…says bad driving has become the norm
By Francis Chipalo
Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has appealed to musicians in the entertainment industry to raise awareness on road safety.
And the agency has observed that bad driving has become the norm on Zambian roads.
Meanwhile, RTSA has described passenger vehicle drivers as “careless chaps” contributing to road traffic accidents.
Speaking at the launch of the 8th United Nations global road safety week in Lusaka, RTSA board chairperson Engineer Alan Mate says promoting road safety calls for a concerted effort.
Eng. Mate says hundreds of lives continue being lost due to bad driving and lack of courtesy for other road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
“We perhaps need to launch a name and shame campaign for bad drivers,” he said.
In order to spread the message on road safety, Eng. Mate has appealed to the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) through it’s president Brian Bwembya alias B – Flow to urge artists to have a component (s) of awareness on road safety in their music, considering that they have a wider audience who listen to music.
Eng. Mate has also appealed to the ministry of transport and logistics to lobby for at least a 10% of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to road safety.
He further called on traditional leaders in rural areas to sensitize their subjects and cyclists in particular on the use of helmets, further suggesting the need to have bicycle ambulances in areas impassable by motor vehicles.
Meanwhile, Eng. Mate says there is need to invest in road infrastructure in order to keep people safe, adding that pedestrian crossings have been turned into death traps.
Hundreds of delegates are currently gathering at Mulungushi international conference center for a week’s deliberations on road safety which is a global event.
This years road safety week is being held under the theme; “Streets for life #Make walking safe #Make cycling safe”.
