Drunken driving linked road accidents a worry
Pini Bothoko | Monday August 7, 2023 06:00
It is disappointing that the drunken driving trends, in spite of stringent measures taken over the years, continue to spiral out of control. There have been several deliberate and concerted efforts to limit alcohol consumption and drunken driving such as the introduction of steeper traffic fines, raising the alcohol levy, and increasing police presence on the roads to mention but a few.
What is even more saddening is the fact that often when drivers are engaging in their drinking and driving sprees, they are usually carrying more lives in their drunk-driven vehicles, resulting in high possibilities of fatalities as experienced in recent years. This past week 10 lives were lost on the national roads with the police identifying most of the accidents as alcohol-related with the most dangerous time on the road being after midnight on weekends.
Concerned by drunken driving, the Divisional Traffic Officer for South Central, Assistant Commissioner Reginald Matlhaba revealed in an interview with Mmegi that in an operation that lasted for a week, (from July 23 to July 30) they charged 78 drivers for drunken driving. Moreover, he said 450 drivers were charged for over speeding while 354 people were charged for driving without drivers’ licences. The police records indicate that the most common cause of road accidents include drunken driving, over-speeding, driver carelessness and pedestrian error, mostly involving young people.
Currently, the police are investigating accidents in which five lives were lost on the road this past weekend in the Greater Gaborone and two more lives along the notorious A3 road near the Sebina cross on Saturday. The police had also on Wednesday evening along A1 highway near Lechana recorded three deaths in an accident that claimed a soldier, police officer and a civilian. For a while, the police have been battling alcohol-related accidents with drivers’ attitudes and behaviours identified as the main causes of road fatalities hence calling for sober driving, pointing out that alcohol affects the drivers in many aspects including their attitude, judgement, vigilance, and reaction time, among others.
Matlhaba raised a concern that most of these accidents occur in the middle of the city where motorists should be driving at a maximum speed of 60km/h. He said as a result, every morning traffic lights, screen walls, electric poles would have been hit and damaged and some to have driven through traffic circles whilst they are the same roads that they use on daily basis and are not familiar with.
Additionally, he said the majority of drivers drive at high speed because it is their habit and it is even riskier when under the influence of alcohol. He disclosed that most of these accidents usually occur on weekends, early in the morning at around 3am and 4am when intoxicated motorists drive up and down between drinking holes.
“Traffic reduces at night hence drivers have an advantage to speed unnecessarily. Such attitudes that drivers continue to display increase their exposure to road accidents and casualty rates. We have had in the past set up drunk-driving operations in and around Gaborone to reduce road deaths but our efforts are not yielding results,” he said. Matlhaba said it is important that people change their behaviour on the roads as they have observed that speed limits are not obeyed and road signs continue to be ignored.
“Speeding increases the chance of a collision resulting in injuries or death. It is of great concern that most of the road accidents are due to bad attitude by motorists despite our efforts to sensitise motorists on road safety during road campaigns. Some of the accidents could be easily avoided if road users could exercise patience and pay more attention to road traffic signs and regulations,” he said. Commenting on risky behaviours displayed by drivers that increase their exposure to road accidents and mortality rate, Matlhaba singled out drinking and driving and speeding as the leading causes. He noted that young drivers like to compete on the road and overtake unnecessarily something which is more risky while driving under the influence of alcohol.
“We could sensitise motorists about road safety on road campaigns, but people must change their behaviour on the roads. There is also a growing trend of unlicensed drivers in the Greater Gaborone who are mostly involved in fatalities and serious accidents recorded over the weekend,” he said. He stated that most of the young drivers in the Greater Gaborone are unlicensed and seem not to be bothered by that even though it is an offence. Matlhaba said services are available for one to acquire a licence at the Department of Road Safety and Transport hence he pleaded with young people to take advantage of them.
The police have in the past revealed that male motorists are more likely to be killed or injured whilst behind the wheel as compared to women. They added that severe accidents tend to occur involving men than women because male motorists are more likely to engage in risky driving when compared to their female counterparts.