MVA Fund urges public to drive safely over Easter

The chief executive officer of the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund of Namibia (MVA Fund), Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, has cautioned the public to be prepared for road journeys in order to avoid loss of life on the country’s roads over the Easter weekend.

Martins-Hausiku said in a media statement on Wednesday that historic data has shown the likelihood of road accidents increases over holiday seasons, and mostly during the Easter weekend.

“This period is generally characterised by a surge in traffic volumes especially on the B1 route passing through Windhoek leading to either the southern or northern direction while more congestion is expected on the B2 route, leading to the coastal part of the country,” she said.

“This period has in the past been perceived as one of the darkest weekends in Namibia as many lives have been lost and many more people left with varying degrees of injuries,” Martins-Hausiku said. 

She added that according to accident figures recorded during the 2023 Easter weekend, five people died in 35 road accidents in Namibia, while 106 people sustained various degrees of injuries. 

Martins-Hausiku said road safety partners initiated heightened roadblock activations to mitigate the potential consequences of crashes, injuries and fatalities during Easter. 

She added that the initiative, which will be implemented by the MVA Fund in collaboration with traffic law enforcement, will focus on journey preparedness with special emphasis on vehicle and driver fitness and passenger safety along the B1 (Otjozondjupa, Oshikoto, Oshana and Ohangwena regions), B2 (Otjozondjupa and Erongo regions), B6 (Khomas and Omaheke) and B14 (Grootfontein to Gobabis) roads.

“Similarly, the Namibian Newspaper Cup will take place at Gobabis (B6 and B14) this weekend with anticipated increased traffic flow on these roads,” Martins-Hausiku noted. 

She added that the MVA Fund is also focusing on its #ClickForLife campaign, which aims to create awareness about the benefits of correctly using safety belts and child restraints, while not eliminating other risk factors such as speeding, drunken driving and fatigue.