Drunk driving under spotlight

The Private Sector Road Safety Forum and the Self-Regulating Alcohol Industry Forum donated equipment to the value of N$150 875 to the Namibian police and municipal traffic divisions of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. The Private Sector Road Safety Forum is a voluntary organiation consisting of members from the private sector and other organisations that aims to reduce road crashes by 50% by the year 2020. This year the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund recorded 662 fatalities and 6 619 injuries on Namibian roads, with the Erongo Region recording the second highest number of fatalities. “About 82% of these crashes can be attributed to human behaviour. Public education is a major contributing factor to change this incomprehensible behaviour and we also believe without the necessary law enforcement, public education will have no impact,” said the CEO of the Private Sector Road Safety Forum Horst Heimstädt. Namibia Breweries and MTC joined forces and donated equipment to the value of N$93 000 for road blocks in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. “The aim of these donations is to provide law enforcement officers with equipment and refreshments enabling them to fulfil their tasks at the road blocks efficiently and effectively. We request the public to be patient when the officers are doing their duty to reduce crashes and therefore deaths on our roads. We also call on all law enforcers to have no mercy with people who disobey the rules of the road in order to protect not only themselves, their family and friends but to protect every road user. As a law-abiding citizen and visitor to Namibia, we call on all road users to report incidents of misbehaviour at the next road block or to a law enforcement officer deployed all over our main roads,” said Heimstädt. The Self Regulating Alcohol Industry Forum (SAIF) promotes the responsible use of alcohol and believes that alcohol can be part of a balanced lifestyle without endangering the lives of innocent bystanders and as part of its commitment, the alcohol industry has adopted a zero tolerance towards driving under the influence of alcohol. “Last year 681 people lost their lives on the roads with the Erongo region recording the second highest number of crashes and fatalities. With the assumption that approximately 34% of all accidents are alcohol related and therefore 100% preventable, Namibia could have spared the lives of an estimated 231 people during 2015. A detailed analysis conducted by SAIF, showed the lack of prosecution as one of the major factors why drivers knowingly drive under the influence of alcohol,” said Heimstädt. SAIF has donated five handheld breathalysers to the value of N$43 625 to the Walvis Bay municipal traffic division and one handheld breathalyser with a printer to the value of N$14 250 to the Swakopmund municipal traffic division. The data on the number of people tested will in turn be shared with the SAIF. The five handheld breathalysers will be used at the Walvis Bay road block and the breathalyser and printer will mainly be used internally to test the Swakopmund traffic office staff. The Erongo Regional commander of the Namibian police, Commissioner Andreas Nelumbu, said that they will keep on fighting to keep everyone safe. “We will fight, we will try, until our last breath. If you are drinking, stay away from driving. The two cannot go together. There is no way you can do both.” According to chief traffic officers of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, Eben Platt and Melvin Cloete, eight drunken driving arrests were made in 2014, five in 2015 and in 2016 nine drunken driving arrests have been made in Walvis Bay. In Swakopmund 14 drunken driving arrests have been made since 1 December 2016 with seven arrests made over the weekend. Leandrea Louw

Drunk driving under spotlight

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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Drunk driving under spotlight

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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