Source: Bloody December: 19 perish on Zim’s roads -Newsday Zimbabwe
THE country has witnessed a devastating surge in road traffic accidents this December, with 19 lives lost and dozens of people injured across the country.
Most road traffic accidents are blamed on human error and poor roads.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has confirmed a series of fatal crashes on the country’s highways, raising concerns over road safety and prompting calls for urgent action.
The number of road accidents is likely to increase as citizens travel to different destinations for the Christmas holiday.
On Sunday, two people were killed, and two others injured in a multi-bus collision in a harrowing accident on the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.
On December 16, a collision between a Toyota Hilux and a Honda Fit on the Harare-Nyamapanda Road claimed the lives of two people and left four others injured.
“The ZRP confirms a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on 16/12/24 at around 1350 hours at the 156-kilometre peg along Harare-Nyamapanda Road.
“Two people were killed while four others were injured when a Toyota Hilux vehicle with one passenger on board side-swiped with a Honda Fit vehicle carrying five passengers.
“As a result of the accident, the Toyota Hilux vehicle overturned and landed on its side while the Honda Fit vehicle overturned and landed on its wheels,” the police statement read.
Barely a week after, three people died while two others were injured when a Mercedes Benz vehicle with two passengers on board was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda Fit vehicle along Harare-Mutare Road.
ZRP confirmed a fatal road accident which occurred at the 220-kilometre peg along Harare-Mutare Road, near Die Guns turn off on December 10, 2024 at around 1500hrs. Three people were killed while two others were injured when a Mercedes Benz vehicle with two passengers on board was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda Fit vehicle carrying two passengers. As a result of the accident, the Mercedes Benz vehicle caught fire and was burnt to a shell.
On December 8, a horrific collision on the Harare-Bulawayo Road claimed the lives of seven people.
An Inter Africa bus crashed into a stationary truck at the 330-kilometre peg around 330am. The impact of the collision left seven passengers dead, with an unconfirmed number of others sustaining injuries.
The injured were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital, while the deceased were transferred to that hospital’s mortuary for post-mortem examinations.
Barely two days after, tragedy struck at the 330-kilometre peg along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road when a Shackman tipper truck carrying 69 passengers overturned. The crash killed two people and injured 51 others, while 16 escaped unharmed.
On December 15, a 13-year-old Grade 7 learner was killed along New Chitungwiza Road. The child was struck by a Nissan Caravan kombi, whose driver fled from the scene.
Passenger Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Goliath urged motorists to exercise caution and stay safe on roads this holiday season.
“We urge motorists to exercise caution and not to speed, especially on hazardous rural roads. We also urge operators to give their drivers sufficient rest and when drivers are given time to rest, they should accordingly utilise this time,” Goliath said.
World statistics on road accidents have ranked Zimbabwe as one of the world’s two countries with the most unsafe road networks.
According to the World of Statistics, 41 per every 100 000 people die of injuries sustained in road traffic injuries in Zimbabwe.
The post Bloody December: 19 perish on Zim’s roads appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.