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Road traffic accidents continue to claim precious lives on our roads and what is painful is that most of the accidents are as a result of human error which means they can be avoided.

Nine people were killed between Sunday and Monday this week in two separate accidents and both accidents were as a result of reckless driving. On Sunday five people died on the spot while seven others were injured when a truck they were travelling in collided head-on with a Munenzwa bus at the 196km peg along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.

According to police, the bus driver attempted to overtake in front of oncoming traffic resulting in the head-on collision with the truck. On Monday four people died on the spot when the vehicle they were travelling in collided head-on with a haulage truck along the Harare-Chirundu highway. According to police, the driver of a Honda Fit overtook another vehicle in front of an oncoming truck resulting in the head-on collision.

The vehicle was trapped under the truck. The driver of the Honda Fit and his three passengers died on the spot. The two accidents, according to police reports, were caused by reckless drivers and as such could have been avoided had the drivers observed the road traffic rules and regulations. The burden therefore to reduce road traffic accidents rests solely with the drivers.

It is only drivers that can tame the traffic jungle by exercising extreme caution. The passengers can also play a crucial role in taming the traffic jungle by refusing to be driven by reckless drivers. They should not hesitate to caution reckless drivers and if the drivers are defiant, passengers should report such drivers to the police.

The country cannot afford to continue losing lives to accidents that can be avoided. We want to once again appeal to motorists to respect the sanctity of life and always strive to drive safely.

It is important to appreciate that once you are at the wheel, you have been entrusted with the safety of not only yourself and your passengers but that of other road users as well.