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Government has announced that police are next week resuming roadblocks and checkpoints ahead of the festive season. Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Engineer Biggie Matiza said police will be working with the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) and the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) to restore sanity on the country’s roads ahead of the festivities.

The country has during the past few weeks witnessed an upsurge in road accidents that have claimed many lives. The chaos on the country’s roads is largely to blame for the increase in fatal road accidents. There has been total anarchy on the country’s roads as well as Central Business Districts of most towns and cities because of the absence of traffic police officers.

Motorists are flagrantly flouting traffic rules and regulations resulting in the many accidents that are claiming innocent lives. There is therefore an urgent need to tame the traffic jungle and save lives and property. We want at this juncture to commend Government for its decision to resume roadblocks and checkpoints to enforce traffic rules and regulations.

Minister Matiza said Government was taking measures to try and reduce the carnage on the country’s highways. He said the police with the assistance of the VID and TSCZ will, apart from enforcing traffic rules and regulations, educate motorists on the importance of safe driving.

Research has shown that about 85 percent of road accidents are as a result of human error which means they can be avoided. The motorists cannot be allowed to do as they please on our roads thereby putting the lives of the travelling public at risk.

Reckless, drunken drivers and unroadworthy vehicles should be removed from our roads. The resumption of roadblocks and checkpoints should ensure that only sober drivers remain behind the wheel. It has become a norm to record increased road accidents during public holidays and this has been blamed on excitement of those travelling.

Today’s traffic police officer should be a completely different officer from those of yesteryear who were after bribes from motorists at the expense of enforcing traffic rules and regulations. Motorists and the travelling public should not hesitate to report police officers demanding bribes. These bad apples that are tarnishing the image of our police force should be removed.

We want to appeal to all those travelling for the festivities to strive to reduce traffic accidents. Speed thrills but it kills.