DRIVERS who cause fatal accidents could soon face custodial sentences, while those who serially commit traffic violations could have their driver’s licences suspended or cancelled under new stringent measures that are being considered by the Government.
The interventions are meant to deter reckless driving behaviour.
President Mnangagwa recently indicated that “the cost of bad behaviour on our roads must simply outweigh whatever bizarre benefits those responsible think they are gaining from reckless driving”.
Addressing delegates at The Sunday Mail/Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe Safe Driving Conference in Harare on Friday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Deputy Minister Joshua Sacco said “more punitive measures have to be put in place to save lives”.
“For us as a ministry, this is a clear direction we have been given by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, that more punitive measures have to be put in place to save lives,” he said.
The announcement comes amid a troubling rise in road traffic accidents.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) show that Zimbabwe recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents between January and June this year, up from 25 968 during the same period last year, representing a jump of 2 191 crashes.
Current laws, Deputy Minister Sacco said, fail to deter dangerous driving, particularly in cases where negligence leads to multiple fatalities.
“It’s strange, if you go to a supermarket and steal a can of Coke, you will be put in jail for theft,” he said.
“But, if you are a driver and you commit offences on the road resulting in death of eight people, you can go home and go to trial coming from your home. And if you are found guilty of culpable homicide, you are given community service.”
The police also believe that current fines are not deterrent enough.
“The fines somehow appear affordable, hence not deterrent enough to the extent that violators are somehow motivated to repeat bad practices,” said Commissioner Gift Hlabiso, the ZRP chief staff officer for the Electronic Traffic Management System.
“And that is not deterrent enough. I believe, as Parliament, we need to look at more punitive laws. Culpable homicide is murder.”
The proposals that are being made to foster responsible driving behaviour include amending legislation to ensure custodial sentences for culpable homicide, as well as introducing a driver demerit system, where repeat offenders risk losing their licences.
The proposals also seek to establish a public hotline for citizens to report reckless driving and deploying digital enforcement that would link unpaid fines to vehicle licence renewals, effectively blocking offenders from registering their cars until they settle penalties.
“We will be lobbying Parliament to change the law where necessary,” Deputy Minister Sacco said.
The Government also intends to close loopholes in vehicle ownership that shield errant drivers from accountability.
Many cars on the country’s roads are never formally transferred to new owners, leaving traffic fines or accident liabilities linked to previous title holders.
“The issue of change of ownership, we will look into with CVR (Central Vehicle Registry), Zinara (Zimbabwe National Road Administration) and also have discussions with Zimra (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority),” Deputy Minister Sacco said.
The proposed measures come as public frustration grows over the frequency of road carnage, often blamed on speeding commuter buses, poorly maintained haulage trucks and negligent private motorists.
Credit – Sunday Mail Zimbabwe
