Committee concludes inquiry on road carnage
Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jappie Mhango, has said preliminary findings of the presidential special committee have attributed the increase in traffic fatalities on Malawi’s roads to human factors.
He said the factors range from negligence to aggression and said these are not aggravated by motorists alone.
Mhango said in a telephone interview yesterday that strong recommendations have been made for all road users to prioritise their safety and that of others when on the road.
“Technically, it is an issue of cognitive lapses in humans, which could be due to a number of reasons. For a start, we want to emphasise responsibility among road users especially public transport operators. Let them take heed of the rules,” he said.
He further stressed the need for traffic officers to remain vigilant in enforcing the necessary legislation to change the attitude and behaviour of transgressors.
“It is only unfortunate that we may not have as many traffic officers as we may wish, but it is well documented that whenever traffic officers are visible at distance intervals of 50 to 100 kilometres, motorists are always cautious in their driving. Nonetheless, we will do everything in our capability to arrest the problem,” he said.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues
