The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA Fund), in partnership with the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the Roads Authority (RA), and traffic officers from both the Namibian Police and City Police, has launched a week-long road safety campaign in Windhoek.
The campaign aims to raise awareness among motorists about responsible driving behaviour as the festive season approaches, a time traditionally marked by an increase in road traffic accidents.
Last year’s crash statistics reveal that the Khomas Region accounted for 38% of all accidents, followed by Erongo with 12%, Oshana with 11%, and Otjozondjupa at 8%. Each year, approximately 400 people lose their lives in road accidents, with a significant proportion of these fatalities occurring during long weekends. Otjozondjupa recorded the highest number of fatalities at 12%, closely followed by Khomas at 11%, while Oshana accounted for 6% of deaths.
“If we can address the situation in Khomas, we could potentially reduce road crashes by as much as 30%. That’s why we’ve come together for this week, and we plan to continue this campaign in the lead-up to the festive season. The goal is to see a meaningful reduction in crashes, fatalities, and injuries,” said Ruben Uupindi from the MVA Fund.
Sidney Boois, Executive Officer for Transportation at the Roads Authority, emphasised that young people make up around 70% of the road safety problem, urging stakeholders like the National Youth Council to join efforts in raising awareness.
“We must tackle the issue comprehensively. At the moment, 80% to 85% of Windhoek’s road planning focuses on cars, which creates conflict with pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. Educating road users, especially pedestrians, is critical during this campaign,” Boois explained.
Horst Heimstadt, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Road Safety Forum, underscored the importance of road safety awareness to prevent crashes.
“Tragically, many people only grasp the true trauma of a road accident after being involved in one. This is where we, as road safety advocates, step in. Our job is to educate and prevent people from experiencing that trauma in the first place,” Heimstadt said.