Western Bypass records rise in crashes

Crashes on Windhoek’s B1 Western Bypass more than tripled in the two months after speed humps were installed, a Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund report states.

According to the MVA Fund, crashes on the Western Bypass rose from two incidents in the two months before installation to seven in the two months after, while injuries increased from zero to 12 over the same period.

However, fatalities declined from two to one, pointing to a possible reduction in crash severity despite the rise in overall incidents.

The data was included in a short-term assessment of conditions before and after the introduction of traffic-calming measures along sections of the corridor.

Rear-end collisions accounted for four of the seven crashes recorded, while reckless and negligent driving was identified as a contributing factor in four cases, compared with one during the preceding period.

The fund's before-and-after assessment compares data from 6 April to 5 June with data from 6 June to 8 August, while some of its wider Windhoek and pedestrian statistics cover 5 June to 16 August.

Two pedestrian crashes were recorded on the bypass after the speed humps were installed, compared with three during the corresponding period in 2025, the fund told Namibian Sun.

Pedestrian deaths fell from three to one over the comparable periods, while the two pedestrian crashes recorded happened on 5 July and 3 August and involved pedestrians reportedly running suddenly across the roadway.

The figures come amid continued debate over the suitability of speed humps on the Western Bypass, a high-volume arterial route originally designed to move traffic rather than function as a conventional urban street.

Pedestrian crashes remain a wider problem in the capital, however, accounting for 85 of Windhoek's 234 crashes between 5 June and 16 August this year, equivalent to 36% of all recorded incidents.

Those crashes resulted in 96 injuries and four deaths, representing 26% of all injuries and 44% of road deaths recorded in the city during the period. The numbers nevertheless improved from the corresponding period last year, when Windhoek recorded 99 pedestrian crashes, 102 injuries and seven deaths.

Too early to blame humps

Transport engineering lecturer Candidus Tomeka cautioned against concluding from the increase in crashes that the speed humps themselves were responsible.

He said assessing whether the intervention had improved or worsened road safety would require considerably more than comparing crash totals over two short periods. “How much the speed humps, or any other intervention measure, have improved road safety should be assessed by evaluating statistical data on speeds, crashes, traffic-flow volumes and pedestrian activities,” Tomeka said. “The analysis should not only focus on whether the total number of crashes has increased or decreased. It should also examine changes in crash types and crash severity.”

Tomeka has previously cautioned about applying traffic-calming measures to high-volume, high-speed roads such as the Western Bypass, arguing that interventions can create unintended risks if they are not suited to the design and function of the road.

Nekundi puts responsibility on drivers

Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi has defended the measures and placed responsibility on motorists to adjust their driving to road signs and safety interventions. “The issue is simple: our drivers must respect and adhere to the rules of the road,” Nekundi said.

The minister has maintained that motorists approaching speed humps and other traffic-control measures are required to reduce speed and comply with warning signs rather than continue driving at speeds that could create additional danger.

The latest MVA Fund figures do not establish whether excessive speed, sudden braking at the humps or other characteristics of the intervention contributed to the increase in rear-end collisions.

They also cover only a short period, making longer-term monitoring necessary before conclusions can be drawn about whether the apparent changes represent a sustained trend.

Earlier figures covering the broader B1 corridor, including the Windhoek-Okahandja dual carriageway and adjoining urban sections, recorded 88 crashes, 177 injuries and 17 deaths over 14 months.

MVA Fund chief corporate affairs officer John Haufiku said monitoring would continue as more evidence becomes available. “The fund will continue to monitor crash trends along the B1 corridor and support practical, evidence-based road-safety interventions to reduce injuries and save lives,” he said.