. Soko

MELBOURNE MUSHITU in Chipata –
Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) chief executive officer (CEO) Zindaba Soko has said the agency will soon open a fast-track court in Eastern Province.
Mr Soko said the purpose of fast-track courts in the country was to ensure that motor vehicle drivers observed traffic rules and regulations while at the same time speeding up traffic-related cases.
He said RTSA was concerned with the lives of the Zambian people and that the only way the agency could discipline stubborn drivers was by taking their traffic offences to the fast-track courts.
“We recently signed an MoU with the judiciary to open fast-track courts in the country. We are taking this thing seriously and we expect road users to also take the issue of the fast-track courts seriously. We expect all the 10 provinces to have fast-track courts by 2017,” he said.
Mr Soko said in an interview that the agency was recording a big number of road traffic accidents because road users did not follow traffic rules and regulations.
He said the agency was distributing the Highway Code free of charge in order for the public to easily access information.
Mr Soko said RTSA was also sensitising the nation on road safety by carrying out road shows throughout the country.
Meanwhile, Mr Soko has appealed to the Road Development Agency (RDA) to ensure that all the roads in the country have markings.
He noted that unmarked roads confused road users and that this had also contributed to the rising number of road traffic accidents.
Mr Soko said road safety learners needed to apply the information the agency provided on the roads, adding that unmarked roads, which was part of road safety lessons, were a challenge for the public.
He urged the public to ensure they got adequate information on road safety in order for the agency to record zero deaths and road traffic accidents.
In the mean time, Chipata District Commissioner, Kalunga Zulu, has commended RTSA for sensitising the district on issues of road safety ahead of the Nc’wala traditional ceremony scheduled to take place in Chipata today.
Mr Zulu said it was important for people to be educated on road safety, especially during the time of the Nc’wala ceremony to avoid road traffic accidents.
“Because of road safety sensitisation programmes, people’s mindsets have changed. They are taking care by following all traffic rules and regulations. We look forward to recording a zero death and accident event,” he said.
Mr Zulu appealed to RTSA to continue sensitising people on road safety in Chipata even after the traditional ceremony.
RTSA deputy director for road safety Gladwell Banda said the agency was committed to ensuring that everyone in attendance at this years Nc’wala traditional ceremony was safe.
“We will continue with the sensitisation programme. It’s our priority. We want to ensure that everyone is safe,” Mr Banda said.