Select Page

Stay safe this holiday season, mask up and catch a Lefa

Stay safe this holiday season, mask up and catch a Lefa

By Melkisedek-Shivute Ausiku
LEFA Transportation Service.

This year will go down in infamy and having survived COVID-19 was no feat in 2020 and so now our thoughts turn to the holiday season or KeDezemba as many of us call it. December is a great time to relax and unwind and attend parties, end of year functions and travel to holiday destinations.

The partying, the drinking and the care-free attitude may be even more pronounced this year, but we need to stay vigilant. Keep the masks on, social distance and don’t drink and drive.

As LEFA, we started our ride-hailing app to facilitate safe transport for Namibians. We try to change the mindset of people that drink alcohol. Drinking and driving is not normal and this needs to be a message that hits home. An easy excuse that people use is that; “there’s no other way to get home after an evening of drinks and merriment. LEFA and our partners are spreading the message and work on providing solutions and alternatives to drink driving. One of these solutions is to have safe, reliable and affordable transport solutions available 24/7.

The economic costs of road accidents is enormous; increased administrative costs for insurance, police, courts and much more. This is in addition to costs related to medical treatment, rehabilitation and life enhancement. It is not just about fatalities, looking beyond the stats we see; damage to property and road infrastructure, lost productivity of those killed or injured and cost to corporates of re-employment and re-training of new employees to replace those deceased or injured. As well as untold heartache of the loss of lives. This is why drink driving must be halted at all costs.

So, this season after a year where we have been told and learned that we need to sanitise, wear masks and socially distance, can we also now take on board the notion of driving while being sober. This is simply done by letting others drive you if you’re going to drink.

Embracing technology to save lives is what innovation should be about, and Namibians have shown that they are ready for this technology by ordering more rides each month. Especially after drinks, or dinner, but also just as a safe and reliable form of transportation. Embrace road safety during the holiday season, mask up, socially distance and let others drive you when you drink.

Wishing you a safe and fun holiday season.


 

About The Author

Guest Contributor

A Guest Contributor is any of a number of experts who contribute articles and columns under their own respective names. They are regarded as authorities in their disciplines, and their work is usually published with limited editing only. They may also contribute to other publications. - Ed.