Pedestrians in Namibia have been warned not to drink and walk after it was revealed police will breathalyse anyone involved in a collision with a vehicle.

In a bid to crack down on alcohol-related road accidents, the Windhoek City Police will start treating pedestrians in the same way as they would drivers, by breathalysing them at the scene of an accident.

Most accidents involving pedestrians happen as punters pile home from busy bars Credit: GETTY

Police spokesperson Edmund Khoaseb told The Namibian that most accidents involving pedestrians happen at the weekend, particularly late at night when people are staggering home from the pub.

“Most of the time, the victims will be coming from bars and under the influence of alcohol, which makes it difficult for them to fully concentrate on the road,” he said.

Khoaseb added that some inebriated pedestrians do not adhere to the rules of the road, such as crossing at designated points.

According to the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), between January 1, 2016 and October 4, 2016, 147 pedestrians were killed and 832 were injured on Namibia’s roads. That’s quite high for a country of just two million inhabitants.

A hangover from the German colonial era, perhaps, Namibia is one of the thirstiest nations in Africa. According to the World Health Organisation, only Gabon and South Africa record higher rates of alcohol consumption (although Namibians still tuck away less booze per capita than most European nations).

The capital, Windhoek, is a smart, laidback city known for its colonial-era architecture, interesting street names (think Robert Mugabe Avenue; Fidel Castro Street) and lively watering holes, which, from now on, are perhaps best explored by taxi.