisions. Drivers between 25 and 34 are more likely to be involved in accidents involving speeding and aggressive driving, according to the findings.

Emphasis is placed on vehicle roadworthiness, particularly for freight vehicles, passenger transport vehicles, and private automobiles.

During the duration of the operation, 500 fines were issued for loose batteries and 2 000 for general lack of roadworthiness. Faulty brakes resulted in 1 500 fines; 1 000 fines were issued for faulty tyres; another 1 000 for malfunctioning indicators; 500 for a lack of licence plates; and 500 for not displaying licence disks. Missing reflectors led to 500 fines, and another 500 were issued for broken or missing headlamps, according to the findings.