Road accidents kill 2,000 Zimbabweans in 11 months

Almost 2000 people have died in road traffic accidents that occurred around the country between January and November this year.

According to statistics obtained by Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) from the police, the number of people who died on the roads increased by almost 15 percent when compared with 2017.

"Between January and November this year, 1 855 people were killed in road accidents in Zimbabwe, and this represents a 14.75 increase from the 1546 who died during the same period in 2017," TSCZ Spokesperson, Mr Tatenda Chinoda said.

Also, the total number of fatal accidents went up by 20.9 percent from 1187 last year to 1415 this year.

In total, the number of road accidents went up by 20 percent from 40687 last year to 48880 this year.

However, the number of people injured fell by 40 percent from 9529 to 5705.

Mr Chinoda noted that the major causes of the accidents remain human error such as speeding, overtaking errors and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Mr Chinoda also noted that they will continue with awareness campaigns.

"The campaign is meant to educate drivers and the public on road good behaviour to save lives," he said.

Passengers and motorists have welcomed the TSCZ for coming up with such programmes meant to save lives.

The festive season normally records a sharp rise in the number of road fatalities and injuries but the traffic watch dog said it has 20 teams across the country in an effort to raise awareness and reduce road carnage.