Teen Driver Dies In Road Mishap

An 18-year-old Palapye lad died after a car he was driving collided with a Toyota Hilux in the village on Saturday afternoon.

Confirming the fatal accident, officer commanding, senior Superintendent Paul Oketsang said the accident occurred in Extension 11 at 1410hrs.

He said two passengers and a Toyota Hilux driver escaped the accident with serious injuries.

“The deceased who was driving a Nissan Tida was in the company of a male passenger who sustained a fractured hand while the Toyota Hilux female passenger sustained a fracture on her right leg. The Toyota Hilux driver sustained head injuries and the trio are currently at Palapye Primary Hospital,” he explained.

Oketsang stated that investigations into the matter were ongoing to establish what really transpired. However, the senior police officer said their preliminary investigations have established that the young driver lost control of the car and collided with the Toyota Hilux that was on the lane for oncoming traffic.

Oketsang stated that investigations were ongoing to establish whether the deceased had a driver’s licence or not. Moreover, the police boss expressed deep concern over the increase in road deaths since the beginning of the year.

“From January to date 22 people have lost their lives from 16 crashes in the Central District alone. This is a serious concern as statistics show an increase in the number of accidents and deaths compared to the corresponding period,” he said. The district chief attributed most of the accidents to speeding and drivers failing to observe road signs. He expressed worry that the fatal accident occurred in the heart of the village in which motorists should be driving at a minimum speed of 60km/h.

Oketsang called on motorists to drive at recommended speed limits and observe road signs at all times. He said motorists’ attitudes are key to road safety such as over-speeding, drinking and driving, and risky overtaking, which remain a major road safety concern.

“Most of the road accidents are due to the bad attitudes of motorists. We could sensitise motorists about road safety on road campaigns (all we can), but people must change their behaviours on the roads.”

He added that the behaviours that drivers continue to display increase their exposure to road accidents and casualty rates.