Road Safety and Rules First

With the festive season now in full swing and tens of thousands of motorists converging on the coastal towns, the Walvis Bay municipal traffic department called upon all road users in and around the harbour town to maintain road safety as top priority.
The Walvis Bay Municipal Traffic Department also joins the Namibian Police’s Traffic Unit in law enforcement operations to keep death and injury off our roads, said traffic chief Eben Platt this week. Since 8 December the traffic department and Nampol Traffic arrested more than forty drunk drivers in Walvis Bay and on the B2 coastal road between Langstrand and Walvis Bay. Similar operations will be ongoing and a zero-tolerance approach to any form of reckless or negligent driving, ignorance to traffic laws and road traffic signs, roadworthiness of vehicles, speeding, drunken driving and wearing of safety belts will be exercised.
Long distance transport operators are remindedthat all heavy vehicles must use the road east of the dune belt between Walvis Bay and Swakomund. No exceptions will be made and operators will be required to turn around should they be detected on the B2 coastal road.
Similarly, operators of taxis in Walvis Bay, taxis commuting between the coastal towns and long-distance operators are warned over vehicle roadworthiness, driver permits, overloading and general driving behaviour. Long distance taxis in the past accounted for most of the high death toll on Namibian roads.
Platt also issued a warning to holiday makers and residents in the Langstrand area to adhere to road traffic laws. Unroadworthy quad bikes and people without a valid driving license can expect trouble. That includes parents allow their young children to drive around Langstrand’s streets with quad bikes.
“We can only be safe if we all cooperate”, said Platt.