Zambia is losing about 250 million U.S. dollars or three percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) annually as a result of road accidents, local media reported on Saturday.

"It has been estimated that the loss to the country arising from these accidents is in excess of 1 trillion kwacha (1 dollar against 4,000 kwacha) or slightly more than three percent of our gross domestic product," The Post quoted Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) acting chairperson Ester Nkandu as saying.

Nkandu said statistics show that more than 13,000 road accidents were reported in 2004 involving over 16,000 vehicles with 2,508 persons slightly injured and 892 killed.

She said road accidents rank as the third highest cause of death after malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country.

"These statistics are indeed worrisome and demand far-reaching measures to correct the situation," Nkandu said.

The great loss arising from road accidents spurred the government into action by installing speed limiters for public service vehicles that would be limited to a maximum speed of 65 km per hour.

Source: Xinhua