A TOTAL of 15 people perished on the Tsumeb-Oshivelo road last week. Catherine Shipushu, the spokesperson of the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF), on Sunday said this road has become "a death trap".

Apart from the ten people who died over the past weekend, five other people died on the same road last Tuesday.

According to her, a driver lost control over the vehicle he and four others were driving in, causing it to overturn. Four people died on the scene, while a fifth person died in a hospital in Windhoek later during that day.

Between October 26 and 28, a total of 26 crashes were recorded by the MVAF call centre. In these crashes, ten people died while 66 were injured.

Nine of the crashes involved pedestrians, while three involved two or more cars colliding.

In three crashes, animals were involved, in one a cyclist and six were roll-overs.

Saturday's fatal crash in which ten people were killed was the third accident in which ten or more people died this year.

On January 3, ten people died in a collision on the Okahandja-Karibib Road. It included an entire family of four people.

Three months later on April 4, 12 people were killed in an accident on the Swakopmund-Arandis road.

Shipushu said that road crash data indicate that most of the crashes occur as a result of human error.

This means, she said, that "the needless loss of lives on our roads is preventable. It is tragic that many of our road users have not yet grasped the very real dangers that exist on our roads – and until that happens, we will remain a nation in mourning."

Amongst others, driver fatigue, drinking and driving, speeding and reckless overtaking are the main reasons for fatal road crashes.

"As we head towards the festive season, we send a clarion call to each road user – driver, passenger or pedestrian, to make a personal commitment to obey all traffic regulations. This is the only way we can prevent loss of lives on our roads."