Road crashes still among leading cause of loss of lives in Zanzibar

ZANZIBAR: THE law enforcers and the Office of Chief Government Statistician (OCGS) in Zanzibar have re-emphasised that the only way to end road accidents is for all road users to observe safety regulations and guidelines.

This was said here during the monthly media briefing on road accidents in Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba), where a total of 33 deaths were recorded in June, up from 30 deaths in May, this year.

The accidents have also left many people with injuries, some ending up having permanent body disability.

Head of the Complaints, and Gender Division at the OCGS-Zanzibar, Ms Asha Mussa Mahfoudh said that statistics on road accidents necessitates increased awareness about road safety and serious commitment involving all road users.

“Although the number of deaths look small, we do not want to lose even one person because of avoidable road accidents,” she said.

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Zanzibar has a population of about 1.8 million people according to the 2022 Population and Housing Census.

“It is unfortunate that the victims also include children, women, young people and pedestrians, knocked down by reckless drivers,” Ms Mahfoudh said.

She said that on average, in each of the eleven districts of Zanzibar, there are at least two accidents.

She explained that on yearly perspective, the number of road accidents have been also increasing and that motorbikes (mainly the commercial carrier popular as bodaboda), bicycles, “Violation or negligence and ignorance about road safety regulations, is highly to blame for the accidents.”

Police traffic officer from Unguja North Region, Mr Kheri Abdul Hamid, appealed to members of the public to remain vigilant about all issues that may lead to road accidents such as being careless when using the road, and also teaching children how to use the road.