Declare road traffic accidents a crisis – Chisanga

Pamela Chisanga

Civic Leader Pamela Chisanga says the Zambian government must declare road traffic accidents as a crisis.

Many people have died in Road accidents and there seem not to be no measure being put in place. Last year Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Panji Kaunda, directed law enforcement agencies in the country to arrest and prosecute drivers found ferrying people in trucks and open vans to prevent road accidents. This directive ended in as a mere statement.

Following an accident which claimed five pupils Friday night involving a Rosa bus carrying pupils from Hilcrest School and Truck, Ms Chisanga says it cannot be business as usual.

She says the road carnage in this country is unbelievable! Why is no one treating this as a crisis?she asks.

Ms Chisanga says:

Just in case people need help in thinking, here are a few suggestions – speed limiters on all vehicles (and I suggest 80km), close highways at night (until we learn how to drive properly) leave only trucks and emergency vehicles, no passenger vehicles.

Withdraw all driving licenses ad seriously retest. Abolish RTSA, outsource service to private entity, our police officers at road blocks harass people for flimsy offences but let defective vehicles and unlicensed PSV drivers through!

I was at some traffic lights recently when a young lady packed next to me opened her window and asked which lane she should be in to go in a particular direction, she was in wrong lane, had to give way for her to go ahead of me and in the meantime people behind her were impatient and angry as they couldn’t proceed when lights went green because she was in front and blocking the road. These young people are the crème de la crème of our nation and we lose them just like this. It is so painful. Very painful.

This can’t continue to happen and our leaders in the country just stand and watch……