Counting the Dead Won’t Fix Our Roads
EVERY YEAR FOR the past decade, up to 500 Namibian families have received life-altering knocks on the door, yet the truth is that we still do not know the real reasons behind all our road deaths. For as long as I’ve worked in road safety, I’ve heard and been part of the calls for action […] The post Counting the Dead Won’t Fix Our Roads appeared first on The Namibian .
EVERY YEAR FOR the past decade, up to 500 Namibian families have received life-altering knocks on the door, yet the truth is that we still do not know the real reasons behind all our road deaths.
For as long as I’ve worked in road safety, I’ve heard and been part of the calls for action that follow every tragic festive season.
Press conferences, pledges and commitments to do better. Then the next Easter or December arrives, and we count the deaths and accidents again.
In recent years, the number of road deaths peaked in 2017 at 778 people, with 6 548 serious injuries, and was at its lowest in 2023, with 423 deaths and 3 069 injuries, according to the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund.
Last year’s deaths amounted to 511. In the first four months of 2026, 143 deaths and 1 467 injuries were recorded.
Even injuries from road accidents can mean devastating financial hardship for families, as many victims can no longer work and require a caregiver, who may end up losing their own job.
