Truck crashes unusually deadly

WINDHOEKSELMA IKELAMost truck crashes happen at night and usually result in serious injury or death.Since January 2011, 121 people have died and 991 sustained injuries in crashes involving 459 trucks, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund has informed Namibian Sun.During this period, the MVA Fund recorded 7 890 road accidents, meaning that trucks accounted for 6% of these.Those injured or killed in these crashes were not all occupants of the trucks but could have been occupants of other vehicles that collided with trucks.Two weeks ago, a truck collided with a car belonging to the Electoral Commission of Namibia, killing the driver, Floris Farmer, 57, who was returning from Grootfontein to Windhoek. Travelling with Farmer was the head of human resources at ECN, Elizabeth Visagie, who was injured in the accident. The accident occurred between 05:00 and 06:00 on the main road between Otavi and Grootfontein.MVA Fund spokesperson Catherine Shipushu says given the extremely high number of injuries and fatalities from crashes with trucks, the fund advises drivers to avoid driving at night as far as possible. &quot;It is also important to be aware of the fact that in the event of a crash with lighter vehicles, the higher mass of the truck increases the severity of the crash,&quot; says Shipushu.Shipushu says there are several factors that make night driving more dangerous. The driver's visibility is compromised, which makes it difficult to spot pedestrians, animals or anything else on the road. There is also a risk of fatigue, which means that the driver's attention is not 100% on the road and their reaction time is much slower. &quot;When all these factors are added together, it creates a recipe for disaster and it is literally an accident waiting to happen.&quot;She said about two years ago when the country recorded a high number of truck crashes, there was a call for trucks to stay off the road between 22:00 and 04:00. She said in view of the new statistics, perhaps it's time to renew that call.

Truck crashes unusually deadly

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-10

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Truck crashes unusually deadly

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-10

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