The Road Transport and Safety Agency has appealed to motorists to adhere to road rules and regulations if the country is to record zero crash fatalities during this Easter holiday.

And the Zambia Police Service has cautioned citizens to be weary of criminals during the holiday.

In a statement today, RTSA public relations head Fred Mubanga said the agency has scaled up patrols.

“The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has urged all road users to adhere to road rules and regulations if the country is to record Zero road crash fatalities during this Easter Holiday. The Agency has therefore scaled up high way traffic enforcement patrols before and during the Easter holiday. The RTSA will work jointly with the Zambia Police Traffic Section so as to increase visibility and traffic enforcement on the highways on a 24hrs basis, Mubanga stated.

“The Agency has drawn up a proactive and tentative enforcement programme that will go beyond the four-day holiday. Traffic law enforcement officers have been deployed along the high ways across all the ten provinces. The Agency will equally set up strategic spot checks for speed management and screening of drivers for drinking and driving.”

He also asked members of the public to report others who were flouting road traffic rules.

“We implore all members of the public to report motorist flouting road traffic regulation by calling the RTSA toll free line 983 or call the Call Centre direct line 0211228798 or SMS or what’s app to 0965429499 with full details of the offence and the vehicle registration mark,” stated Mubanga.

And Police spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo, in a statement yesterday, advised citizens to be watchful of their personal security.

“The Zambia Police Service wishes to advise members of the public to celebrate in a more responsible manner and always be watchful of their personal safety and security as well as securing their valuables as this is the time when criminals would also want to take advantage of the situation and commit crime. We are also warning criminals that as police we are and will be alert during this period and that we have deployed enough police officers, both uniformed and plain clothed, to police streets, business centers as well as communities across the country. We have begun our intensified patrols,” stated Katongo.

“Motorists are being advised to lock the doors of their motor vehicles more so, in areas where there is slow –moving traffic.”