Lusaka: 19th November 2021. The Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST), the nation’s leading NGO for Road Safety, calls upon the New Dawn Government to invest at least USD 1Billion, in safe road Infrastructure in the next 5 years. There is compelling evidence worldwide to indicate that upgrading infrastructure offers significant improvements for road safety.
ZRST extends its condolences to the family and friends of the late Kabwata Law marker, Hon. Levy Mkandawire MP, who died in a traffic accident on Thursday, 18th November 2021. The death of the Hon. Mkandawire and many other traffic victims should be a wake-up call for the new government to put safety at the top of its priority list. The government has the opportunity to save thousands of lives and become an inspiring success story of inclusive, sustainable development.
Nearly 2000 people die and an estimated 5,000 people suffer life-changing injuries in a year on Zambia’s roads. At current levels over 20,000 mostly young people will be killed and injured in road crashes over the next decade. Zambia cannot afford this to happen.
Road deaths and trauma have significant social and economic costs to the individuals, families and communities affected. Other stakeholders are also paying the cost of poor results: governments, insurers and companies,
Road safety also has a tangible impact on poverty. Many crash victims are pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcyclists struggling to make ends meet. In Zambia, cyclists and pedestrians together account for more than 60 % of road user deaths. The loss of income and medical expenses from a crash can spell financial disaster for a victim and his or her family, especially where social safety nets are limited.
With ambition, coordinated interventions, and the right level of investment, there is no reason why the New Dawn Government wouldn’t be able to win the road safety battle.
Chairman for ZRST Daniel Mwamba said:
“To find lasting solutions, it is important to keep in mind that human error is inevitable. Instead of blaming crashes on road users, we must focus on ways to improve safety. For example, how can we minimize the likelihood of a crash? And, when a crash does occur, how can we reduce the consequences of serious injuries or death? We can do this by simply investing in “forgiving roads” improving the infrastructure design with low-cost treatments such as road-marking, signage, roadside hazard removal; higher-cost treatments such as barriers, footpaths, cycle paths, intersection upgrades or through a reduction in the operating speed through traffic calming (humps) and promote and enforce lower urban speed limits of 30 km/h which is already a law in Zambia”.
End/ ZRST
