Police Record 389 Year-To-Date Road Deaths
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday November 18, 2019 11:16
This is according to Botswana Police Service (BPS) commissioner, Keabetswe Makgophe.
The figure shows that an additional six people lost their lives on the road as compared to last year during the same period under review.
The commissioner shared the statistics when officiating at the launch of ‘60 Days of Action on Crime and Road Safety’ campaign in Tonota last week. The campaign is staged countrywide every festive season.
Makgophe attributed a majority of accidents to human error and misconduct on the road most particularly amongst young drivers who go behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol. He added that fatigue is the other major source of road accidents in the country.
According to Makgophe, the recently launched campaign will mainly target the youth, as they are the ones who are mostly affected by road accidents during the festive season.
“We want to reach out to all the youth and make them realise the importance of adhering to road safety measures such as not driving under the influence of alcohol.
We will also be intensively encouraging them to constantly adjust their speed when driving so that it tallies with prevailing road conditions,” he added.
The commissioner emphasised that the police would ensure that their human and material resources would be deployed at strategic locations to execute preventive patrols, undertake educational campaigns as well as stringent enforcement of the law in a bid to enhance public security throughout the festive season.
Furthermore, Makgophe implored drivers to stop bribing police officers when slapped with various traffic offences.
“Let us pay for our dues and if the police have caught you for overspeeding or driving under the influence of alcohol, do not bribe them. Such conduct fuels corruption in the public service.”