Mabeo decries rising road accident deaths

Bonte Seepi | Tuesday November 17, 2015 11:45

Speaking at the National Road Safety commemorations held on Sunday, Mabeo said it is of great concern that the highest fatalities are among youth, who are supposed to be the future leaders of the country.

“Research has shown that every 20 seconds somewhere in the world someone is killed in a road accident and in Botswana, it is a concern as the numbers of people who die increase each year,” he said.

According to the minister, road accident fatalities are the major cause of death in Botswana, eclipsing even HIV/AIDS.  He said just like other countries, Botswana is paying attention to the quality of roads and vehicles in order to reduce the number of accidents.

“The road accidents issue needs a robust approach.

The message is reaching the intended population, so Batswana have to pull up their socks as well and try to reduce the figures. 

Let’s try to implement every strategy to save our lives and other road users’ lives,” he said.

The minister urged road users to avoid the tendency of only thinking about police road blocks and forgetting that they should always check their vehicles’ roadworthiness.

 He also emphasised the significance of staying sober while on the road.

“All road users, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and others should always ensure that they are sober before using roads to prevent accidents and save lives,” he said.