219 arrested, N$4.5m in fines

JANA-MARI SMITH

A two-month safety campaign targeting two of the most notorious national road stretches in the country resulted in fines totalling N$4.5 million and 219 people being arrested for drunk driving.

A total of 34 373 drivers and vehicles were screened for alcohol and roadworthiness during the operation, with 24 457 being screened during August and 9 916 in September.

Launched in August, and concluding in September, the B1 and B2 joint law-enforcement operation cost around N$3.5 million.

It consisted of 64 additional officers and other stakeholders deployed to monitor, screen and educate drivers between Noordoewer and Oshikango on the B1 road and Okahandja and Walvis Bay on the B2.

In total, 259 arrests took place over the two-month period, with 248 men being taken into custody and nine women.

A police spokesperson, Chief inspector Kauna Shikwambi, confirmed that 4 350 summonses were issued over the period, with 3 112 issued in August and 1 238 in September.

In August, the value of the admission-of-guilt fines totalled more than N$3.1 million.

In September alone, admission-of-guilt fines totalling N$1.3 million were issued.

The total suspension notices issued were 235, while the courtesy notifications amounted to 301.

Over the two-month period, the police recorded 940 accidents, 28 deaths, 85 serious injuries and 151 slight injuries.

Deadliest roads

The Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund confirmed this week that since January, up to 11 October, 2 871 crashes were recorded on the country’s roads.

As a result of these crashes, 4 629 people were injured and 411 deaths were recorded.

The fund confirmed that, as in previous years, more males, 72% or 295, lost their lives in vehicle crashes than females, who accounted for 115 or 28% of all fatalities.

Moreover, the statistics show that young people between the ages of 16 and 35 were the most affected group in terms of overall fatalities.

Year-to-date regional statistics released by the MVA Fund show that the Khomas Region recorded the highest number of crashes, 1 101 or 38%, followed by Erongo, where 318 crashes (33%) were recorded, and Oshana with 289 crashes.

The highest number of fatalities between January and last week were recorded in Otjozondjupa, where 229 crashes resulted in 44 deaths.

In Erongo, 42 people died in car accidents, while 40 each were killed in the Khomas, Oshana and Hardap regions.

Overall, pedestrian crashes were most prominent, with 841 of these crashes reported that led to the deaths of 117 people, and 781 injuries.

Accidents as a result of collisions numbered 784, in which 87 people died and 1 564 were injured.

There were 754 rollover crashes during the period, which led to 148 fatalities and 1 598 injuries.

Ten people were killed in collisions with animals, with a total of 87 such accidents also resulting in 156 injuries.

Led by Nampol, the joint task force included the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the MVA Fund, the Roads Authority (RA), the Private Sector Road Safety Forum, municipal traffic departments in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay, Keetmanshoop and Otjiwarongo, and the transport ministry.

The campaign not only focused on catching traffic offenders, but also on education.

With an average 700 deaths each year, Namibia's roads are among the top 10 most dangerous in the world.