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Sunday was another dark day for Zimbabwe when a road traffic accident involving two buses claimed the lives of 26 people. A Zupco bus heading for Mutoko and a Pioneer bus travelling to Harare side-swiped along the Nyamapanda highway resulting in the deaths. The Pioneer bus driver was among those who died on the spot while the Zupco bus driver died a few hours later on his way to Parirenyatwa Hospital. The accident happened near the 35km peg at around 10.40AM. The Zupco bus had 59 passengers while the Pioneer bus was carrying 41 passengers.

The chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said the accident occurred when the Pioneer bus encroached onto the Zupco bus lane. The two buses then side-swiped. A total of 46 passengers from both buses were seriously injured and were rushed to Parirenyatwa and Harare hospitals. The officer commanding Mashonaland East province, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charles Makono, said preliminary investigations revealed that both bus drivers were speeding.

“From the extent of the impact and the damage to these buses, it is clear the drivers were speeding,” he said.

The Sunday accident comes just a week after another accident in neighbouring Botswana claimed the lives of 11 Zimbabweans. A Ford Ranger truck carrying 17 passengers hit a donkey and then rammed into a tree killing the passengers and the driver. Seven of the passengers were injured and two of them were reported to be in a critical condition. During the Christmas holidays, the country recorded 74 deaths from 87 road traffic accidents. Speeding was blamed for most of the accidents.

The increased carnage on our roads is therefore a cause for concern. The police mount road blocks on major highways during public holidays but it seems this has not helped to reduce accidents. There are claims that some offending motorists pay bribes to police officers manning road blocks thereby rendering the road blocks useless. We have said it before that passengers should assist in regulating the speed of public service vehicles.

According to Senior Assistant Commissioner Makono, both drivers of the buses that sideswiped on Sunday were speeding. The passengers of both buses were supposed to reprimand the speeding drivers or report them at the nearest road block or police station.

Statistics of road traffic accidents in the country have shown that about 85 percent of the accidents are caused by human error which means they can be avoided. It is therefore crucial that motorists observe traffic rules and regulations in order to reduce accidents. The government is taking measures to improve the state of our roads but as long as the motorists continue to drive recklessly, the nation will continue to record horror accidents claiming human lives and property.