Accidents, fatalities reduced
The police have released the official road accident statistics for the past festive season, which indicate that crashes had decreased by 18%, injuries by 25% and fatalities by 5%.
The Festive Crime Prevention Road Safety Operation stretched from 28 November 2017 to 18 January 2018 and was aimed at raising road-safety awareness on national roads, crime prevention, saving lives and protecting property.
A total of 528 road accidents were recorded during the 2017/18 festive season, with 127 fatalities and 965 injuries, compared to the previous year when 645 crashes, 1 292 injuries and 134 fatalities were recorded.
Nampol inspector-general Sebastian Ndeitunga said reducing the number of crashes was their biggest achievement, although the figures were still below expectation, given the effort that was put in.
“We shall continue to put in more effort, until these negative statistics are reduced and are acceptable.”
According to Ndeitunga, the reduction in road accidents is evidence that more motorists are complying with regulations
“It can also be ascribed to the high visibility of traffic officers and highway patrols on the main roads, especially on the B1 and B2, as well as the educational awareness and information sharing platforms on road safety on television and the national radio stations.”
According to Ndeitunga, 18 traffic checkpoints were manned nationally and 213 043 vehicles were stopped, compared to 159 878 vehicles the previous year.
Furthermore, 121 671 drivers were tested for alcohol, as opposed to only 53 966 the previous year.
The police issued 9 245 summonses totalling N$9.68 million. The previous year, 12 636 summonses were issued, totalling N$13.7 million.
There were also 1 925 summonses totalling N$1.8 million issued by the courts. During the previous year, no summonsed were issued by the courts.
According to the police, 2 511 drivers were fined for driving without a licence, 656 for expired motor vehicle licences and 630 for driving without a safety belt.
Fines were also dished out to 314 drivers for overloading, while 202 drivers were fined for using their cellphones while driving.
The police said 649 drivers received suspension notifications during the 2017/18 festive season, compared to 713 in the previous year, while 483 drivers received courtesy notifications, opposed to the previous year when 329 received these notices.
A total of 693 drivers were arrested for not obeying the rules of the road, compared to the 416 road users arrested for the same offence during the previous year.
There were 369 arrests for drunk driving, 99.92% of those arrested being male, while there were 225 arrests for the same offence during the previous year.
Furthermore, the police say 3 641 warrants of arrest were issued, compared to the previous period's figure of 1 326.
According to the police, a total of 576 warrants were executed, while 239 warrants were executed during the previous festive season.
ELLANIE SMIT
The Festive Crime Prevention Road Safety Operation stretched from 28 November 2017 to 18 January 2018 and was aimed at raising road-safety awareness on national roads, crime prevention, saving lives and protecting property.
A total of 528 road accidents were recorded during the 2017/18 festive season, with 127 fatalities and 965 injuries, compared to the previous year when 645 crashes, 1 292 injuries and 134 fatalities were recorded.
Nampol inspector-general Sebastian Ndeitunga said reducing the number of crashes was their biggest achievement, although the figures were still below expectation, given the effort that was put in.
“We shall continue to put in more effort, until these negative statistics are reduced and are acceptable.”
According to Ndeitunga, the reduction in road accidents is evidence that more motorists are complying with regulations
“It can also be ascribed to the high visibility of traffic officers and highway patrols on the main roads, especially on the B1 and B2, as well as the educational awareness and information sharing platforms on road safety on television and the national radio stations.”
According to Ndeitunga, 18 traffic checkpoints were manned nationally and 213 043 vehicles were stopped, compared to 159 878 vehicles the previous year.
Furthermore, 121 671 drivers were tested for alcohol, as opposed to only 53 966 the previous year.
The police issued 9 245 summonses totalling N$9.68 million. The previous year, 12 636 summonses were issued, totalling N$13.7 million.
There were also 1 925 summonses totalling N$1.8 million issued by the courts. During the previous year, no summonsed were issued by the courts.
According to the police, 2 511 drivers were fined for driving without a licence, 656 for expired motor vehicle licences and 630 for driving without a safety belt.
Fines were also dished out to 314 drivers for overloading, while 202 drivers were fined for using their cellphones while driving.
The police said 649 drivers received suspension notifications during the 2017/18 festive season, compared to 713 in the previous year, while 483 drivers received courtesy notifications, opposed to the previous year when 329 received these notices.
A total of 693 drivers were arrested for not obeying the rules of the road, compared to the 416 road users arrested for the same offence during the previous year.
There were 369 arrests for drunk driving, 99.92% of those arrested being male, while there were 225 arrests for the same offence during the previous year.
Furthermore, the police say 3 641 warrants of arrest were issued, compared to the previous period's figure of 1 326.
According to the police, a total of 576 warrants were executed, while 239 warrants were executed during the previous festive season.
ELLANIE SMIT
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