Libraries urged to promote road safety
Libraries should play a greater role in educating communities about road safety, Okahandja Constituency Regional Councillor Bethuel Tjaveondja has said. Speaking at the Otjozondjupa Road Safety Community Initiative in Okahandja on 28 July, Tjaveondja said the theme, “Safe Passage: Uniting B1 Communities Through Libraries”, highlighted the importance of using libraries as centres of learning and community development.
He said road safety was not only about roads, vehicles and traffic signs, but about protecting people and ensuring that every journey begins and ends safely. Tjaveondja said road crashes continued to claim lives in Namibia, causing deaths, serious injuries, disabilities, emotional trauma and significant economic costs to families and the country.
He said most crashes were preventable and were linked to human behaviour, including speeding, reckless overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol, distracted driving, fatigue, failure to wear seatbelts and disregard for traffic laws. “The B1 highway is one of Namibia's busiest transport corridors,” Tjaveondja said, adding that the route connects people, businesses, tourists and communities across the country and serves as a vital economic lifeline. He called on communities along the B1 corridor, including those in the Otjozondjupa Region, to become road safety ambassadors in their homes, schools, workplaces and communities.
Tjaveondja said parents, teachers, community leaders and law enforcement agencies all had a role to play in promoting responsible road use. He urged drivers to obey speed limits, avoid reckless overtaking, never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, avoid distractions such as mobile phones and ensure that passengers wear seatbelts. Pedestrians, he said, should cross roads safely, remain alert to traffic and teach children safe road-crossing practices.
Tjaveondja commended the organisers for recognising the role libraries could play in road safety education.
“Knowledge saves lives,” he said, adding that education could change behaviour and awareness could create responsibility. He said the government continued to invest in improving road infrastructure and strengthening road safety interventions, but warned that infrastructure alone could not eliminate crashes if road users failed to obey traffic laws.
He called on members of the community to make responsible decisions, saying road safety required vigilance, discipline and respect for the rules of the road. He urged participants to take the road safety message beyond the event and into their homes, schools, workplaces and communities.
“Together, let us choose safety. Together, let us save lives,” he said.
