EDITORIAL: Arrive alive, not in a coffin

The holiday season has arrived with aplomb. For many Namibians, this is the one time of year to exhale – to rest, reconnect with family and friends, and finally escape the grind. Road trips, parties and packed venues lie ahead, with bottles popping left, right and centre.



Our roads are about to fill up – and history tells us this period is as deadly as it is joyful. Just yesterday, five people died in a head-on collision on the B1 road near Onyaanya in the Oshikoto region. A day before, ten people were involved in a road accident at Nepara village, Kavango West, leaving two dead.

Local and foreign motorists will criss-cross Namibia, drawn to our epic landscapes and coastal sunsets. Yet, impatience, selfishness and reckless attitudes often turn these journeys into tragedies.



There are still idiots among us who believe that driving drunk or speeding is somehow compatible with survival. It is not. Every festive season, families bury loved ones – mothers, fathers, children – because someone thought a steering wheel could be controlled with one hand while the other held a bottle.



We will once again be transporting priceless cargo – the people we love most. If that alone cannot tame our egos behind the wheel, what will? Too many have already died this year. Too many are limping into the holidays scarred, maimed or traumatised because someone else thought the rules did not apply to them.



The festive season need not be synonymous with sirens, body bags and roadside crosses. It can be a chapter of joy – if we choose differently.

Let us ensure this December is remembered for reunions – not funerals. Let us honour that responsibility with vigilance, patience and the simple decency of valuing life.