Overloading still a serious concern on Namibian roads
City Police Community Policing Officer
Overloading of workers on trucks, including tipper trucks, bakkies and buses in the capital remains a pertinent concern.
Overloading of passengers can be dangerous and a threat to road safety. It contributes to many of the fatal accidents on our roads, putting the lives of passengers and other road users at risk.
Despite traffic enforcement efforts, many operators who transport workers, mostly from construction and security companies, continue to disregard
traffic rules by conducting their operations without due consideration of public safety.
Transporting passengers on tipper trucks and having them stacked as sardines in a tin will not be tolerated, and it constitutes an offence.
Drivers of trucks should ensure all occupants are seated comfortably with enough legroom while leaning against the enclosure. The latter will ensure that the vehicle dynamics
will not be compromised when the passengers decide to stand during the journey; however, standing in moving vehicles is highly discouraged.
Furthermore, railings should not be regarded as appropriate material to support standing passengers, especially on trucks, because railings have wide spaces between them which cannot always prevent passengers from slipping through while the vehicle is in motion.
It is worth noting that if found overloading, or transporting passengers in an unsafe manner, a fine proportionate to the excess weight will be issued to the driver. In addition, a N$2 500 to N$4 000 fine will be issued to the company or vehicle owner who failed to control the load on the vehicle, and allowed the vehicle to be operated without due consideration of public safety.
Drivers transporting more than nine occupants, by law are obligated to have their driver’s licence endorsed with
an applicable Professional Authorisation (PA). Companies should ensure that drivers hired to transport their workers have valid PA endorsed on their licences.
Therefore, operators are urged to be in possession of their driver’s licence at all times. If not, they risk receiving a fine of N$ 1000; also worth noting, the validity of the PA carries a fine of N$2000, meaning a PA must not have expired and the driver should have a valid PA endorsed on the licence card.