Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona has reiterated government’s stance for drivers of buses and haulage trucks in a bid to curb the country’s high rate of road accidents which claim about 2,000 lives every year.
Responding to a question in Parliament, Mhona said no new licence holder would be permitted to immediately drive public transport vehicles.
“We are saying you start with Class 4 going upwards, you cannot start with Class 2. For you to drive public transport, buses or commuter buses, you have to be above 30 years,” Mhona said.
He explained that drivers must now gain at least a year of experience on Class 4 licences before upgrading to Class 2 and two years on Class 2 before qualifying for Class 1.
The move, he said was designed to ensure that only mature and experienced drivers handle public service vehicles, a policy already in place in several other countries.
Parliamentarians pressed further on road safety, about unregistered vehicles being used on the roads.
Mhona assured the House that government policy requires all vehicles to be registered and insured before use warning that police roadblocks would continue to enforce compliance.
He also revealed that the cost of number plates would soon be reduced to encourage motorists to register their vehicles.
Marondera Central Caston Matewu called for the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) to be given enforcement powers.
At present, the agency is viewed by drivers as “toothless,” he said.
Mhona confirmed that plans were underway to turn the TSCZ into a fully-fledged agency with the authority to impose penalties on reckless drivers.
The minister urged drivers to exercise personal responsibility on the roads.
“We want mature people to be driving, but that does not mean accidents can be stopped completely. It is up to us as citizens that as we drive on the roads, we be cautious,” he said.
