By Correspondent
Transport Minister Felix Mhona has revealed that at least 5 per day die through road traffic accidents in the country.
Mhona, who was speaking in Parliament, said the number translates to 150 deaths per month.
“Precisely, it is about 5 deaths per day which comes to 150 a month.
“We are just talking of fatalities, we also have those who are maimed, injured and who will then be hospitalised.
“Some are breadwinners.
“Not only that, but the burden to the dependent beneficiaries and even to the fiscus is big.
Mhona said the average cost of the dealing with all those who are injured is around US$406 million per year.
“In monetary terms, we are talking about three percent of our GDP.
“We will be looking at closely around USD406 million per annum that we are losing towards those who are hospitalised.
According to the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), 14 600 people died and 74 000 were injured in road accidents between 2015 and 2022.
Currently, a road accident occurs every 15 minutes according to TSCZ.
However, most such incidents are attributed to reckless driving, inadequate enforcement of traffic laws and use of defective vehicles.
To avoid the carnage experts have advised a revamp of the country’s transport system.
They have called for an urban transport system based on buses and, in time, incorporating rail and metro links.
These, they say, will serve better as the city continues to expand and development becomes more dense.
