At least 30 people have died in 13 road accidents since January in the Mozambican province of Maputo, in the south of the country, police authorities announced today, highlighting the high number of passenger and cargo vehicles involved.
Most of the accidents involved semi-public vehicles and freight transport, as there are still drivers who are not respecting traffic rules and the highway code", said the spokesperson for the Traffic Police in Maputo province, José Novela, quoted today by the media.
The data presented by the Mozambican authorities indicate that seven traffic accidents were recorded in the first quarter of 2024, which resulted in seven deaths. There were also 16 injuries in the first three months of last year, compared to 33 since last January.
The Traffic Police promised enforcement actions to ensure compliance with traffic rules, with the aim of reducing deaths on the country's roads.
On Tuesday, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo gave the Government one week to prepare an urgent action plan to reduce road accidents, following a new high-profile accident in the country, recorded the previous day in the province of Manica, which caused 23 deaths.
"Recently, road accidents have been claiming lives all over the country. We would like to take this opportunity to instruct the Transport and Logistics sector to immediately draw up an action plan, to present it to us at the next Council of Ministers meeting, in a week's time, so that we can reflect on it," announced Daniel Chapo.
The guidance was given by the Head of State at the beginning of the weekly Council of Ministers meeting, which took place in Lichinga, Niassa province.
"But it is in the sense of (...) bringing us a concrete action plan so that we can, together, with all sectors linked to road inspection at the country level, find a solution that can lead us to reduce the number of road accidents on our roads," stressed Daniel Chapo, after expressing solidarity with the victims of the accident in Manica.
In addition to drawing up the Action Plan, the President called on drivers to drive cautiously and pointed out some areas of the country that require greater attention due to their high accident rates: "There are places where we, as those responsible for road traffic control, need to pay more attention".
The road accident rates in Mozambique are classified as dramatic by several organizations.
The authorities have pointed to excessive speed and driving under the influence of alcohol as the main causes.
The country has recorded more than 4,800 deaths in road accidents in the last five years, according to data released in May by the Government, which calls on society to get involved in stopping the scourge.
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