A Huge Toll In Lives

NAMIBIA has had more than its fair share of road fatalities in the past, but the most recent, and one of the most horrific, is the accident on Tuesday night on the Grootfontein-Rundu road, which claimed the lives of at least 27 Namibians, mostly women and children.

The collision between a heavy truck transporting copper and a minibus was one of the worst scenes of carnage ever seen, according to those arriving on the scene shortly after the disaster. While the cause of the accident was not definitely known at the time of writing, this, more than any other road fatalities in the past, illustrates the need for some serious campaigning on road safety.There is some speculation that the large truck had swerved to avoid a kudu and collided head-on with the minibus in doing so.The frequent presence of game on our roads is an extra potential hazard that needs to be kept in mind by our drivers.Most Namibians have, at one time or another, had an accident involving game or at least a close encounter, and this fact, always unpredictable, must be kept in mind by drivers at all times.The accident argues for a very serious limitation of speeding, for example.While we cannot and do not say what happened in this most recent and horrific of all cases, drivers need to travel at very modest speeds, particularly at night, because of precisely this risk.Those who cannot keep exceptionally alert in the evenings should avoid night driving if at all possible.There are some countries, for example, which limit the presence of huge trucks on the roads to certain hours of the day, because an impact with one of these will certainly cause more fatalities than would have been the case if it had been a smaller vehicle that collided with the minibus.The state of the crumpled wreck in which the 27 lost their lives is ample evidence of the damage that a huge truck like the one in question can do to a smaller vehicle.It is clear too, from the fact that the driver of the truck, as well as his co-driver/passenger, survived the accident, whereas no one in the minibus lived.Perhaps the authorities and road safety institution can consider appropriate times for travel of big trucks and tankers to minimise the possibilities of fatalities such as these.There are, of course, many other precautions that should be taken by drivers, and road safety authorities need to be vigilant on our highways, both during the day and night.Among others, speed restrictions are vital; alcohol awareness campaigns crucial, since many lose their lives due to exactly this abuse; road blocks should not only monitor licences of drivers on our roads, but also look out for overloading and alcohol abuse, roadworthiness of vehicles, and, where necessary, pull such vehicles off the roads with a view to ensuring their own safety and the safety of others.The disaster prompted President Hifikepunye Pohamba to call a press conference to express his shock and condolences at the road tragedy in which the scale of the death toll was unprecedented in Namibia.Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila was also sent to the scene of the accident, to assess what could still be done.This is the kind of news that the media have no relish in reporting.What is important, however, is to try to ensure that similar tragedies are averted in the future.Hopefully an investigation into the cause of the disaster will guide us on the way ahead to safe road usage.In the meanwhile, The Namibian extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the people who died in this horror smash.While the cause of the accident was not definitely known at the time of writing, this, more than any other road fatalities in the past, illustrates the need for some serious campaigning on road safety.There is some speculation that the large truck had swerved to avoid a kudu and collided head-on with the minibus in doing so.The frequent presence of game on our roads is an extra potential hazard that needs to be kept in mind by our drivers.Most Namibians have, at one time or another, had an accident involving game or at least a close encounter, and this fact, always unpredictable, must be kept in mind by drivers at all times.The accident argues for a very serious limitation of speeding, for example.While we cannot and do not say what happened in this most recent and horrific of all cases, drivers need to travel at very modest speeds, particularly at night, because of precisely this risk.Those who cannot keep exceptionally alert in the evenings should avoid night driving if at all possible.There are some countries, for example, which limit the presence of huge trucks on the roads to certain hours of the day, because an impact with one of these will certainly cause more fatalities than would have been the case if it had been a smaller vehicle that collided with the minibus.The state of the crumpled wreck in which the 27 lost their lives is ample evidence of the damage that a huge truck like the one in question can do to a smaller vehicle.It is clear too, from the fact that the driver of the truck, as well as his co-driver/passenger, survived the accident, whereas no one in the minibus lived.Perhaps the authorities and road safety institution can consider appropriate times for travel of big trucks and tankers to minimise the possibilities of fatalities such as these.There are, of course, many other precautions that should be taken by drivers, and road safety authorities need to be vigilant on our highways, both during the day and night.Among others, speed restrictions are vital; alcohol awareness campaigns crucial, since many lose their lives due to exactly this abuse; road blocks should not only monitor licences of drivers on our roads, but also look out for overloading and alcohol abuse, roadworthiness of vehicles, and, where necessary, pull such vehicles off the roads with a view to ensuring their own safety and the safety of others.The disaster prompted President Hifikepunye Pohamba to call a press conference to express his shock and condolences at the road tragedy in which the scale of the death toll was unprecedented in Namibia.Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila was also sent to the scene of the accident, to assess what could still be done.This is the kind of news that the media have no relish in reporting.What is important, however, is to try to ensure that similar tragedies are averted in the future.Hopefully an investigation into the cause of the disaster will guide us on the way ahead to safe road usage.In the meanwhile, The Namibian extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the people who died in this horror smash.