The Driving Schools Association of Zambia has commended government’s timely launch of the new Zambian Highway Code.
The Association feels that because of the high numbers of road traffic accidents currently existent on Zambian roads, it is imperative for the government to put in place as many measures aimed at improving road safety levels.
Hope Kumalo, the Association President has also urged government to ensure that the Highway Codes are made accessible to all road users especially learner drivers.
Mrs. Kumalo said these learner drivers should include both home schooled ones and those that learn from driving schools.
She has further appealed to government to ensure that other teaching materials such as the TEVETA syllabi and the EU Manual for Drivers that were recently launched are also accessed by both home schooled and driving school taught learner drivers.
Mrs. Kumalo noted that this will improve the standard of drivers that are being licensed and taking to the Zambian roads.
Mrs. Kumalo has however bemoaned lack of consultation in the formulation of the Highway Code a move which they believe has resulted into some mistakes in very important information of the Code such as on the road signs.
She said one of the most important functions of a Highway Code should be to inform road users in detail and in the most simple way on road signs and the Association believes this Highway Code has failed to achieve this function as well as it should have due to lack of consultation of key stakeholders such as the driver trainers.
Highway code introduced in a country which does not have highways.
It’s not enough to just have a highway code. Normal countries have a learner test or exam. Without passing this exam you do not qualify for a drivers licence. The exam is good because it helps to determine if there is some basic understanding of the highway code. Not pa Z, you just go & buy a licence. And you are surprised by the levels of deaths on the road.
High way code or no highway code, the problem is the brains behind the steering wheels, change the mind set and you will reduce the number of accidents. I also see a problem where only drivers and motor cyclists must read the highway code leaving out pedestrians and bicycle riders who are not only road users but also the majority ignorants for that matter. Pedestrians and most ‘bicyclists’ do not know which side of the road to walk and ride from, they cross the road anyhow and anywhere including the round about. Do you expect ant improvement?
1.2, You are very wrong, please revisit the Highway Code to learn the truth.
@Indigo Tyrol: Since you seem to know how to use a keyboard, I pretty sure you can easily look up the definition of “highway”. So if you say Zambia doesn’t have highways, is this out of ignorance or plain laziness?
Let me help you. DEFINITION OF HIGHWAY (at least in NORTH AMERICAN):
“A main road, especially one connecting major towns or cities. Examples can be a 2, 3, 4, …. lane highway.
synonyms: main road, main route; parkway, throughway, freeway, expressway, or turnpike. (Chiefly in official use) a public road!
Whoever launched the highway code should work hard and put road signs on the roads.
How would the learner driver be assessed to drive safely and competently on the roads that do not have signs? The current roads in Zambia lack the basic signs to enable both the instructor and the learner driver to achieve the high way code objectives.
My question is do we have high ways in zambia? So many people died in Lumumba road is that high way? roads have no sighs in zambia
A country with a top highway speed of 62 miles/hr (100km/hr) doesn’t need a Highway Code. It needs shrinks.
HOW CAN U LAUNCH A HIGHWAY CODE WHEN RTSA BOSS IS ON LEAVE? WHAT IS A HIGHWAY ANYWAY? IT IS A ROAD THAT IS HIGH OR ABOVE SEA LEVEL SO MANY ROADS IN ZAMBIA ARE QUITE HIGH THEY ARE ABOVE SEA LEVEL, THE SEA BEING INDIAN OCEAN
Make drink driving illegal, and arm the police with breathalyzers.
@Yamba Yamba
Zambia adopted the High Way code from the United Kingdom. Thus, totally different from the USA.
In the UK – A Highway Code is simply a set of information, advice, guides, and mandatory rules for all road users. Of course the objective is to promote road safety. It applies to drivers of animals, pedestrians, cyclists, motor cyclists, and drivers.
Have you read the comment @Idego Tyrol I was responding to? Read it and you will understand the context of my response to him/her. Of course I don’t disagree with what you are saying, but it is wrong to suggest that Zambia does not have highways……going by the definition of what a highway is!
By the way, there is no big difference between the UK and US definition of what constitutes a highway. The only big difference is that you guys in the UK drive on the left side of the road while in the US we drive on the right side. Otherwise everything else is pretty similar or the same. That is why you are allowed to drive on American highways with a British Drivers License. Same thing in the UK with an American License.
Put speed signs on the road from Lusaka to Chongwe. Police are hidding in the bush with hand held speed cameras. As one drives from Lusaka there is one sign at MRI near ZESCO which reads 60km. All other signs have been removed until the Toll Plaza. Surprisingly signs from Chongwe to Lusaka are intact.