Police have said 1 529 people were killed while 573 sustained injuries in 5 553 road accidents that happened between January to December 2022.

Between January and December 2021, police recorded 1 444 fatalities from 9 416 road accidents while in 2020, there were 1 221 fatalities from 10 799 reported road accidents.

This means the 2022 fatality rate is the highest over the past three years despite road accidents declining by 43 percent compared to last year. And the 1 529 deaths are equivalent to at least 21 70-seater buses full of people.

In 2019, Malawi witnessed over 10 000 accidents while in 2018 5 821 road accidents were registered.

Namwaza: Pedestrians were affected the most

According to the 2022 road accident report that the police have released, saloon motor vehicles killed more people compared to trucks and buses.

National Police deputy public relations officer Harry Namwaza attributed the accidents in 2022 to reckless driving.

He said accidents were mainly as a result of overspeeding, careless overtaking, ignoring traffic rules and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Namwaza said: “We observed that saloon motor vehicles were the ones that were involved much in accidents last year and about 418 of such vehicles were involved in accidents.

“Minibuses, pickups, and motorcycles were also heavily involved in accidents last year, and pedestrians were affected the most.”

The police report shows that out of the 1 529 road accidents, 35 were caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, 439 by careless overtaking while the rest were caused by other causes such as vehicle faults or overturning.

Namwaza said police will continue to sensitising the public to the importance of complying with road traffic regulations to reduce road accident deaths.

“We will be enhancing the use of speed traps, breathalysers, and regular spotchecks to avoid accidents and road accident deaths,” he said.

However, Namwaza said motorists have a responsibility whenever they are on the road to follow to the letter all road traffic regulations.

Local road safety specialist Chifwede Hara told The Nation edition of October 22 2022 that the country’s road traffic public awareness has not been effectively executed; hence, the surge in road accident fatalities.

A study by Kamuzu Central Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health whose results were published mid-2021 also showed that alcohol is one of factors that contribute to road accidents.

And according to the United Nations, road traffic accidents cost most African countries three percent of their gross domestic product.

Globally, 1.3 million people have succumbed to road accidents in 2022.

The post 1529 killed in road accidents in 2022 first appeared on The Nation Online.

The post 1529 killed in road accidents in 2022 appeared first on The Nation Online.