The number of fatalities due to road accidents decreased by 30 per cent between 2019 and 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa has said.

Mutorwa in remarks delivered on his behalf during the ninth annual road safety conference at Ongwediva on Wednesday, said fatalities have been on a downward trend, with 609 fatalities recorded in 2019 and 423 recorded in 2023.

He indicated that the fatalities per 10 000 vehicles have also decreased by 32 per cent from 15.2 in 2019 to 10.3 in 2023, while injuries per 100 000 population decreased by 59 per cent from 250.5 in 2019 to 101.5 in 2023.

‘The utilisation of motor vehicles enables mobility and promotes socio-economic progression on a global scale. However, on an annual basis, motor vehicles are implicated in crashes and incidents that result in millions of fatalities and injuries,’ he said.

Meanwhile, National Road Safety Council chairperson Eliphas !Owos-Ôab explained that the conference seeks to strengthen performance moni
toring and evaluation to enhance performance management.

Oshana Governor Elia Irimari in a speech read on his behalf said the region had one of the highest number of crashes in 2023.

According to Irimari, as per the MVA Fund’s 2023 Road Crash and Claims report, the Oshana Region documented 288 crashes, which is one fewer than in 2022. In 2023, these collisions caused 501 injuries and 27 deaths.

‘These collisions account for around 6 per cent of the total fatalities and approximately 9 per cent of the total number of crashes,’ he said, adding that these statistics indicate that the region is the fifth-highest contributor to the number of deaths in Namibia.

The three-day conference will conclude on Friday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency