Your life matters!
Safety: Your life matters!
Road accidents cost the City of Johannesburg R21 million a day but the cost in human suffering and pain cannot be measured. It is time that the citizens in the City of Johannesburg started taking concerted action to make the City’s roads safer.
This call comes from Rehanna Moosajee, MMC responsible for Transport in the City of Johannesburg.
“Gifted soccer stars, talented actors and actresses, musicians, young school children, politicians, religious leaders and just ordinary people, are among those that our country has lost due to road accidents. Many of these people lost their lives at the peak of their careers, when they still had so much to contribute to this country.
Help the City to start a safety movement during Transport Month – we need activists committed to working with government, so that we translate the safety messages into reality.
We all know what to do, and yet there is so little adherence to the basic rules of the road,” she said
Just look at this list, she pointed out.
If seatbelts have been proven to save lives – why do we still have motorists and passengers who will not wear their seatbelt?
If talking on your cellphone whilst driving has been proven to distract sufficiently to cause an accident – why do people persist in chatting while driving, even when hands-free devices have been made available?
If we know and accept that alcohol impairs judgement – why do people continue to drink and drive?
If we know that speed limits are there for our protection – why do we continue to break speed limits?
If we know that young children who are pedestrians are vulnerable – why do we who have children of our own, continue to speed and drive recklessly in the vicinity of schools?
If we know that surfing on a train can cause death – why do willingly put ourselves in deaths way?
The MMC Moosajee pointed out that campaign after campaign had been launched about these messages, yet they seem to fall on deaf ears.
People in Johannesburg know better, yet they behave in ways that lead to a path of self-destruction and pain.
So the City is taking its road safety campaign to the community level this October and will work through councillors to activate citizens to join in fighting for safer streets.
Citizens will be asked to prioritise areas for safety interventions and to help people to change their attitudes towards road safety.
For more information:
Kgamanyane Maphologela
Media Liaison
Public Liaison Department
City of Johannesburg
Telephone: 011 407 7271
Fax: 011 403 3494
Cell: 082 771 4874
E-mail: stanmapho@joburg.org.za.
