As the festive season gets upon us, the security agencies led by Botswana Police Service and Botswana Defence Force (BDF) have equally stepped up their game on Operation Pabalesego, launched on November 14.
Since its launch the police have over the weeks prioritised public engagements and lectures as part of the concerted efforts towards sharing both road safety and crime prevention messages. This as the objective is to have safer festive holidays and beyond.
As we engage our usual guest on this segment this week’s segmernt of road safety and crime prevention, Superintendent Oathusa Tshotlego, District No 5 Traffic Officer– the topical issues are speeding and drunken driving. Tshotlego has reiterated that speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are the root cause of most road crashes as they lead to dereliction of duty by the drivers because they both lead to errors in judgement while driving.
Tshotlego has called for calm on the roads where drivers drive sober, fit and obey road signs and marking while also looking for potholes on the roads as rains continues pouring to ensure safe travel. Following prolonged public engagements on road safety, Tshotlego has hastened to warn wayward motorists and public transport operators that the police will be on the roads to enforce the law throughout festive.
Meanwhile Lentswe Tshikantwa, from the department of road transport and safety and also from the Road Safety Committee, speaking from a roadside educational campaign aimed at ensuring a safe festive season. He said road safety, has to also go hand in hand with people’s property being safe and secure.
He emphasised that motorists have to be prepared for their journeys, ensure that vehicles are road worthy, leave early for their journeys and stick to speed limits. He also indicated that speeding and drunken driving remain the main problems. He called on the public to refrain from hitch hiking, while also urging for those using public transport to ensure they are transported in a manner that is within the law and their rights. Passengers are also urged to call out and report any conduct by operators that puts their lives at risk.
Meanwhile the campaigns continue – with a permanent roadblock that will serve as both roadside educational campaign and stop and search for vehicles to ensure compliance will start today 10 kilometres before Maun on the A3 road to Francistown. The road block will remain operational from today, Friday December 19th until January 6th next year.
Speeding and three speed limits in Botswana
60 km/h
This speed limit is normally found in a built-up area and it was set after consideration that there are many vehicles travelling around the area a higher number of other road users like pedestrians and animals.
80 km/h
As for this speed limit which has been made for semi-built-up areas, where there is minimal vehicles traffic, and the same applies to road users like pedestrians. When driving around these areas, drivers have to be mindful of the nature of the road warning that driving at 80km/h is considered a high speed.
120 km/h
This speed limit is for highways and does not mean one has to always drive at 120 km/h while in those roads. Here, drivers have to be mindful of other road users as well as the nature of the road that they are driving on.
Some of the roads especially in Ngamiland have potholes, so at that highest speed drivers must be in a position to control their vehicles should circumstances arise that would require such.
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