The establishment of the Road Accident Fund, which is expected to provide insurance cover to victims of crashes on Zimbabwean roads, has reached an advanced stage.
In a statement delivered in the National Assembly last Thursday, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona said setting up a fund to cover all road users is critical in light of the increasing number of fatal road accidents.
The announcement comes as 26 people were killed and 56 others injured in road accidents involving public transport within two weeks in June. Minister Mhona said the Government had intensified work to establish post-accident management.
"Post-crash management is also another crucial pillar. We will achieve this through establishment of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) which provides for compulsory cover to all users of roads in Zimbabwe against injuries sustained or deaths arising from accidents involving motor vehicles within the borders of Zimbabwe. I will soon table the Cabinet principles relating to the RAF.
"This cover is in the form of indemnity insurance to persons who cause the accident as well as personal injury and death insurance to victims of motor vehicle accidents and their families," he said.
The fund shall provide appropriate cover to all road users within the borders of Zimbabwe; rehabilitating and compensating persons injured as a result of motor vehicles in a timely and caring manner. It is also expected to provide personal insurance cover to accident victims or their families and indemnity cover to wrongdoers.
"Once Cabinet approves our proposals, we count on this august House to render support and expedite enactment of the law establishing the Fund," he said.
Minister Mhona said 97 percent of accidents recorded on Zimbabwean roads were caused by human error. "According to a survey, they claim that almost 97 percent are caused by human error. It is the indiscipline that we are witnessing on our roads and I once said in this august House, the Ubuntu that we used to have as Zimbabweans has disappeared, where we have become so impatient and do not tolerate one another when we are driving."
"We always want to be ahead of everybody and this has caused serious problems navigating our roads," he said.
He urged legislators to come up with stringent measures to reduce road carnage.
"We are witnessing 2 000 lives per annum being lost in this small country, Zimbabwe. We cannot continue having such an alarming number.
"I want to assure the august House that we will not rest on our laurels as a ministry, but will continue even appealing to this august House for deterrent measures," he said. -- New Ziana.
