Traffic chief concerned about road fatalities

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Tuesday August 24, 2010 00:00

Speaking in an interview, the Director of Traffic Police, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Victor Brunoh Paledi expressed concern at the loss of lives caused by road accidents.

'Every week a sizeable number of people die in road accidents,' the traffic chief revealed. He said every week police record road fatalities that range from two to 12. On an average 250 road accidents are recorded every week, revealed Paledi.

Paledi said while police are working towards the five percent target in road reduction for this year, there is still concern over the unnecessary loss of lives. 'Our population is less that two million.  If you have a country with such a small population, you should not be having people dying in road accidents. Even if we lose five people, it is still a loss,' he said.

'We want a situation where road accidents will be minimal.'

The traffic chief said there is also concern about children who are hit by cars at their schools during the day, as these are places where they should be safe.

He said most of the road fatalities occur along the A1 highway between Gaborone and Francistown, usually over the weekend. Paledi spoke about the element of driving without due care and attention, which contributes to accidents. 'If you go to any of the traffic lights, you will see many motorists go through red robots,' he said.

He noted that many motorists overtake at the barrier line and do not take heed of the stop sign. Paledi said motorists are also impatient with other road users and attributed this to a lot of frustration that leads them to vent their anger on others. 

Another headache for the traffic police is that of speeding. 'Speeding is a serious concern. Whenever we attend to an accident we find some evidence of speeding,' said Paledi. He explained that when they stage speed traps, they are able to nab those found on the wrong side of the law for this offence. But he feels that the majority of the culprits are never caught because other motorists forewarn them about the traps. 'Speed traps are predictable and drivers warn one another,' he lamented.

Despite these traffic violations, Paledi is adamant that everything is under control as failing to monitor the situation would have worsened matters. 'We are trying to do something,' he said.

But if Paledi had things his own way, the traffic police would not attend to minor accidents.  He said the police waste a lot of time attending to minor accidents such as when someone hits a gate. This he explained is mainly done for insurance purposes.

He however said the hefty fines introduced last year have become a deterrent for many motorists. 'Even going through the red light has decreased.  Traffic violators are aware that the risks are high,' he said.