On
Friday
afternoon,
police
officers
conducted
an
awareness
campaign
in
the
CBD,
rounding
up
pedestrians
who
were
wearing
earphones
or
using
cellphones
while
crossing
the
road
and
cautioning
them
about
the
dangers
associated
with
distracted
walking.
Bulawayo
provincial
police
spokesperson,
Inspector
Nomalanga
Msebele,
said
police
are
recording
at
least
five
cases
daily
of
pedestrians
being
hit
by
vehicles
in
the
CBD,
with
most
incidents
linked
to
distraction.
“There
has
been
a
worrying
trend
in
terms
of
the
number
of
cases
that
we
are
receiving
about
pedestrians
who
are
hit
by
cars
because
they
were
distracted
by
earphones,”
said
Insp
Msebele
during
the
campaign.
“At
least
five
people
are
hit
by
cars
every
day,
and
in
most
cases
it
is
because
of
earphones.
If
such
behaviour
continues,
pedestrians
will
end
up
being
fined
for
such
conduct.”
Inspector
Msebele
said
police
have
a
constitutional
mandate
to
ensure
the
safety
and
protection
of
all
residents,
hence
the
decision
to
publicly
educate
pedestrians
on
the
risks
of
distracted
road
use.
“We
cannot,
as
a
city,
have
such
high
cases
of
pedestrians
being
hit
by
cars
every
day.
We
arrest
motorists
for
hitting
pedestrians,
but
in
some
cases
we
find
that
it
is
the
pedestrians
who
are
in
the
wrong,”
she
said.
“It
is
our
constitutional
mandate
to
ensure
the
safety
of
the
people.
If
you
are
failing
to
take
care
of
yourselves
responsibly,
we
will
take
care
of
you.
Can
we
all
be
more
careful
when
using
the
roads.”
She
explained
that
pedestrians
using
earphones
often
fail
to
hear
warning
signals
from
motorists,
cyclists,
or
fellow
pedestrians.
“You
find
that
a
person
fails
to
hear
a
car
hooting,
a
bicycle
ringing
a
bell,
or
fellow
pedestrians
and
onlookers
who
are
trying
to
warn
them
of
looming
danger
because
they
are
listening
to
music,”
said
Insp
Msebele.
Meanwhile,
Bulawayo
United
Passenger
Transport
Association
(BUPTA)
chief
rank
marshal
Israel
Mabuza
commended
police
for
the
campaign,
noting
that
several
drivers
have
been
charged
in
accidents
where
pedestrians
were
at
fault.
“This
is
a
great
challenge
that
we
have
been
facing
as
drivers.
Some
drivers
have
been
arrested
for
knocking
down
pedestrians,
yet
these
people
would
be
plugging
earphones
while
crossing
the
road,”
said
Mabuza.
He
added
that
the
situation
is
worsened
by
the
rainy
season,
which
affects
road
conditions
and
visibility.
“Especially
now
during
the
rainy
season,
the
state
of
the
roads
is
even
worse.
A
driver
will
be
trying
to
navigate,
but
pedestrians
will
be
disconnected
from
what
is
happening
around
them,”
he
said.
“Even
if
you
hoot,
that
person
won’t
hear
you.
In
the
end,
cars
may
bump
into
each
other
as
drivers
try
to
avoid
hitting
a
pedestrian,
leading
to
costs
that
could
have
been
avoided.”