Staff Writer
The Motor Vehicle Accident Fund of Namibia (MVAF) says the government-imposed lock down to curb the spread of COVID-19 had a positive contribution to the drastic decline in road accidents and fatalities on the country’s roads. Fewer cars on the nation’s roads meant fewer accidents.
Findings by the MVA Fund show that the number of crashes declined by 71 percent, injuries 72 percent and fatalities 62 percent for the period 27 March to 4 May 2020,compared to the same period last year.
The fund which is mandated to design, promote and implement crash and injury prevention measures, notes that in the initial post-lockdown period of 05 to 10 May 2020, the country recorded fewer crashes and fatalities in comparison to the same period last year.
“During the extended lockdown period of 27 March to 04 May 2020 in total, a decline in crash statistics has been recorded. To the contrary, results are showing that post lockdown from the period of 05 to 10 May 2020, the Fund recorded fewer crashes and fatalities in comparison to 2019, where the results show a 31 percent decline on crashes, injuries and fatalities went down by 39 percent and 42 percent respectively,” MVA Fund Chief Executive Officer, Rosalia Martins-Hausiku said.
She said the fund had also found that weekend collisions accounted for 50 percent of accidents recorded by the fund. She attributed this position to, “various factors such as road-user behavior, vehicle fitness and environmental factors play a role as well. Generally, alcohol contributes to impaired driving or distractions that may lead to crashes.
“This is especially the case in towns as data collected by the MVA Fund indicate that on average on an annual basis, consistently just over 50 percent of all crashes occurred between Fridays and Sundays. People have their leisure time during weekends and are presumably consuming alcohol then (previous to the state of emergency ban). Furthermore, our 2019 road crash data indicates that 47 percent of crashes recorded occurred after sunset. This is where we base our assumption that alcohol is possibly a contributing factor to an increase in road crashes.”
This comes as the fund has embarked on a research project on the causes of road traffic crashes in the country which is expected to be completed by September 2020.
“The project will take 18 months as it requires a retrospective and prospective analysis of road traffic crashes in the six (6) high crash regions, namely Khomas, Erongo, Otjozondjupa, Kavango West, Oshana and Oshikoto. We believe that this research will make a positive difference in updating our understanding of the scientific causes of road crashes in Namibia and ultimately aid in reducing road carnage in our country,” Martins-Hausiku said.
On the impact of COVID-19 on the fund, she said, “The Fund recorded negative returns for the month of March 2020. Similarly, to any other institution, the MVA Fund is not immune to the financial impact of the pandemic. The Fund derives its income from the fuel levy; therefore, fewer vehicles on the road results in reduced fuel consumption and this affected fuel income as well.”
“Whilst the Fund’s finances have been affected by the pandemic, it has been working on innovative and sustainable measures to continue delivering on its mandate. Our core mandate remains and we have to do all possible to deliver on service and benefits in a cost-effective manner by further streamlining our business operations.”
