Zimbabwe is planning to introduce a penalty points system that will lead to the automatic suspension or revocation of reckless driver’s licenses.
Zim Roads Becoming Death Traps
The country has been experiencing a worrying spat of accidents, especially this June. A bus carrying Falcon College failed to negotiate a curve near Esigodini last week and overturned, killing an Upper Six student. A day earlier, a bus carrying Anglican pilgrims from a Bernard Mizeki commemoration burst into flames, killing nine passengers.
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Last week, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development revealed that 25 people perished in 10 days on the road. The Ministry is now considering raising the minimum age for kombi and bus drivers to 30.
The government is going further and working on a tech system to help reduce recklessness on the roads.
Penalty Points System To Punish Reckless Drivers
The government is now working on a penalty points system to tackle wayward drivers on the roads and reduce accidents. Under this system, drivers will accumulate demerit points for any road offence. The number of points will vary from minor infringements to serious road violations.
When the points reach the limit, there will be an automatic suspension or a revocation of one’s driver’s license. For minor offences, some will only pay fines.
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi explained the system:
“The penalty point system, which is being mooted by the Government, is very clear in terms of the implementation modalities where if a driver commits a particular traffic offence, it indicates that the police have to be involved.”
Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe managing director Munesu Munodawafa added that this system will tame careless drivers:
“Normally, if all was well, we would not expect such a system to be put in place. Our statistical analysis shows that about 94% of the accidents in Zimbabwe are attributable to human error, so the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Mr Felix Mhona, has said let us encourage the human being, perhaps through this measure, to behave in a positive way. What has been happening is that the issue of accidents is recent and has taken centre stage, which has prompted the Government to look for measures that will restore the quality of drivers Zimbabwe once had.”
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