Abstract:
Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs) are fast becoming the leading cause of
death globally. In 2010, one person died every 25 seconds due to an MVA. Namibia was highlighted in
2008 as the country with the highest accident‐related fatality rate in the world (45 deaths per 100
000) and in 2010, ranked 9th overall for fatality rate in Africa. The B1 road in the Hardap region
(Rehoboth and its surrounding areas) was identified in 2009 as one of the top ten locations for MVAs
and in 2014 as an area with high MVA associated fatality. Despite the identifiable causes of MVAs,
accident rates continue to rise and have been recognised as a neglected epidemic due to poor data
capturing and reporting. Despite the availability of data in Namibia there has been very little research
performed to investigate the causes of these statistics and no research linking the cause to the
location. Filling in these research gaps is important in beginning to remedy the high number of
accidents and fatalities associated with MVAs in Namibia. The study aimed to map the causes of MVAs in relation to the location (at 20km intervals)
on the B1 road between Windhoek and Rehoboth. The objectives of the study were to identify clusters
of causes per location interval and determine and describe the relationship between the causes and
location of MVAs. The final objective is to formulate and propose endorsements for the erection of
cause‐specific features at identified locations as a prevention strategy.
