Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, officially opened the three-day annual conference for the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) on Monday aimed at reviewing and highlighting the road safety challenges being experienced in the country.
This eighth annual road safety conference officially started at Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa Region on Monday morning, attended by more than 100 officials from the Namibian Police Force traffic department, Roads Authority, government officials and executives from the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and Road Fund Administration.
Mutorwa, in his opening remarks at the event, reminded the attendees to be practical, constructive, and analytical in discussing the problems road users and motorists face when using the national roads.
“The conference is very important to us, as it aims at saving people’s lives on the public roads. Therefore, avoid theories that might not change human behaviour on public roads,” he said.
Mutorwa further urged the conference to discuss improved public awareness strategies which work in changing the behaviours of road users across the country.
NRSC Chairperson, Elifas !Owos-Oab, on his part, outlined the benefits of the conference, saying it has a feedback platform on specific road safety targets set in previous years.
“Similarly, it also shares favourable outcomes on the baseline metrics set in 2020 to measure performances of the sub-sectors of the National Road Safety Council, as problems in road safety cannot be achieved with the same thinking we applied since creation,” he said.
These conferences also on an annual basis formulate resolutions as well as recommendations for safer Namibian roads, !Owos-Oab said.