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Writes Elvis Dumba
Chinhoyi – Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has expressed concern over the increase of pedestrians being run over by vehicles across the country.
ZRP National Spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said the rise in hit-and-run accidents where pedestrians are being knocked over in places such as public transport pick-up points is worrisome.
The Assistant Commissioner was speaking during a Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe media engagement meeting in Chinhoyi.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi urged the media to critique the rise of hit-and-run accidents where some of the motorists do not bother to stop after hitting pedestrians.
“Imagine a motorist running over a mother carrying a baby and deciding not to stop! And another running over a person waiting for transport at a bus terminus and speeds off?” he said.
“As the media, let’s join hands and help to end the rise of hit-and-run accidents where in most cases the motorists do not bother to stop. As media, you need to come on board and promote the safety of pedestrians on the road and expose motorists who are in the habit of flouting road regulations,” he said.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi urged the media to ensure that traffic road regulations are enforced by the police by playing their oversight roles at police checkpoints where cases of corruption have been cited.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said the media plays a critical role in ensuring that the police carry out their duties in combating crime by exposing various misdemeanors in society as well as within the police force.
“We are concerned that some pirate taxis do pass police checkpoints whilst overloaded and these are some of the things we need the media to help us end by raising and exposing such activities. As media, you also need to educate the traveling public on road safety issues and their rights as passengers.”
During the meeting, it was revealed that the pirate taxis were the only mode of transport available in Chinhoyi, Banket, and surrounding areas as there were no conventional commuter omnibuses in the areas, exposing passengers to the risk of accidents as the mode of transport they use is not insured.
The police, according to Assistant Commissioner Nyathi, will man pedestrian crossings, especially near schools to ensure that motorists comply with regulations that require them to stop at pedestrian crossing points.
Meanwhile, whilst the police and the media were engaging, three people died and 11 others were injured when a minibus driver tried to overtake another vehicle and veered off the road near Chinhoyi.
The minibus overturned once before landing on its wheels at the 135-kilometer mark along Harare -Chirundu Road, about 18 kilometers at a place known as 11 Miles from Chinhoyi.
The injured passengers were rushed to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital for treatment,
The accident was the second fatal crash in two days on Zimbabwe’s roads. On Wednesday, five people were killed and 36 others were injured when a bus, a truck, and a car collided at the 64-kilometer peg along Harare-Mutare Road, near Marondera, the provincial capital of Mashonaland East province, police said.
Police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi expressed sadness over the loss of lives and urged motorists to be observant and safety-conscious on the roads.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said road accidents had claimed 92 lives and injured 464 others across Zimbabwe in the first 13 days of the festive season and said the police will release a comprehensive report on road accidents in January 2024.