Road-safety campaign bears fruit

Nineteen men were arrested for drunk driving over the past long weekend.Statistics released by the Namibian police also show that 600 fines totalling almost N$900 000 were issued over the weekend.That was in addition to 1 687 summonses totalling more than N$1.5 million issued since the beginning of August as part of the B1 and B2 national road-safety campaign. Nampol spokesperson Chief Inspector Kaunapawa Shikwambi told Namibian Sun yesterday that between 26 August and 3 September, 8 637 drivers were screened for alcohol on Namibia's roads – 7 104 men and 1 533 women. The police issued 647 summonses amounting to N$827 150 over the Heroes' Day weekend. Twenty-four arrests were made, of which 19 were related to drunk driving, Shikwambi said. Two weeks ago Namibian Sun reported that a joint B1 and B2 road safety campaign, for which an additional 64 police officers were dispatched to strategic road locations, had resulted in 1 687 fines, valued at around N$1.5 million, between 1 August and 20 August. During that period, 48 arrests were made, of which 33 were for drunk driving.More than 9 600 drivers were screened for alcohol over those 20 days, including 2 100 taxi drivers. Ninety of them tested positive for alcohol, but not all were over the legal limit. Yesterday, Nampol said that since then, 8 637 drivers were screened, including 2 255 drivers of public vehicles, including local and long-distance taxis, of whom 15 tested positive for alcohol. A total of 519 drivers of government cars were screened, of whom three tested positive for alcohol. Nampol traffic officers have issued 41 suspension notices since 26 August, and a total of 53 courtesy notifications. Shikwambi said compared to the same period last year, the accident statistics for the Heroes' Day weekend showed a significant decrease in injuries and fatalities. Although the number of crashes increased from 54 last year to 55 this year, the number of injuries dropped from 108 last year to 79 this year.Last year, eight people died on the roads over the long weekend, while this year's fatalities dropped to six. Major effort The police and their partners involved in the N$3.5 million road-safety operation, which ends today, are confident that it made a substantial dent in traffic violations and accidents.In addition to 64 Nampol traffic officers, nearly a dozen officers from local authorities and five from the Roads Authority (RA) were deployed between Noordoewer and Oshikango on the B1 road, and from Okahandja to Walvis Bay on the B2, since 1 August.Led by Nampol, the joint task force includes the NRSC, the MVA Fund, the Roads Authority, the Private Sector Road Safety Forum, municipal traffic departments in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay, Keetmanshoop and Otjiwarongo, and the works and 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. JANA-MARI SMITH

Road-safety campaign bears fruit

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-02

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Road-safety campaign bears fruit

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-02

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