The effects of road accidents remain adverse. Between January and October 2014, at least 1,459 people died and 3,562 contracted injuries, including severe 1,858, due to 2,410 road accidents recorded on different roads of Mozambique. The danger and the number of victims of this evil may be greater than you can imagine, given that there are obviously incidents that for various reasons did not come to the attention of authorities, which requires prudence and responsibility on the part of drivers and pedestrians whenever they go to public highway.
In 2013, the country recorded 2,331 traffic accidents that resulted in the deaths of 1,243 people. This misfortune is just simple numbers, perhaps, for certain individuals. The Mozambican Association for the Victims of Road Insecurity (AMVIRO) urges all motorists transiting the national road number one (EN1), four (EN4), six (EN6) and seven (EN7) to take more care.
This guild recommends traffic rules to be fully complied and avoid making overtaking the truck drivers, particularly at night, because they are undisciplined and do not respect the cars. And calls, too, the motorists to refrain from driving under the wont of alcohol or drugs, avoid excessive speed, dangerous driving and above all respect the traffic signs.
If the motorist has symptoms of tiredness or headaches should immediately immobilize his vehicle and rest at least 30 minutes in a safe place, because fatigue and drowsiness contribute to the occurrence of traffic accidents, which may cause deaths and leave irreparable trauma for all the life.
The National Institute of Land Transport (INATTER) advises drivers to try to never catch up during the trip, embarking on excessive speed. “Respect the set limit speed and travel safely. Alcohol consumption reduces considerably the reaction capabilities,” this is the call of the institution.
The engineer Carlos Sousa, consultant, auditor of automotive engineering, safety on the road mobility, auto expert and trainer of innovative technologies, conducted a study for years by which estimates that at least 30 people die every week in Mozambique victims of road accidents resulting from the transgression of the basic driving rules, according to the police that data published every Tuesday in Maputo.
Apart from this number alone, “to indicate that road accidents are more deadly than war, there are probably dozens of people who lose their lives due to the same problem and the authorities are aware, and therefore it’s pressing to avoid this evil.”
Driving a car or be transporting it to and from various destinations can not in any way mean a constant danger to motorists if they are guided towards a better approach when making the wheel. Driving can not be a license to kill or to die for who takes charge of a vehicle.
Questions to ask yourself as a driver
Do you know the features and capabilities of the vehicle you drive? You ever read the Book / Manual of Use / Use of vehicle that you are required to know?
Do you believe that the mechanics who attend our vehicles are trained and updated in the security procedures necessary for the maintenance of moving machinery transporting people and cargo?
Please, be aware of some indicators of TECHNICAL REFERENCE selected by experts, and clearly explicit in the following contents listed in order to awaken the attitude to avoid the worst. The important meeting needs should take you (driver) to choose the position that the knowledge update in the field of prevention in road safety requires that we respect the relationship: Man – Vehicle – Environment.
Consequently, in addition to economy, comfort, transportation for everyone, with distinction, especially for oriented methods with a view to SAFETY, as well as the necessary discipline on the environment of respect for life, would be much more quiet than most sitting behind the wheel know to apply and respect the values of mobility!
Dear innocent citizen:
Where is the oversight of procedures for vehicle inspection centers approving, for HIGH RISK, ignorance, crime, looking for other interests of own pockets?
Parents, citizens and also insurance companies are suffering great losses. Accidents and victims continue to rise alarmingly.
This is not about inspectors able to assess the need for SAFETY conditions of motor vehicles, for sure. It matters more evident and clear to drivers and the general public that 75 percent of SERIOUS road accident claims are directly related to tires, steering and brakes outside the minimum security conditions. Most of the serious accidents occur in better roads, whether in the country or abroad.
Recalling, in countries where there are already IPO, for over 20 years, the technical history of the causes of failures indicates exactly the tires, brakes and steering to be the main actors who present with major deficiencies in vehicles. The comprehensive explanation relates to the poor performance on generic workshops, including some technical assistance and, of course, due to poverty. The owners of certain vehicles avoid spending their maintenance and HAZARDS on the road do not forgive.
On the other hand, existing in Mozambique a strong imported second-hand vehicle market, (representing 90 percent of our fleet), still can not be understood for what reasons, not all these vehicles are subjected to a local inspection, lying determined by specific rules of reporting for all motor vehicles and trailers to be always inspected to prepare a property transaction. As is common knowledge that the mandatory inspection entails actually can bring added value to the parties in agreement (buyer and seller), avoiding fraud and vehicle transactions not able or in danger on the road.
What does the INATTER say?
Manuel António Luís, Director of Inspection Services, Inspection and Certification of INATTER told @Verdade that road accident in Mozambique has been the major concern of the institutions that deal with the traffic in the country.
In his opinion, accidents result from the increasing mobility of people and goods using the semicolective passenger transport (these are creating major problems). Therefore, the number of deaths increases.
Road accidents, according to that leader, happen due to the degradation of the correlation of three factors: the vehicle, the man and the route. The environment is the fourth cause but does not have great influence on the other three.
“Man is the one who rules the vehicle and knows the deficit of his vehicle, he must define the best way to drive the vehicle and if it is not in a safe condition, obviously there will be disgrace.”
In another development, Manuel António appealed to owners of vehicles oftransport passengers, for example, to have the conscience that to employ unskilled drivers for this purpose is dangerous and they need to rest when effect a particular route.
“There are employers who deliver their vehicles and set the time to travel, regardless of distance. It is necessary that the person from eight to eight hours has a well deserved rest. It is also for driver to ask for a rest of at least 30 minutes at 200km route to recover forces.”
“The road safety problem is structural, not just of public institutions. We have a sufficiently developed legislation to meet the minimum safety issues of people and movement of goods”, but they can only have the desired effects and avoid the bloodshed and grief on the roads if motorists realize that they do not need police in the street for this to oblige him to move according to the speed that is stipulated in the Highway Code.
“It is important for the driver to use the seatbelt.” However, this standard and many others are disregarded because the drivers who violate traffic rules go unpunished. “When drivers have penalties nobody goes after them to make them to fulfill their obligations.”
Manuel António found that, in addition to the fine for infringement of the highway code, there is a need to adopt bold measures to curb road indiscipline, since the fine is not working to raise awareness and punish those who endanger the lives of thousands of Mozambicans.
However, to reverse this scenario, the INATTER designed a driver registration project, which aims to monitor him and control his transgressions, which can lead to the loss of the right to drive. The system can be seen in websitewww.inater.gov.mz.
“What worries me most is that I know that Mozambique trains so good drivers. I say this because in the region (Southern Africa), Mozambique is the only country that forces citizens to go to school to have a driving license. At the national level we have about 600,000 drivers but our problem is that we do not have fixed addresses (of motorists),” said Manuel António.
It is not implement what is learned at school
According to António Manuel, director of AJM Driving School in Nampula city, the problem of road safety is derived from the behavior of motorists. “In addition to the matters related to the Highway Code, we provided to prospective driver various legal instruments in force in the country.” However, what is learned is not implemented in the public highway.
Our interlocutor said that there are cases where drivers, being behind the wheel, answer phone calls, which contributes to the origin of road accidents. The director of the AJM said that the systematic failure of light signals (traffic lights) in Nampula city, is another problem that contributes significantly to increase accidents. “There are serious problems with the light signals, but schools instruct on the need for defensive driving,” he said.
Manuel believes that the offenders of traffic rules should be withdrawn the license for a period of three to six months, depending on the severity of the situation.
“To give a penalty notice does not solve the problem, because people’s lives are at issue. When the cese is of taxi drivers and passenger transport operators, the measure should be suspensionof activity license,” he said.
Our interlocutor stressed that the approval of the candidates is the responsibility of the National Institute of Land Transport (INATER).
In turn, Francisco Raul, head of the Department of Traffic Police in Nampula, said that although the number of accidents is showing a slight reduction, the situation is uncomfortable due to the growth of the fleet. “We emphasize our colleagues for the most likely places to road accidents, and we have been promoting lectures,” said Raul.
Without giving a daily average of accidents in Nampula, the head of the Traffic Police of that part of the country said that the high level of road fatalities that has been reported in Nampula is caused by motorcyclists.
