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TSCZ courts UN over road accidents

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The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has roped in the United Nations in its bid to reduce road traffic accidents and their impact.

BY VANESSA GONYE

The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) has roped in the United Nations in its bid to reduce road traffic accidents and their impact.

A representative of the UN office of the secretary-general for road safety is currently in the country for a review and assessment of the country’s performance on road safety.

The envoy, Priti Gautam, who is on a three-day visit to the country, yesterday met stakeholders for a road safety performance review meeting in Harare.

Gautam said the country was making progress despite the fact that it still ranked high in the world on losses linked to road traffic accidents.

“We are here to perform this review at the invitation of the government to try and assist so that its standards match those from around the region with regards to traffic safety. Zimbabwe currently has one of the highest rates of fatalities in the world, higher than regional rates,” she said.

Gautam said the team was in the country to assess the current state of affairs as well as to build a team of local experts who will be given technical expertise on safeguarding the country’s road safety.

“We will build a team of experts from the country; there is no one who knows a situation better than local citizens; the crisis has affected the African continent greatly and Zimbabwe cannot be left out, we hope to provide the necessary support,” she said.

“Our aim is to identify where we can improve this system to manage road traffic accidents in the country.”

TSCZ board chairperson Albert Mugabe said the review was crucial for the country because it brought to the fore continental rankings to help benchmark the country’s performance.

“Our aim is zero tolerance to road traffic accidents, it’s not just about road death, there is also a financial bearing on the nation that we need to address,” he said.

“We are making progress, but there is need to solve some issues including how we handle post-crash issues. Our hospitals need to be equipped for crashes. There is need for funding and commitment from responsible authorities to solve this problem,” he said.

TSCZ director Obio Chinyere said the UN agent’s visit was a positive step in improving road safety in the country.

At least $460 million is spent annually on road traffic accidents, with an average of 40 000 accidents being recorded over the same period, while 90% of these are a result of human error.