The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has in October 2026 recorded 45 Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) across five districts in Eastern province. The RTAs were recorded in Katete, Sinda, Petauke, Nyimba and Luangwa districts, of which 21 resulted in fatalities and the majority…

The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has in October 2026 recorded 45 Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) across five districts in Eastern province.

The RTAs were recorded in Katete, Sinda, Petauke, Nyimba and Luangwa districts, of which 21 resulted in fatalities and the majority of them involving motorbikes.

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‎Speaking during the District Epidemic Preparedness and One Health Technical Working Group meeting, Petauke District RTSA Road Traffic Inspector, Frank Mbulo said the statistics highlighted the growing road safety concerns associated with motorbike use in the region.

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‎”In a month we get over 40 accidents.  In this case, nearly one in every two accidents ended up being fatal, while two in three involved a motorbike,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Petauke District Commissioner (DC), Wachepa Phiri, expressed concern over the number of motorbike accidents recorded in the district.

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‎Mr Phiri said the accidents were particularly worrying because most of the affected riders were young people aged between 18 and 30 years, whose livelihoods depended on the motorbike business.

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‎”We are losing a generation. Most of the riders are between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. Young people who have found jobs in riding these motorbikes and looking at the statistics, we are losing a lot of people in the productive ages,” he said.

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‎And Petauke District Council Director of Health Services, Helen Nyangu called for improved compliance with road traffic regulations and capacity building for motorbike riders to promote road safety.

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‎Dr Nyangu said motorbike accident victims often sustain severe injuries, including head injuries, fractured limbs and excessive bleeding, with some cases resulting in death or permanent impairment.

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‎She said the increasing number of motorbike accident victims was also placing an additional burden on health facilities through the consumption of medical supplies and other resources.

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‎”The few of you may have an idea of what these accidents do. Those involved in a motorbike RTA normally come in bad condition. Some end up dying while others sustain injuries that impair their quality of life,” she said.

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‎Dr Nyangu said the situation was not only distressing for victims and their families but also placed pressure on hospitals.

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‎”Motorbike RTAs look horrific on the patient and very unfortunate on the family but it also affects the hospital because it literally means that we are utilizing a lot of our commodities that we were supposed to be using in other spaces,” she said.