Africa-Press – Lesotho. With the intention to further educate the nation about the importance of keeping safe on the roads, Road Safety launched a drunk driving campaign on Wednesday.
The objective of the campaign is to prevent constant reckless driving that causes road crashes, injuries and fatalities at the Palace Road in Senyotong.
The campaign was made a success through the collaboration of Road safety officers, Ministry of Transport, Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) and Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), together with other numerous brands that sponsored the campaign. The Nokaneng digital solutions projected a theatre show, with the initiative to revive the Drunk Driving campaign.
Minister of Transport Hon. Tšoeu Mokeretla in his speech, said the tragic loss of life from driving impairment, whether under the influence of alcohol or drugs, can be 100% preventable, he said statistics show that a lot of road crash occurrences at Palace Hotel and nearby locations are a result of drunk driving. Mokeretla said in 2022 they recorded 63 road accidents in just a five months while last year they recorded 52 road crashes on the palace road. In 2022 there were 107 recorded accidents as compared to 2021 where there were 87 accidents, this year 17 people lost their lives in this area while in 2021, 23 people died. Mokeretla added that as the Ministry, they are willing to do everything in their power to reduce roads accidents, they also work with other departments within the ministry to ensure effectiveness concerning this campaign.
Earlier this year, the Road Fund had sponsored procurement of 30 Breathalyzers and two Speed Cameras for LMPS, which were purchased through the Road Safety Department under the Ministry of Transport.
In an interview with Informative Newspaper, Lance sergeant Nchakha Machabe of the LMPS said what makes this campaign different is the use of breathalysers and speed traps, he said they will not use this equipment everyday but it will be used in police operations when necessary. He said the Palace Road is very open,
and straight but most accidents are recorded there because of reckless driving. He stated that another source of these accidents amounts to lack of road signs in the area. Machabe added that being drunk while driving is very dangerous so it is important to be sober while driving not just for driver’s safety but for the safety of others because driving while intoxicated can affect judgment, physical abilities, and emotions.
He said the mission of police is not to arrest but rather, to make sure that citizens abide by the laws, he urged drivers to avoid getting fines, jail time, loss of license, and even the loss of job. He advised citizens to try and to make it a habit to either call a cab or ask someone else for a ride if they have consumed a lot of alcohol, for it is not worth the risk of an accident or injury to them or others.
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