Oshana, Ohangwena launch road safety campaign
The police in Oshana and Ohangwena regions joined hands with the Roads Authority (RA) and the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund over the weekend and launched a festive season readiness campaign at the Oshiko roadblock in Ongwediva.
Oshana police regional commander, commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, said the police will be hard at work at the roadblock in Ongwediva for the remainder of November until Christmas, inspecting cars and searching to see if both passengers and drivers are adhering to road traffic rules.
Sakaria said the purpose of the campaign is to educate road users on traffic and transport laws to ensure safety on the roads during the festive season.
Non-compliance
Three out of every 200 vehicles inspected at the roadblock over the weekend were suspended from operating after they were found not to be roadworthy.
Road inspectors also fined ten vehicle owners, and one vehicle owner was given a warning. Of those who received warnings, Sakaria said their vehicles will be suspended if they do not make the necessary adjustments.
RA executive officer for transportation, Sidney Boois, highlighted that most of the challenges they identified were drivers without permits for transporting goods or lacking valid documentation.
Boois said vehicle roadworthiness remains the biggest challenge.
"We received a 90% compliance rate from our road users during the one-day operation; however, most members are not acquainted with the road transport and traffic laws. That should not be misconstrued to mean that ignorance is an excuse not to follow the rules. We will continue to educate the public so everyone can comply," he said.
Festive readiness
Boois added that they would need more operations such as these for the law enforcement officers to see significant change and improvement in the compliance with road rules in Namibia.
He said after a period of 21 days, they can confidently assess the road users' compliance rate.
"This is the second festive season readiness intervention. We want to see how ready the road users are for this festive season. It’s a robust intervention, and it will continue until the festive season ends. We want to also get data on what are the gaps to improve our public campaigns," Boois said.
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Oshana police regional commander, commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, said the police will be hard at work at the roadblock in Ongwediva for the remainder of November until Christmas, inspecting cars and searching to see if both passengers and drivers are adhering to road traffic rules.
Sakaria said the purpose of the campaign is to educate road users on traffic and transport laws to ensure safety on the roads during the festive season.
Non-compliance
Three out of every 200 vehicles inspected at the roadblock over the weekend were suspended from operating after they were found not to be roadworthy.
Road inspectors also fined ten vehicle owners, and one vehicle owner was given a warning. Of those who received warnings, Sakaria said their vehicles will be suspended if they do not make the necessary adjustments.
RA executive officer for transportation, Sidney Boois, highlighted that most of the challenges they identified were drivers without permits for transporting goods or lacking valid documentation.
Boois said vehicle roadworthiness remains the biggest challenge.
"We received a 90% compliance rate from our road users during the one-day operation; however, most members are not acquainted with the road transport and traffic laws. That should not be misconstrued to mean that ignorance is an excuse not to follow the rules. We will continue to educate the public so everyone can comply," he said.
Festive readiness
Boois added that they would need more operations such as these for the law enforcement officers to see significant change and improvement in the compliance with road rules in Namibia.
He said after a period of 21 days, they can confidently assess the road users' compliance rate.
"This is the second festive season readiness intervention. We want to see how ready the road users are for this festive season. It’s a robust intervention, and it will continue until the festive season ends. We want to also get data on what are the gaps to improve our public campaigns," Boois said.
[email protected]
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