Lusaka, Tuesday, 16 January 2018: 1989 people died on Zambian roads in 2017, according to the latest Zambia Police statistics released today.
That is a 10% drop in the number of road deaths recorded in 2016 and 217 less deaths compared to 2017.
Daniel Mwamba, Chairperson of the ZRST, said:
“While one death is one too many, the only way we can measure success or failure in road safety is by recording the number of deaths on our roads. The drop in deaths in 2017 is a very welcome development. Whatever the reason for this decline, the main factor was ultimately as a result of the decision of every road user to change their behaviour for the better and improved measures by government. For this I thank you.
“However, the Zambia Road Safety Trust great concern is that this downward trend will not be sustained in 2018 and beyond. But we hope to see this downward positive trend each year”.
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Notes for Editors:
About ZRST
Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST), a not for profit organisation, that seeks to create awareness on road safety and contribute towards reduction in road traffic injuries and fatalities. Zambia, with over 2100 deaths in road crashes per year and 30 fatalities per 100,000 residents, is one of the worst performing countries, as far as road safety is concerned. The Zambia Road Safety Trust has a particular role to play in terms of personalising the Road Safety Issue (advocacy), creating a sense of urgency and generating a demand for safety from the public.