Accidents Cost Over P500 Billion

By Thato Chwaane
Staff Writer | Monday April 30, 2007 00:00

 

Speaking at the Shell 'Drive to Live' campaign in Gaborone last week, Sejoe said that treatment and care for serious injuries to the spine or head from road accidents could cost between P300, 000 and P690, 000 - the ceiling in the BOMAID Scheme B.

She said this amount could assist 58 people on ARV treatment for a year. Sejoe emphasised that road accidents are unnecessary and can be prevented.

On another note, Sejoe said HIV/AIDS remains a national concern and that BOMAID invests 3.5 percent of its annual revenue towards a care programme for its members. She said BOMAid wishes to spend less on accident claims in order that they may help government on HIV/AIDS.

She said that the health insurance industry faces challenges of rising medical costs from suppliers of services, and that there is a need for the industry to be thoroughly regulated to safeguard its future. She stated that with a rise in chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, there is a need to educate people on better lifestyles.

Meanwhile, the Country Chairman of Shell Oil Botswana Boitumelo Sekwababe said at the same event that accidents cost $518 billion per year on a world-wide scale. He said the costs in low-income countries is $100 billion - more than what these countries receive as developmental aid.

Sekwababe said that the major cause of accidents is speeding and drunken driving. He urged people to take at least five minutes before leaving home to think about road safety.

However, the Acting Director of Department of Transport and Road Safety, Thaganeng Koloi, said there has been a slump in accidents. Even so, his department is still concerned about the high rate of accidents in a country with a small population like Botswana.

He said to keep the roads safe, there is a need for people to have valid drivers' licences. All occupants of a vehicle must wear seatbelts and children must not be allowed to stand in between seats.

Koloi urged people to obey speed limits and make sure their vehicles are roadworthy. He appealed to drivers to rest, especially when they are travelling over long distances. Koloi said it is a fact that after two hours of driving, fatigue sets in.

Shell's campaign comes in the wake of the Global Road Safety Week, which requires individuals to make a personal commitment to improve road safety.