The Chief Executive Officer of the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund says pedestrian road-related crashes remain a challenge despite the introduction of the pedestrian safety initiative.

Rosalia Martins-Hausiku said this at the Public Enterprise Breakfast held in Windhoek.

Motor Vehicle Accident Fund CEO Rosalia Martins-Hausiku said, “About 33% of all the crashes involve pedestrians. This is one challenging area and it really requires a lot of effort. It requires us to go back to the drawing board and really see what else we can do because the past two years we had a season where crashes were declining, but since February last year, we've noted quite a surge in motor vehicle crashes.”

She noted funeral claims are paid within 30 minutes after documents are submitted and medical claims assessed within three days.

Martins-Hausiku added, “We cover medical expenses up to N$1.5 million. Funeral currently is still very low, and that's one of the areas we are pursuing legislative amendments because the amount is seven thousand and it doesn't help anymore. We are asking for this amount to go at least to N$20,000 or so.”

The Fund supports modifications for disabled victims and invests in hospitals and emergency systems.