The Oshikoto police revealed that the recent increase in the number of fatalities and serious injuries resulting from road crashes on the national roads places an obligation upon all relevant stakeholders to intensify road safety activities.

It is against this background that a stakeholders' meeting was held to re-activate and launch the Oshikoto Regional Road Safety Forum at Omuthiya on Monday.

Head of the crime prevention in the Oshikoto Region, Deputy Commissioner Wynand Neels, said the purpose of the meeting is to bring together key stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, coordinate road safety initiatives, and identify regional road safety priorities.

"Let us also ensure that the forum does not become merely a platform where reports are presented and meetings are held. Our success must ultimately be measured by a life saved, crashes prevented and safer behaviour on our roads. Every road crash represents more than statistics. I call upon all stakeholders to recommit themselves to this forum and ensure that the reactivation we are witnessing today becomes a beginning of a stronger, more coordinated and sustainable road safety programme for the Oshikoto Region."

"The reactivation of this forum comes at the right time; we need to strengthen our coordination, improve information sharing and ensure that road safety interventions are not conducted in isolation. But they are planned, coordinated and measurable," reiterated administration head for the police in Oshikoto, Deputy Commissioner, James Nandapo. 

He added that the re-established forum will promote safer roads through partnerships, coordinated interventions and shared responsibility among all stakeholders.