THE Zambian Roads & Highway Safety Group (ZRHSG) and the Road Safety Ambassadors (RSA) are urging road users in Zambia to help reduce road traffic accidents this festive season by ensuring strict adherence to prescribed speed limits, road rules and regulations and utmost respect for other road users.
Every year a large number of road traffic accidents usually occur during the festive season due to increased activities on our roads and increased intake of alcoholic beverages leading to over excitement during the festive season by many road users.
Our belief is that accidents could be avoided if every vehicle on our roads is worthy before one embarks on a journey and that the one tasked to drive is a qualified and competent driver – more so if the whole family is travelling in one vehicle – and understands the limitations of their vehicle.
Drivers must ensure all those in the car have their seat belts on, especially children, throughout the journey and be on the look-out for pedestrians who might cross the road in a drunken state.
The festive season is during the wet rainy season. Many roads usually have pools of water and visibility is also poor. To improve on visibility of their vehicles, motorists are advised to switch on their parking or fog lights during the day while cyclists are encouraged to have reflective jackets all the time.
Plan your journey to be undertaken during the day and avoid or reduce night driving as most roads are not equipped for night driving.
One of the basic driver tasks is to follow the road and read road markings and signage as guidance during one’s driving on the roads. Drivers need improved ability to read both long-range and short-range road guidance signs for them to be able to drive comfortably and safely during this festive season.
Lane markings for night traffic in use today in Zambia do not meet acceptable levels of visibility and safety and as such when driving at night on our dark roads, it is often quite difficult to see the direction the road is taking because most road markings are non-reflective and do not provide sufficient long-range road guidance.
The research done in Europe showed that the number of errors committed by drivers at night is 70% percent higher when driving under poor road markings compared to driving under reflective and enhanced road markings.
Most times motorists have no respect for other road users like pedestrians…
Careless drivers like the musician Dambisa should have their driving licence taken away for good. In her latest video trending on Zambian social media since one or two weeks, she is seen filming herself dancing and singing while driving without holding the steering , anything can happen within seconds and innocent lives would be lost because of her carelessness
Drive safely to protect your life and those of others
Everyone can have an accident, and a real accident . But i see no sense in this issue of pleading for excited adults to be careful. please let them kill themselves, perhaps jobs will be plenty . I dont have a problem if they are alone
Pedestrians and motorists must be very calm and excited during this period
Yes let’s follow road rule and save a life
That is a Nonsensical respond,!!! we need to have a solution to every problem to move forword not wishing others bad things to happen to them I’m
appalled with your solution, my dear Mr Betters…
Road safety for all
My advice to all motorist is that please don.t drink and drive on Xmas eve if you know that you are going to drink take a cab or stay home and drink from there, You are not going to lose your dignity and integrity by missing out on your Xmas party stay safe. Merry Xmas to you all my fellow Zambians and the Zambians in the diaspora bless.
John Mule,
Why should we worry about excited adults who are drinking with women in there care? let them kill themselves and leave the sane sane to remain and take over their jobs. I have seen people who are so excited that they decide too overtake 4 cars on a curve.
I am not talking about people who genuinely have accidents or those who make honest mistakes for which all of us can do
I have no apologizes
How many Ratsas