MVA Fund addresses pedestrian safety

In light of the serious challenge of pedestrians being hit by vehicles everyday, not only in the Khomas Region, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund in collaboration with its stakeholders organised a pedestrian awareness campaign Tuesday at the Monte Christo road in Katutura.

MVA Fund Acting Manager: Public Education Eliphas Karizireko Rukambe said the aim of the intervention is to raise awareness among road users, particularly pedestrians.

This is a joint operation between the MVA Fund, GIZ and City of Windhoek.

Rukambe said according to the MVA Fund Call Centre statistics, the Khomas, Oshana and Kavango Regions recorded the highest pedestrian related crashes.

He said in Khomas Region, hot spots for pedestrian accidents are Independence Avenue, Monte Christo road and the Western Bypass. In Oshana Region it is Oshakati and Ongwediva and in the Kavango Region it is the Trans-Kalahari Highway.

According to the MVA Call Centre pedestrian and crash report of January to August last year, 522 pedestrian related accidents were recorded country wide. During the 2011/2012 Xupifa Eemwenyo campaign, 56 pedestrian related incidences were reported. The majority of pedestrian casualties affected young people between the ages of 15 to 30, followed by children younger than 13 years.

Figures of the Khomas Region recorded during the same period indicated that pedestrian crashes were highly concentrated on weekends, representing 45% of the total crashes recorded. Statistics further indicate that more crashes occur on Wednesdays compared to other days of the week. These crashes occur during the early morning hours (06:00 to10:00), during the lunch hours (12:00 to14:00) and between 16:00 and 20:00.

More males (62%) were involved in pedestrian related crashes compared to females, at 38%. The statistics also indicate “that it is important to note that more male casualties are recorded in all other different types of crashes”.

The majority of those killed as pedestrians (79%) died at the scene of the crash while 21% died after they were under medical care in hospitals.

Additionally, figures indicated that the period under review showed that 33 motor vehicle crashes involving cyclists were recorded and the fascinating findings of these types of crashes are that all the recorded cyclist crashes involve male casualties. “Men use bicycles as a mode of transport and this makes them vulnerable to cyclic-related road crashes.”

Rukambe said this was the first pedestrian awareness campaign conducted so far and the MVA Fund and its partners intend to conduct similar interventions in other regions with the aim to reduce pedestrian accidents.

The MVA Fund also encourages scholar patrols and regulated traffic to reduce traffic conflict.

click to enlarge ENCOURAGING ROAD SAFETY: A volunteer in a reflective jacket talks to a group of pedestrians about road safety at Monte Christo road yesterday morning. MVA Fund Acting Manager: Public Education Eliphas Karizireko Rukambe (right) makes sure before allowing the pedestrians to cross © Contributed