The police have revealed that on average, five lives are lost on the road with more male motorists more likely to be killed whilst behind the wheel compared to women. The latter are said to usually lose their lives as passengers. Despite the situation, motorists' and pedestrians’ attitudes towards key road safety issues such as speeding, risky overtaking, and alcohol intake have been identified as major road safety concerns. The police statistics indicate that so far around 300 people died on the road this year as compared to 396 deaths recorded in 2023. In an interview with Mmegi, the Botswana Police Service (BPS)’s Traffic Director, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Pilane Sibigi, said they always sensitise motorists on road safety during road campaigns, especially around this time when people are travelling in high numbers, but it is important that Batswana change their behaviour on the roads. He also said the majority of road fatalities that occurred in the past were as a result of unsafe overtaking, speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, and the general disregard of road rules or road traffic signs amongst others.
“On average, five lives are lost on the road weekly in Botswana with the numbers keeping on increasing. This past week we recorded 12 deaths as compared to 13 deaths recorded two weeks ago and this remains a concern especially since the festive season is upon us. This is a critical time for road safety as most people are likely to travel to spend the festive season with their loved ones as some travel for holidays,” he said. Sibigi added that so far around 250 fatal accidents have been recorded as compared to 301 in 2023, pointing to have seen an increase in road deaths involving pedestrians. He said most accidents involving pedestrians and claiming their lives occur in and around entertainment places. “The law forces pedestrians to behave on the road. We have observed that most people drink alcohol, get intoxicated and walk on the road, cross the road without due care putting their lives at risk. Some pedestrians would get intoxicated and sleep on the road hence pleading with members of the community to drink responsibly during this period,” he said.
Additionally, he said another road safety challenge that remains a concern is indulgence in alcohol by drivers especially the youth who are also prone to road accidents that continue to claim lives. “This is the time we strongly advise motorists to travel and reach their destinations and drink alcohol when they have arrived. This is a serious concern because intoxicated people end up causing fatal accidents,” Sibigi said.
He added that there are 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 just to mention but a few. He, however, said the interventions have not made much of a difference as accidents continue to spiral out of control. “This past weekend we lost 12 people on the road and this is a concern as from today people will be travelling to different destinations to celebrate the festive season. More accidents are likely to happen hence pleading with members of the public especially motorists, pedestrians to take precautions and avoid alcohol intake when using the road,” he said. This was the worst year ever as in May this year during the Easter holidays, the country was plunged into a devastating shock following the tragic loss of 45 Batswana who were members of the St Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in a horrific accident in a highway leading to the ZCC Moria pilgrimage near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo, South Africa. To date, the nation is still struggling to forget the mass burial of the said 45 people. As if that was not enough, in August another tragedy struck when five people perished in a road mishap along the Orapa/Francistown road after an 18-seater passenger minibus overturned between the Orapa junction and Borolong village, leaving several passengers with serious injuries. In September, a head-on collision along the Lesoma/Pandamatenga road claimed the lives of four people, three Zambians, and one Motswana in an accident that involved a cross-border bus.
The bus was travelling from Gaborone to Zambia carrying 20 passengers and a truck. Then, several Zambians passengers sustained serious injuries. In yet another tragedy, in October, a family of five young men perished in a road mishap in Tlokweng along the Tlokweng/Zeerust road after their VW vehicle collided with a Mazda car when their driver was trying to overtake leading to the devastating loss of lives. This past weekend, three pedestrians and a driver perished in different accidents in Greater Gaborone with more accidents occurring across the country adding to 12 deaths this past week.
