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However, we cannot entirely blame drivers for this because police are one way or the other also involved.

A close analysis shows also that even passengers and the Government itself can be blamed for road accidents. This is my personal view.

Traffic accidents have become a common phenomenon in Zimbabwe; almost on every road nationwide accidents occur. So far this year many traffic accidents have been recorded.

I do not dispute the fact that drivers are behind some traffic accidents — it is estimated that 90 percent of them are caused by human error. Large numbers of people have lost their loved ones because of reckless drivers. Some of them drive while under the influence of alcohol and others deliberately speed. The latter is most rampant among young drivers who turn roads into a racing ground. Passengers are, in some cases, also to blame because, for instance, even if the vehicle is overloaded they still insist on being ferried to their destinations.

Looking at the example of the accident which occurred in April this year on the Beitbridge-Masvingo Road, where 21 people perished, the driver was reportedly speeding and failed to negotiate a curve resulting in the bus veering off the road killing people.

I urge passengers to complain when they realise that the vehicles they board are overloaded. They can also notify traffic police when the driver is speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol.

Another factor that contributes to accidents is bribery. We have heard cases of drivers paying certain amounts to the traffic police as a way of evading the hand of the law. Hence there are many vehicles that are on the road yet they are unroadworthy.

Many of these are resultantly involved in accidents.

Money has corrupted our police and drivers alike. Some drivers deliberately overload their vehicles knowing that they will simply bribe traffic police as a way of getting away with this unlawful act.

This calls for the Government to intervene and come up with stringent conditions that will have the bribing driver and police detail involved to languish in jail for some years.

Drivers and the general public also say police are responsible for road accidents because they do not arrest drivers who misbehave.

Drivers further point out that they are having hard times on the road because of traffic police.  If they find any fault in their vehicle they are forced to pay a certain amount of money as a bribe in order to be freed.  Even if they find no fault, some police details are known to demand money “for a drink” regardless.

I think police have to be responsible in doing their daily duties; their policing must improve.  They have to tighten their enforcement of the law because there are some drivers who are young and ineligible to be behind the wheel. Other drivers possess fake licences. Police are mandated to ensure that all traffic rules and regulations are adhered to by the drivers.

Traffic accidents are happening all the time and fatalities are recorded day by day also due to speeding.

I think stricter enforcement of speed limits should be made and heavy penalties imposed on all those who violate them. If this is implemented, nobody will dare to drive at high speed.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development has to tighten its belt and speed up the process of repairing our roads which are in a dilapidated state.

Potholes have become the order of the day even on trunk roads and this, to a certain extent, is behind the many accidents that occur.

This is the proper time for the responsible ministry to double its efforts so as to speed up the task of repairing and constructing roads in our country before the rainy season starts.

My plea also extends to the Vehicle Inspection Depot (VID) which is responsible for testing and licensing drivers and inspecting the state of vehicles so as to ascertain if they are fit to be on the road or not. I have heard rumours on how rife corruption is in this department especially on the issuing of drivers’ licences.

It is high time this department served the public responsibly by shunning bribery and other corrupt acts. They have to wake up from their slumber and realise the negative ramifications that their corruption has on the lives of the citizens.

Therefore I think that for the road carnage to be mitigated, every Zimbabwean citizen has to act responsibly irrespective of who they are and what post they hold. We cannot keep on pointing fingers at certain individuals or groups of individuals.

Rather it is high time we united as Zimbabweans and made necessary corrections where it is possible. This has to start from the top at Government level among policy-makers, cascading down to the police, drivers and their associations to ordinary passengers and pedestrians.