WASHINGTON —
Five Zimbabweans die daily on Zimbabwean roads, according to new statistics released by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ).
The council, which released these figures while commemorating Traffic Victims World Remembrance Day, said 2011 was the country’s bloodiest year as it recorded 2,000 road deaths.
About 1,992 people died and 16, 944 were injured in road accidents last year.
The report indicates that each year since 2006, road accident fatalities have increased from a total of 1,037 deaths.
The TSCZ attributed the deaths to the country’s poor road infrastructure, human error and unroadworthy vehicles.
Parliamentarian and chairman of the transport committee, Blessing Chibundo, told VOA Studio 7 that the government must be pressed to take action as the situation continues to deteriorate on the roads.
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Interview With Blessing Chibundo
Most of the accidents occur during public holidays, mainly during Christmas and New Year. Fifty people died this year during the Easter holiday.
Earlier this year, 21 people died when a bus traveling from Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, to South Africa veered off the road and flipped along the accident-prone Masvingo-Beitbridge highway.
A week earlier, a crash along the Gwanda-Beitbridge highway left 12 dead.
