By JAMES KUNDA? –
THE Zambia Road Safety Trust (ZRST) has urged Government to enforce additional policies aimed at improving the safety of pedestrians.
ZRST Board chairperson Daniel Mwamba said pedestrians were the most vulnerable road users in Zambia but that stringent measures could be undertaken to change the status quo.
According to Zambia Police records, 623 pedestrians lost their lives in 2013, accounting for 34 per cent of the total 1853 road traffic deaths.
‘‘There is need to adopt and enforce new laws to reduce speeding by motorists, create pedestrian zones in city centres, enforce vehicle design standards for pedestrian protection and enhance trauma care systems to guarantee the prompt treatment of those with life-threatening injuries,’’ he said.
Zambia this week commemorates the Zambia Safety Week under the banner theme ‘‘We are Pedestrians’’.
The occasion seeks to educate pedestrians on how to protect themselves on the roads and contributes to achieving the goal of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020; to save 5 million lives.
‘‘ Pedestrian collisions like traffic crashes should not be accepted as inevitable because they are in fact both predictable and preventable.
‘‘The reduction or elimination of the risks faced by pedestrians is an important and achievable policy goal and reduction in the number of pedestrian collisions will affect the overall road crash deaths in Zambia,’’ he said.