Malawi: Road accidents on the increase

Malawi has registered an increase in the number of road accidents, registering 2, 358 road crashes from January to June 2008 against 1, 535 during the same period last year, according to the National Road Safety Council of Malawi.
The council says there were 361 fatal crashes in 2007, and the figure has increased to 415 this year, pointing to a worsening situation. This represents a 15 per cent increase.

Pointing to a worsening situation, the council adds that, while 380 people were killed last year, 462 have died in road accidents this year- showing an increase of 22 per cent. Of those killed 234 were pedestrians, 125 passengers, 64 bicyclists, 34 drivers, while 5 were motorcyclists, pegging the figure at 462.

More accidents are expected during the festival season next month and early January, if people are not careful on the roads of Malawi.

Malawi is one of the countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that registers a high rate of road accidents, mainly attributable to mini bus drivers.