Human error to blame for road carnage

THE road has become the greatest loud silent killer of our time. It killed yesterday. It is killing today. It shall kill tomorrow unless we mount accelerated counteraction yesterday! What defeats common sense is that most of the road crashes are the result of human error. In fact, 93,4 percent of all crashes recorded during the 2014 / 2015 festive period were a result of HUMAN ERROR (ZRP National Traffic Branch Report).

Human error manifests in various ways involving all human traffic: push cart operators, rank marshals, vendors, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, animal herders and drovers, horse riders and drivers.

Driver errors are clearly the major cause of road traffic crashes. It is against this background that the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has adopted the road safety campaign theme: “Eradicating Human Error in Road Traffic Collisions” as a direct way of addressing the road traffic challenges posed by human error.

As indicated in the Zimbabwe Republic Police National Traffic Branch Annual Report (2014), a total of 37 619 road traffic crashes were recorded from January 2013 to December 2013 as compared to 41 016 from January 2014 to December 2014 reflecting a 9 percent increase in the number of road traffic collisions in Zimbabwe. The report further reveals that a total of 1 787 people were killed from the fatal road traffic crashes recorded in the previous period as compared to 1 692 people killed during the current period. This translates to a 5 percent decrease in the number of people killed. Nevertheless, this is unacceptably high. From the year 2009 to 2014, an average of 1 824 people died every year in Zimbabwe due to road traffic injuries. This means that about 5 people die every day on our roads in Zimbabwe and 38 others are injured daily. Road traffic injuries take an enormous toll on individuals and communities as well as on national economies.

Road traffic injuries and deaths have an immeasurable impact on the families affected, whose lives are often changed irrevocably by these tragedies, and on the communities in which these people lived and worked. Economically disadvantaged families are hardest hit by both direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages that result from these injuries. At the national level, road traffic injuries result in considerable financial costs, particularly to developing economies like Zimbabwe. It should be underscored that road traffic injuries are largely preventable and that the evidence base for effective interventions is extensive.

This report is dedicated to expressing the road traffic crash statistical story in Zimbabwe. The primary source of these statistics is the ZRP National Traffic Branch. We are in a “Decade of Action for Road Safety.” Therefore, in order to tame the traffic jungle, we must all play our part since we all use the road in one way or another. Everyone must evolve into a thinking road user.

A total of 1 312 fatal road traffic crashes were received during the period January 2013 to December 2013 as compared to 1 300 fatal road traffic accidents recorded in the same period from January 2014 to December 2014 translating to a 1 percent decrease. A total of 1 787 people were killed from the fatal road traffic collisions recorded in the previous period as compared to 1 692 people killed during the current period. This translates to a 5 percent decrease in the number of people killed.

The total number of road traffic crashes increased by 449 from 1 766 recorded in 2013 to 2 215 recorded in 2014, translating to 25 percent increase.

A total of 144 people were killed from 112 fatal road traffic crashes in 2014 representing 12 percent increase when compared to 129 people killed in 100 fatal road traffic accidents recorded in 2013.

A total of 1 133 people were injured in 2014 which reflects a 28 percent increase when compared to 884 people injured in 2013.

Causes of the Crashes

The following were the causes of road traffic crashes during this Festive Season (ZRP Traffic National Branch): ◆ Speeding: 642 (29percent) ◆ Misjudgement/inattention: 77 (17 per

cent) ◆ Overtaking error: 332 (15 percent) ◆ Failure to give way: 266 (12 percent) ◆ Following too close: 244 (11 percent) ◆ Reversing error: 155 (07 percent) ◆ Obstruction on the road way: 81 (4

percent) ◆ Tyre burst: 54 (2 percent) ◆ Negligent pedestrian/cyclist: 37 (2 per

cent) ◆ Animal: 16 (0,6 percent) ◆ Fatigue: 11 (0,4 percent) ◆ Speeding, misjudgement/inattention, overtaking error, failure to give way, following too close, reversing error, negli- gent pedestrian/cyclist and fatigue are all human mistakes. Therefore, by percentage, human error (which is quite preventable) contributed 93,4 percent to the causes of this festive season’s road traffic crashes. Only 6,6 percent was caused by animals, vehicle defects and adverse road conditions. Nevertheless, one can still argue that the driver must always stay alert for stray animals on the road. It is on the basis of this evidence that we have adopted the following as our road safety campaign theme: “ERADICATING HUMAN ERROR IN ROAD TRAFFIC COLLISIONS.” Distribution of the Festive Season Fatal Road Traffic Crashes by Time

Range 0001—0600 hours 18 0601—1200 hours 18 1201—1800 hours 34 1801—0001 hours 42 Total 112 From these figures, it is clear that night driving is far more dangerous than day time driving.

Festive Season Crashes Involving Public Service Vehicles Observation

Fifty nine of the 2 215 road traffic collisions that occurred during the festive season involved passenger public service vehicles, representing a 3 percent contribution. 32 people lost their lives from 20 fatal road traffic crashes involving public service vehicles out of the 144 people killed from 112 fatal road traffic accidents. This means that 18 percent of the fatal crashes recorded during the festive period involved passenger public service vehicles and that constitutes 22 percent of people killed. Out of the 1 133 injured during the festive season, 339 people were injured in crashes involving public service vehicles.

The causes and risk factors associated with road traffic crashes include: ◆ Non-use of safety belts and child

restrains ◆ Driving under the influence of alcohol,

drugs and emotions ◆ Non-use of helmets ◆ Inappropriate and excessive speed ◆ Night driving ◆ Sheer disregard of road traffic rules and

regulations ◆ Tyre burst ◆ Negligence ◆ Fatigue ◆ Lack of safe infrastructure ◆ Use of mobile phones ◆ Stray animals and ◆ Negligent pedestrians A casual glance at the above stated statistics reveals that human error is our enemy number one in the fight against road carnage in Zimbabwe. While the road condition cannot change overnight, the human condition can be changed straight away for the better.

Road safety must be everyone’s responsibility! Play your part. The writer, Tatenda Chinoda, Information and Communications Technology Manager – is an apt road safety educator and seasoned defensive driving instructor.