Only 40% of the motoring public adheres to road safety regulations in Namibia.
This staggering statistic is a major concern for law enforcement officials, given the increasing number of vehicles and new drivers, making adherence to traffic regulations a major challenge.
As of January 2024, more than 1,100 speeding fines have been issued, while 135 drivers were fined for using cell phones while driving.
Another 140 drivers were charged for overloading, while 410 fines were issued for not adhering to road traffic signs.
In many other instances, drivers often do not carry their licences.
The increasing motoring population has left many competing for limited road infrastructure as motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians rush to reach their destinations.
And in many cases, this leads to accidents.
However, non-compliance with traffic rules and regulations is becoming a matter of serious concern, as only 40% of road users adhere to traffic rules.
The Windhoek City Police Superintendent, Charl Morkel, points out that drivers often ignore road traffic signs such as stop signs, resulting in road accidents, with the most occurring during peak traffic hours.
"What we can do is maybe look at alternatives to relying on public transport, and you can leave your vehicle because what you'll see is that you'll find a vehicle with only one person instead of sharing the vehicle if you are all going in the same direction."
Morkel says most accidents occur at controlled intersections.
"What I mean by controlled intersections is where there are traffic lights, either a hill sign or a stop sign. The intersection behind us is also one of the most dangerous when it comes to following distance and red traffic signals, such as robots. As well as A. Masego and Indep Avenue, from January to now, these two intersections have been contributing to accidents."
As for new drivers, though, adhering to traffic rules has been less of a priority.
Road safety remains everyone's responsibility, which is accounted for through adherence to traffic rules and regulations.