New Delhi, Jan. 5 -- When Tafara Muvhevhi, a Zimbabwean driving instructor, began work 16 years ago, his job was simple: teach the highway code and prepare learners to ace their driving test.

Today, his priorities have changed. His main concern is no longer just the exam, but whether his students will survive some of the world's deadliest roads. This is vital in a country where road crashes rank among the top killers, according to the national statistics agency, and road accident fatality rates are among the continent's worst. In Zimbabwe, a crash hits every 15 minutes and five die and 38 are injured each day, according to the country's traffic safety agency.

"Back then we were teaching by the book, it was all by the book," Muvhevhi sai...