Motorists are calling on government to reverse the Traffic
Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) ban on weekend defensive driving courses
(DDCs) which took effect from Friday last week.
According to an order by TSCZ managing director Obio
Chinyere that was sent to all regional managers gleaned by this paper, DDCs
have been banned during weekends, with drivers instructed to do the courses
midweek.
“Please, be advised that with effect from August 1, 2019,
we will no longer be able to offer weekend defensive driving courses to the
public and invigilation at any of our affiliates-co-operating agencies.
Regional managers and proprietors of co-operating agencies are hereby advised
to make sure that all courses and invigilations are done from Mondays to
Fridays only between 0745hrs to 1745hrs,” read the letter.
According to statistics, drivers who underwent DDCs are
less involved in road accidents that are claiming an average of 2 000 lives
annually, with human error the cause in 90% of road cases.
The TSCZ has been holding weekend classes since its
formation in 2000.
Motorists who spoke to NewsDay yesterday said government
should intervene and reverse the move by TSCZ, because it has detrimental
effects in fighting road carnage in the country.
“We are stranded as public transport drivers after this
move to ban defensive courses during weekends. Most of us, we find time at
weekends and given that the courses are banned, it means a lot of drivers are
affected. There is need to open the platform so that more people acquire these
defensive certificates. The Heroes Holidays are upon us and government cannot
allow the banning of DDCs during weekends (unless they want) people to perish,”
said Cainos Murambiwa, a Marondera-based truck driver.
Recently, Transport and Infrastructural Development
minister Joel Biggie Matiza said government was currently seized with deaths on
the roads such that they are contemplating to enforce a compulsory DDC for every
motorist.
Efforts to get a comment from TSCZ spokesperson Tatenda
Chinoda were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.
According to a research paper conducted by the Traffic
Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) in April 2018, more than 70% of drivers
involved in fatal accidents during the 2017/2018 festive season had no DDCs.
During the same period a total of 30 drivers were killed, 13 injured and 91
unhurt. Moreover, during the 2017/2018 festive season, 76 drivers involved in
road accidents had no driver’s licences (51,7%). Newsday
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