Delivered by Honourable Frank M. Tayali, MP
Minister of Transport and Logistics
March 2022
Madam Speaker
With the leave of the House, kindly permit me to express my profound Gratitude to you Madam Speaker, for allowing me this rare opportunity to deliver this Ministerial Statement on the continued escalation of road traffic crashes and fatalities on our roads.
It is indeed with a heavy heart that I come before this August House to make this statement owing to the many lives that we have lost in traffic accidents which BUT/FOR certain known factors, could have been avoided.
It is disheartening that despite several measures Government has put in place to curb the scourge, road traffic crashes increased to 32,372 in 2021 compared to 28,484 recorded in 2020 and 30,648 in 2019. In the same unfortunate vein, the number of fatalities increased to 2,163 in 2021 compared to 1,690 in 2020 and 1,746 in 2019. These statistics represent a 13% increment in road traffic crashes in 2021 and a 28% increment in road traffic fatalities in the same year.
Madam Speaker
In December 2021, the number of road traffic crashes recorded was 2,658 and the number reduced slightly to 2,383 in January, 2022. The first two months of 2022 have recorded several fatal crashes that included among others, the following:
• On 12th January at Kateshi along Kasama-Mbala road at around 07:30 hrs, a Van and a truck collided head-on as the driver of the van lost control of the vehicle. Two (2) people were killed on the spot while three (3) were seriously injured. Sadly Madam Speaker, the cause of this accident was DRIVER FATIGUE according to the Accident Investigation Report;
• On 27th January in Pemba at around 04:30 hrs, a Mitsubishi Rosa bus belonging to the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) and a freightliner truck collided head-on as the driver of the bus failed to keep to his lane. Thirteen (13) people lost their lives while seventeen (17) were seriously injured. Here too Madam Speaker, according to the Accident Investigation Report, driver negligence owing to FAILURE TO MAINTAIN HIS LANE may also have been attributed to DRIVER FATIGUE going by the time of the accident occurred;
• On 5th February at Kafwimbi area in Isoka district at around 13:00 hrs, a minibus overturned. Two (2) people died while three (3) were injured. Madam Speaker, the cause of the accident was as a result of EXCESSIVE SPEEDING according to the Accident Investigation Report;
• On 11th February at around 07:30 hrs at Luanshya turn off along the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway, a small car and a van collided and two (2) lives were lost. According to the Accident Investigation Report, the cause of the accident was HUMAN ERROR OWING TO FAILURE TO STOP AT THE Junction;
• On 13th February at around 19:40 hrs, along the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway, a truck driver lost control of the motor vehicle and plunged into the Kafue River and two (2) lives were lost;
• On 14th February at around 10:20 hrs in Kapiri Mposhi, a Zambia Railways train collided with a fuel tanker and two (2) lives of the locomotive operators were lost. According to the Accident Investigation Report, the cause of the accident was HUMAN ERROR due to FAILURE BY THE FUEL TANKER DRIVER TO STOP AT A LEVEL CROSSING;
• On 18th February in Mazabuka at Nyati area at around 16:20 hrs, a truck and small car collided head-on and two (2) people died on the spot. The cause of the accident was HUMAN ERROR AS THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK WAS OVERTAKING IMPROPERLY;
• On 24th February in Mkushi at around 05:30 hrs, a mini bus collided head-on with a Tanzanian registered truck. It was in this accident that we lost the Mayor of Mongu and two (2) others. Hereto Madam Speaker, according to the Accident Investigation Report, the cause of the accident was HUMAN ERROR DUE TO THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK OVERTAKING IMPROPERLY;
• On 26th February in Mpika at around 23:00 hrs, a Lusaka bound big bus from Nakonde hit a pothole causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, careered off the road and plunged into a nearby stream. Seven (7) people died and thirty-three (33) were injured. The cause of the accident was HUMAN ERROR DUE TO EXCESSIVE SPEED ON A DAMAGED ROAD LADEN WITH POTHOLES
On behalf of Government and indeed on my own behalf, I wish to convey that or thoughts and prayers go out to the bereaved families. May the souls of the dearly departed forever rest in God’s eternal peace.
Madam Speaker
The aforementioned causes and effects of the mentioned accidents clearly spell out two overarching factors.
- Human negligence and bad road user behaviour among motorists. Over speeding, failure to judge distance with on-coming vehicles when overtaking, drunk driving and use of a mobile phone are major behavioural factors that contributed to these road accidents;
- Poor state of the roads. Allow me to single out the road stretch between Lusaka and Ndola. This road stretch is associated with high traffic volumes and has predominantly been recording the highest number of road traffic crashes. Due to having deep potholes and rutting, travel speeds have reduced to lower than the 70km/h speed limit. This has resulted in impatient driving, which has led to excessive speeding, improper overtaking, misjudging of clearing distance resulting in head-on collision crashes.
Madam Speaker
Government is concerned with this trend and cannot allow this situation to continue unabated. When we noticed a spike in accidents around September 2021, my Ministry instructed the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to implement more stringent road safety enforcement programmes. Among the immediate strategies being implemented to curb this scourge are:
i. Scaling up road traffic enforcement through combined motorised road patrols by the Zambia Police and RTSA in order to enforce the Law and Regulations issued by Government;
ii. Suspending of Drivers Licences for road users that are perpetual offenders for over-speeding.
iii. Scaling up the mounting of mobile speed cameras to curb the vice of over-speeding;
iv. Scaling up road safety education using various media platforms in order to improve road user behaviour;
v. Displaying inside all public service buses the RTSA toll free number 983 and number plate of the bus and sensitising of passengers to report an over-speeding bus to the RTSA call centre;
vi. Enhanced surveillance for long distance buses using the Global Position System (GPS);
vii. To mitigate accidents as a result of broken-down vehicles along the highways Government through the RTSA has procured an additional Tow truck, to be stationed in Central Province; and
viii. Government has released funds amounting to 4 million kwacha for road maintenance of various roads
In the long term, Government will endeavour to undertake the following:
I. Construction of a dual carriage way between Lusaka and Ndola. Meanwhile, we shall engage with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development and the Treasury that short-term remedial works be undertaken on the roads;
II. Amendment of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 to introduce regulations such as probationary driving licences and the demerit point system to change driver behaviour; and
III. Liaise with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security in order for RTSA and the Zambia Police to utilise overhead cameras installed countrywide and enhance over speeding enforcement.
IV. Re-training of Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers.
With these interventions, we are optimistic that we will reverse the unprecedented rising trend in road crashes.
Most cardinal Madam Speaker, is that people need to learn to regulate themselves rather than depend on Government to regulate them. We need to change our behaviour as drivers and road users.
Madam Speaker
As I conclude, I wish to urge members of the general public to assist the nation and themselves in achieving the Country’s road safety agenda. I urge all motorists to please adhere to road rules at all times and exercise patience on our roads to save lives. The Public is also requested to make use of the RTSA and Zambia Police toll free lines to report any bad driver behaviour. This fight can only be won if we all work together as one with the aim of achieving a higher road safety profile.
Madam Speaker, in summary we need: - Safer people to be our drivers;
- Safer transport infrastructure; and
- We need to drive at safer speeds.
I would also like to inform the House that we will as Government continuously review our post-crash care system so that we can avoid further loss of lives.
Madam Speaker, I thank you.
