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HomeNews‘All-Inclusive Approach Needed In Road Accident Fight’

‘All-Inclusive Approach Needed In Road Accident Fight’

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Stakeholders advocating for road safety in the country have called for an all-inclusive approach in the fight against road accidents on the roads.

Speaking on the Global campaign week on road safety, Road Safe Zimbabwe founder Sam Nyaude bemoaned the burden of accidents and the bearing they have on victims and their families.

“We understand that the burden of road injuries and deaths affects us directly as individuals, families, communities, and the nation at large. While that is a national and individual problem, if we do not act as civilians we will continue to suffer the full extent of road carnage in Zimbabwe. We are looking at a future where we can do something to reduce road safety in the country.

“We are emphasizing on the need for road safety priority, the United Nations estimates that road injuries and crashes cost government GDP of up to 3% and we are saying if we invest more in road safety we can save more.  Every road crash costs so much money if you consider issues of property loss, infrastructure damage, hospitalization, evacuations and these are costs that 95% of Zimbabweans cannot afford,” said Nyaude

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Emergency medical services provider Ace ambulance chief operations director Mark Smythe lamented the lack of funding in providing rescue operations during accidents.

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“Lack of funding affects rescue operations, for example in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana even Mozambique and Swaziland have a road accident fund. The fund is generated through a small portion of every liter of fuel that is purchased goes to the road accident fund which will fund any services that are provided or rendered to any citizens on the day they have an accident which would include ambulances even air ambulances like helicopters to get patients to hospitals,” Smythe said.

This year’s UN Global Traffic Safety Week which ran between 17 and 23 May was commemorated under the theme “Streets for Life” with a call for 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits to be the norm for cities, towns, and villages worldwide.

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