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Parliament Issues Approval For Rise In Traffic Fines From As Little As US$5 To Maximum US$100 From New Year’s day
Zimbabwe is inundated with public transport accidents fuelled mainly by commuter bus drivers resulting in a full revisit of the fine structure. Drivers who go through red traffic lights or , overtake dangerously by proceeding across solid white lines, drive without a driver’s licence, or drive unsafe motor vehicles without working brakes, will be fined a hefty US$100 per offence. This is a huge rise from the previous fine level of US$20.
Some people allege that the new hefty penalties will lead to an increase in lawlessness due to an increase corruption through the payment of bribes to traffic police , hence they are calling for more hefty traffic offence penalties such as imprisonment instead of cash fines, as a way of circumventing the bribery concerns.
Zimbabwe’s Government however are of a different opinion , arguing that the alarming road traffic carnage, caused by drivers, necessitates raising fine levels, after an Annual Zimbabwe Republic Police Traffic Report gave statistics which showed that, an average of five road users have been dying on a daily basis due to traffic accidents on our roads since 2009. The statistics also demonstrate that, every hour, a total of two people are injured every hour on the roads.
With the growth in road traffic due to an increase in vehicles, an accompanying rise road traffic accidents was also seen. By Sibusiso Ngwenya