Africa-Press – Botswana. Road users nationwide have been urged to take road safety awareness messages seriously to reduce the occurrence of road accidents.
Statistics indicate a significant amount of reckless driving on national roads, result in fatal accidents that claim lives and cause lifelong injuries.
Minister of Transport and Public Works, Mr Eric Molale, emphasised that road safety begins with the individual, and road users must prioritise each other’s safety.
The minister was officiating at the World Day of Rememberance for road traffic victims in Mathangwane recently.
He also highlighted the responsibility of farmers to remove cattle from the roads to prevent accidents.
Mr Molale attributed roaming cattle to a high number of fatal accidents and called for action from all stakeholders in creating safer roads.
Minister Molale revealed that between January and October 2022 alone, 227 lives were lost, whereas the number rose to 304 lives for the same period this year. He said that these numbers could be significantly reduced if every Motswana took responsibility for improving road safety.
The Minister appealed to citizens across the country to aim for less than 100 casualties in the upcoming year, urging all stakeholders to prioritise and ‘kill speed instead of killing lives.’
Regarding road infrastructure, Minister Molale said the A3 road’s significant loss of lives last year, particularly public transport buses, claimed 16 and 23 lives in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
He mentioned that the government had secured funds for road improvements, with the Okavango Africa engineering company already starting work on the A3 from Francistown-Nata.
He added that the 200km road would be a dual carriage from Francistown to Mathangwane, redirecting towards the Mandunyane-Mathangwane road, which is also under construction.
These infrastructure developments, the minister said aimed to boost the economy, generate employment opportunities during and after construction, as well as to prevent fatalities caused by dangerous driving.
Furthermore, Mr Molale said his ministry was implementing new strategies to improve services.
This includes ensuring that transport instructors and inspectors prioritise safety when issuing driving licenses to individuals who have passed their tests.
Mr Fidelis Molao, Member of Parliament for Shashe West, commended the progress made in road developments that pass through his constituency, benefiting both the A3 and Mandunyane-Mathangwane roads.
He said that these improvements would enhance the socio-economic status of all villages in the area, including access roads to Makobo.
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