SEVEN people died in two separate head-on collisions on Friday, bringing the festive season death toll to more than 20.
On Friday, four people died in a head-on collision at the 343km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Road.
Three other people died in a head-on collision at the 239km peg along the Harare-Masvingo Highway.
On Saturday, a CAG bus was involved in an accident around Mavhuradonha and 15 passengers sustained injuries, according to the police.
As of Wednesday, 20 people had been killed in traffic accidents recorded during the start of the festive season.
Most traffic accidents are blamed on human error and poor roads.
According to the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZimStat), at least 604 people died in accidents recorded during the third quarter of 2023.
ZimStat said the country witnessed a 15% increase in fatalities during the third quarter of 2023 despite a slight decrease in overall road traffic accidents.
- More than 2,2 million youths unemployed: ZimStat
- Texting while driving kills the economy
- Accident victims identified
- Zim tops global road carnage
Keep Reading
While the total number of accidents decreased by 3,2% compared to the second quarter, fatalities increased.
“Road traffic accidents decreased by 3,2% compared to the second quarter 2023. Of the 12 564 road traffic accidents reported in third quarter 2023, 460 were fatal,” ZimStat said in its situation report on accidents released last week.
“A quarter-on-quarter comparison shows a 15,0% increase from 400 fatal accidents reported in the second quarter 2023.”
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 road traffic injuries in Zimbabwe.
According to statistics released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency last month, 8 897 people died in traffic accidents between 2019 and 2022.
Approximately 2 079 people lost their lives in 52 585 road traffic accidents recorded last year alone.
