Mozambique’s Road Safety Crisis: A Call for Strategic Overhaul Beyond Checkpoint Bureaucracy
An observational journey on the N1 highway reveals systemic failures in accident prevention, prompting urgent calls for a data-driven, behavioral-focused strategy.
A recent firsthand account of a journey along Mozambique’s crucial National Road Number 1 (N1) has cast a stark light on the country’s persistent and deadly road safety failures. The observational report, which forms the basis of this analysis, suggests that current enforcement strategies are misaligned with the primary causes of fatal accidents, creating a cycle of bureaucratic checks that do little to save lives.
The Checkpoint Conundrum: Enforcement vs. Effectiveness
Over a 180-kilometer stretch, the observer passed 12 police checkpoints—an average of one every 15 km. However, the focus of these ubiquitous posts appeared fundamentally misplaced. Only two were actively monitoring speed. The overwhelming majority were engaged in document checks, preferentially stopping minibuses and foreign-plated vehicles to request licenses, registration, and insurance papers.
This approach, while administratively routine, is increasingly seen as a tragic misallocation of resources. “Having or not having a driver’s license, registration, and up-to-date insurance is not going to change anything regarding the prevalence of road accidents,” the source report argues. The critique highlights a core disconnect: enforcing paperwork compliance does not directly address the reckless behaviors that lead to collisions.
Systemic Corruption and the Illusion of Control
Further undermining the current model is the widespread acknowledgment of systemic corruption. The report notes that deficient documents or vehicle inspection certificates can often be circumvented with a small bribe, or “fee,” paid directly to officers—a practice the observer witnessed openly during the trip. This erodes public trust and transforms checkpoints from safety tools into points of extortion.
“Police action is crucial, but we need to see officers as our protectors, not as people on the road to extort citizens,” the original author concludes, calling for a profound shift in police culture and retraining.
Redirecting Focus to the Real Killers: Behavior and Infrastructure
Globally, road safety experts identify three central accident factors: road condition, vehicle technical state, and driver behavior. The observational data from the N1 suggests Mozambique’s strategy barely scratches the surface of the most critical element: dangerous driver behavior.
On the single journey documented, the observer counted 11 dangerous overtaking maneuvers—actions that forced oncoming traffic off the road. Combined with excessive speed, these behaviors represent the leading proximate causes of fatalities, far outstripping issues like alcohol impairment, which accounts for an estimated 18% of accidents.
A Blueprint for Change: Feasible Recommendations
Moving beyond critique, the source proposes a multi-pronged, actionable strategy:
- For Vehicle Condition: Implement rigorous, corruption-resistant mechanical inspections to ensure roadworthiness.
- For Road Infrastructure: Completely overhaul road signage and maintain clear lane and shoulder markings to guide drivers effectively.
- For Driver Control: Radically shift police tactics. This includes varying checkpoint locations to eliminate “trap” predictability, prioritizing the interception of dangerous overtaking and speeding in high-risk zones over document bureaucracy, and adopting an educational, not purely punitive, officer mindset.
The High Cost of Inertia
The central thesis of the report is a stark warning against institutional inertia: doing the same thing while expecting different results. The visible increase in the number of officers per checkpoint, without a change in strategy, is symbolic of this failed approach. As long as enforcement focuses on revenue generation and administrative compliance over preventing life-threatening maneuvers, Mozambique’s roads will remain among the most dangerous in the region.
The call is not for fewer police, but for smarter, more strategic policing rooted in data and a genuine mission to protect. The ultimate goal is a system where citizens feel safer because of police presence, not more apprehensive.
Source & Attribution: This analysis is based on the firsthand observational report “Fighting Accidents: Doing the Same and Expecting Different Results” by António Prista, published by Carta de Moçambique. Read the original article here (Source).