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.
