By MAIMBO MWEEMBA
Five hundred and eighty five (585) people died in the third quarter of 2021 in road accidents, Zambia Police has revealed.
Police Spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said that the 585 died in the 469 fatal road accidents.
Mr Hamoonga said the country recorded 8, 059 road accidents of which 469 were fatal in which 585 people died.
He said that 756 were serious road traffic accidents of which 1, 345 persons were seriously injured, and 1,511 were slight injury road traffic accidents where 2,216 persons were slightly injured.
Mr Hamoonga said 5, 323 were recorded as damage only road traffic accidents.
He said that out of the 8,059 accidents Lusaka province recorded 4, 350 accidents making it the highest province with road accidents in the third quarter.
He said Copperbelt recorded the second highest with 1,292 accidents.
“Central recorded 696, Southern had 403, North- Western recorded 319, Eastern with 312, Luapula with 205, Muchinga with 165, Northern recorded 161 and Western recorded 156 number of road traffic accidents,” he said.
Mr Hamoonga said that most of the accidents in the third quarter of 2021 were attributed to human error such as excessive speeding, misjudging clearance distance and reversing negligently, among other causes.
He said that the figures indicate an increase in both fatal road traffic accidents by 79 cases and 102 persons killed as compared to the third quarter of 2020 which recorded 7, 756 road traffic accidents.
“Three hundred and ninety (390) road traffic accidents were recorded as fatal road traffic accidents in which 483 persons were killed in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to the 469 fatal road traffic accidents 585 persons were killed in the same quarter of 2021.[doc id=43143]
“In the same quarter of 2020, a total number of 709 were recorded as serious road traffic accidents in which 1,206 persons were seriously injured as compared to seven 756 serious road traffic accidents where 1,345 persons were seriously injured in 2021, the figures show an increase in serious road traffic accidents 47 and one hundred and 139 persons seriously injured,” he said.
Mr Hamoonga said that overall the third quarter of 2020 recorded lesser numbers of road accidents, deaths and injuries as compared to the third quarter of 2021.
He said that there has however been a decrease in slight road traffic accidents in this year’s quarter.
“The 36,521 road traffic offences were committed in the third quarter of 2020 where K12, 454,535.00 was raised as admission of guilt fine as compared to 37,949 road traffic offences were fourteen million, four hundred and eighty-nine thousand, eight hundred and K 14,489,842.00 that was raised as admission of guilt fine in the quarter of 2021.”
“The figures show an increase in both road traffic offences and admission of guilt fines by 1,428) and K 2,035,307.00,” he said.
Mr Hamoonga said that Lusaka province has continued recording the highest number of road traffic accidents because of its high volume of motor vehicles and human population.
He said that this year’s figures indicate an increase by 303 road traffic accidents.
