Windhoek — An elderly woman believed to be in her sixties died instantly on the notorious Western Bypass when the vehicle (an Audi sedan) she was travelling in collided with an oncoming Land Cruiser on Tuesday morning.

According to the police, evidence suggests that the woman drove from the direction of the bridge at Florence Nightingale Road into the entrance lane to the Western Bypass and wanted to turn around in the opposite direction when an oncoming Land Cruiser on the Western Bypass crashed into her vehicle.

The Land Cruiser had three occupants who were taken to a Windhoek hospital to be treated for shock, said Senior Superintendent of the Windhoek City Police, Gerry Shikesho.

"The most important matter here is two conflicting speeds and this is a very busy area (Western Bypass)," explained Abraham Kanime, the Chief of the Windhoek City Police yesterday.

He explained the permissible speeds conflict in that on the Western Bypass the speed limit is 120 kilometers per hour while the Florence Nightingale road is a 60-kilometers per hour zone.

Meanwhile, Shikesho said crashes can be prevented if drivers are mindful and do not have to make sudden and hasty decisions while driving. "Before driving, drivers should make a decision on how they will reach their final destinations," advised Shikesho.

Last year alone the Western Bypass claimed 12 lives. Of these, five were pedestrians who were bumped, four were collisions, two were rollover accidents and one case was where the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The accident attracted a high number of curious onlookers who wanted to know what had happened. The name of the deceased could not be released by the time of going to print because the next of kin were not yet informed.