Road deaths in Zimbabwe basically doubled over the holidays because drivers are awful. Police stats show a brutal spike in accidents for a recent twelve-day period compared to last year, with over 2,400 crashes leading to 100 fatalities and 471 injuries. The worst single incident killed ten people in a Honda Fit during a head-on collision with a truck on the Harare-Nyamapanda Road. Commissioner Paul Nyathi, a police spokesperson, laid the blame squarely on driver behavior, citing reckless overtaking, lane encroachment, and speeding as the top causes.
The analysis pointed to a bunch of stupid and preventable reasons for the carnage. Besides the obvious speeding and dangerous passing, a lot of wrecks involved tyre bursts, especially in public vehicles like Toyota Hiace kombis, pointing to poor maintenance and using worn-out parts. Overloading vehicles was another huge factor, messing with stability and control. Nyathi also called out pedestrians, noting a disturbing number were killed, some while distracted by cellphones and headphones. He urged people to use crossings and told drivers to finally follow the rules, especially with more holiday travel coming up.
The analysis pointed to a bunch of stupid and preventable reasons for the carnage. Besides the obvious speeding and dangerous passing, a lot of wrecks involved tyre bursts, especially in public vehicles like Toyota Hiace kombis, pointing to poor maintenance and using worn-out parts. Overloading vehicles was another huge factor, messing with stability and control. Nyathi also called out pedestrians, noting a disturbing number were killed, some while distracted by cellphones and headphones. He urged people to use crossings and told drivers to finally follow the rules, especially with more holiday travel coming up.
