A Tragic Reminder of Road Safety Rules

By Ilyana Sithole

On Saturday, a police officer was injured when the official vehicle he was driving was hit by a train at a level crossing in Marondera, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has said in an X post. The circumstances of the accident are concerning, considering the apparent disregard of level crossing rules that stipulate drivers should stop and ensure no train is approaching before proceeding. The police officer was pursuing a fleeing kombi, which leaves many big questions with regard to judgment used under life-threatening situations.

The incident should act to remind all of us how the rules for road safety are key to all persons, including enforcers of the laws. Level crossings are particularly vulnerable places, and it is on this basis that NRZ calls for caution. Whatever their status, motorists must respect these regulations toward safe passage on the road concerning themselves and all others. The outcomes of breaking the rules may also be very grievous, to say the least, as further illustrated by the unfortunate incident at hand.

But one wonders, if indeed the officer was chasing after a kombi, was it worth it to lose his life and his car? With today’s sophistication in technology and availability of information, this move appears ill thought. One can note down the vehicle registration numbers and the law enforcement agencies could get in touch with the Central Vehicle Registry to establish who owns the kombi. This would not only be safer for the officer but would also save the integrity of law enforcement.

The notion of police officers engaging in high-speed chases brings into question the culture that has been fostered within the ranks of law enforcement. The “cat and mouse” games between law enforcement and motorists (kombis and mushikashika) can easily devolve into a loss of faith, where citizens begin to question the integrity and decision-making abilities of those sworn to protect them. By prioritizing arrest over safety first—both of the officers’ and the public’s—this decreases what respect and authority law enforcement should have from the public.

What needs to be further considered, of course, is the more generalized impact on how the general public views police force. Reckless behavior goes against what an officer has taken an oath to stand for and defend; a citizen looks up not to an authority figure protecting the law, but to someone oblivious of the rule to which they are subject to enforce.

Finally, such incidents bring in one vital message: road safety is a shared responsibility. The priority on safety as opposed to speeding or being overtly aggressive is the duty that each driver, particularly in the ranks of law enforcers, should perform. NRZ called for caution that has to ring within each motorist’s ear, and an ethic of accountability as well as integrity must be brought out. The lives at stake are too precious to be lost in the pursuit of a kombi or any fleeting moment of adrenaline. Let us make a commitment to abide by the rules of the road, for it is upon this that the safety of ourselves and our communities rests.