5 accident deaths a day between Oct – December 2016

A total 458 people died in 7,341 road traffic accidents recorded during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo says this is compared to 444 people who died during the same period in 2015.

Ms Katongo says 1,479 people were seriously injured in during the fourth quarter of 2016 as compared to 1,032 in the same period in 2015 representing an increase of 447 people injured.

She says of the 7,341 accidents, 386 were fatal accidents, 769 serious 1,373 slight accidents, while 4,813 were recorded as damages only.

Ms Katongo says 1,901 people were slightly injured in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to 1,778 in the same period in 2015 representing an increase of 123 people.

Ms. Katongo says Lusaka recorded the highest number of accidents at 3,984, from which 122 people died, with 267 sustaining serious injuries followed by Copperbelt which had 1,047 with 61 deaths, while Luapula recorded the lowest number with160 accidents resulting in 16 deaths.

She points out that most of the accidents that happened during the year 2016 were attributed to human error as a result of excessive speed, misjudging clearance distance, failing to keep to the near side and cutting in.

Ms. Katongo has since appealed to all road users to adhere to traffic rules and regulations in order to reduce the number of traffic accidents on the roads.

QFM