Cautious driving on Namibian  Roads                                                                

By Annelien P. van Wyk

Namibians were hard hit by the freak accident that killed Roger Ndapanda Itembu and Julius “Eclipse” Spiegel and left Peya Silas, Pinus Kandji and Diogene “DJ” Ochs injured.

Young brilliant voices silent forever. Precious Namibian Gems lost. Love-ones in pain. Fans ridiculously shocked. Role models and icons lost.

Both Roger and DJ were but the prudent age of 25, in the flair of their lives. The delicate age of blooming. On their road to more fame and prominence.

So many young people are losing their precious lives on Namibian Roads.

Imagine your love-one, friend, and brother, go away for the weekend. You have a fight before he/she left and had no time to “make-up”.

You’ve missed that particular individual so much during the weekend and are anxious for him/her to return in order to apologize and make up. You can’t wait for their return after the weekend. You prepare a good meal, nice aromatic bath to welcome him/her back, but he/she never shows. Next you hear the person has been in an accident and is now deceased. An opportunity lost.                                         

As a human being you will naturally be suffocated by regret and what-if, you are impregnated by grief, overwhelmed by mourning.

At the launch of Namibia’s Make Road Safe Campaign, as reported by die Namibia Economist News Paper, in August, the Prime Minister, Hon Nahas Angula said that road accidents is a killer epidemic equivalent to HIV/Aids and Namibians should wake up to face to face this issue.

According to statistics by the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, 1002 accidents in which 302 people died have been reported in the past seven months.

Statistics further show that the majority of deaths resulting from road accidents are amongst young people aged between 21 and 30 years.

Angula said that these are Namibia’s youth that is supposed to steer this country into the future.  He called upon the decade of action for road safety partners to join efforts to reverse this unacceptable state of affairs because according to Angula many lives can be saved on these roads, therefore they must act urgently.

“This reflection must include the death rates on our roads, the effect of road injuries involving young family breadwinners and the economical impact such deaths and injuries,” Angula said.

However, road safety and keeping roads safe is not only the duty of the MVA, Roads Authority or the Government. It is the responsibility of every single person using the road. Road users should be cautious when using roads because many accidents happen within towns too and many people loose their lives through unnecessary accidents that could be prevented.

At the start of 2009, an individual by the name of “The Sandcat” road an article to the Namibian News Paper, dated 09/01/2009. The article entitled “Why Road Accidents Happen” highlighted Arrogance – the mentality of some drivers that they own the road;  Traffic signs – drivers ignoring the traffic signs;  Overtaking;  Pathetic driving skills; Speed; Gravel, sand and salts ; defensive driving; tailgating; pedestrians; overloading, mechanical faults; law enforcement; animals, roads authority and city traffic and  alcohol as the reasons why road accidents happen.

It is therefore of utmost importance that we start educating our peers, families and communities on the importance of road safety, because it is our common responsibility as Namibians.